The French and Belgian trials, which began this year and last year respectively, ran for 12 months each, and early results look positive.
In a trial in Brussels funded by the national social welfare center, about 60 participants from low-income households were able to spend 150 euros per month in one supermarket, BEES Coop, for a year without any donations. increase. So far, participants have mostly purchased staple foods, Via said, with some allocated for non-food items such as soap and toilet paper. Hache believes the intervention improved her diet and eased her stress levels. “She can buy as much organic fruits and vegetables and bulk products as she wants,” she says.
Complemented by public and private grants, the project in Montpellier moves closer to its goal of providing more food to wealthier participants. For one year, 400 participants (half living in poverty) are required to donate any amount between €1 and €150 (($1.1-159/£0.9-£133)) each month. Yes, you will receive 100 euros ($10). To prevent misuse of donations, the civic committee behind the project issues funds in local currency that can be used in his five supermarkets in the city.
Emma Patterson, senior lecturer in public health and nutrition at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, says the intervention is a great way to address structural barriers such as cost and availability. “There is good evidence that working in a structured way is more effective than simply informing people,” she says.
However, Patterson warns that access may remain a barrier by limiting the funds to only be used at certain stores. should be involved and made available to everyone, otherwise you will benefit those who are already in a position to make extra trips to specialty stores. part of the population that needs help,” she says.
produce enough food to feed 10 billion peoplebut much of the world’s population Malnutrition And globally, hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition It is risingEven before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which sent world food prices skyrocketing, 3.1 billion people already can’t afford a healthy diet.
from England To Spain To Germany To Latvia, demand for food banks is soaring across Europe. It’s a similar story in the Americas.Canada’s food bank reported Record-breaking visit to a food bankArgentina’s food bank unable to meet demand And US food bank use one-third up compared to pre-Covid-19 pandemic.
Peuch says that having to ask for food is not a dignified approach and that while food aid has a role in extreme situations, it cannot be a long-term response to food insecurity. “Sometimes the state tells us, ‘We don’t have a food problem because we have food aid.’ But for us, food aid is not a right to food,” he says. . “Offering only limited quantities, [when it comes to] Quality, people really can’t choose. ”
Patterson agrees that it is important to allow people the freedom to choose their own food and that interventions are designed and developed with dignity in mind.
With fears of food insecurity across Europe, campaigners believe a window of opportunity may be opening for change. “When you have to eat food that you don’t want to buy, but you have no choice but to buy it… this makes people aware,” Peuch says.
study show Declining household income is consistently associated with poorer diet qualitybecause low-cost meals depend on High energy density but poor nutrition food. in Scotland, General practitioners report rising cases of malnutrition Because we have become overly dependent on such foods since the cost of living crisis began.malnutrition is global Micronutrient deficiencies, obesity and preventable diseases Heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, etc.
food insecurity, especially Child health, development and well-being, have higher nutritional requirements during periods of rapid physical growth. Globally, childhood malnutrition Biggest Public Health Challenge.
The burden of undernourishment on health systems is significant. For example, in a Belgian study, Health care costs and lost productivity due to excess weight The annual total from 2013 to 2017 was €4.5 billion ($4.8 billion/£4 billion).
