Rising food insecurity in Europe
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Article Info
People
queueing for food aid is an image reminiscent of the Great Depression
in the 1930s, but one that has come to characterise many European
nations in the grip of austerity today. In 2013–14, the UK's Trussell
Trust, a national network of food banks, provided emergency food aid to
more than 900 000 adults and children, a 163% increase from the previous
year.1 Greek, Spanish, and French charities have also reported marked rises in the number of people seeking emergency food support.2 Alongside clinical evidence of rising nutritional deficiencies,2, 3 these reports suggest that a problem is emerging, but to what extent is food insecurity rising across Europe?
We have searched the EuroStat database
for the prevalence of households that are unable to afford meat (or a
vegetarian equivalent) every second day—an amount generally recommended
in European dietary guidelines. This is a common measure of household
food insecurity, which is defined as uncertain and insufficient food
availability and access arising from resource constraints.4
Between
2005 and 2010, the proportion of people reporting an inability to
afford meat or equivalent decreased by about 0·5% points each year (figure).
In 2010, this trend reversed, rising from 8·7% in 2009, to 10·9% in
2012, and remaining elevated thereafter. Since 2010, the prevalence of
food insecurity was about 2·71% points (95% CI 0·56–4·85%) greater than
would have been expected on the basis of previous trends (appendix) and corresponds to an excess of about 13·5 million people (95% CI 2·8 million–24·2 million) living with food insecurity.
Figure
Food insecurity in EuropeDotted line indicates predicted trend in food insecurity in EU-27 population. Solid line indicates observed trend in food insecurity in EU-27 population. Data are from EuroStat database as of March 1, 2015.
What
is driving food insecurity is a crucial question. The recent recession
in Europe led to unemployment, debt, and housing arrears—all of which
could make food less affordable for households. Yet not all countries
facing such hardship had these problems. For example, both Ireland and
Portugal were strongly affected by the financial crisis, yet between
2009 and 2012, food insecurity rose by 1·8% points in Ireland but
actually dropped in Portugal, according to EuroStat data.
Rising
food insecurity is an urgent health problem. It is strongly associated
not just with malnutrition, but with sustained deterioration of mental
health, inability to manage chronic disease, and worse child health.5, 6, 7
While wealth is becoming increasingly concentrated among the richest 1%
of the population and trillions of Euros have been spent on bailing out
European banks, surely there is enough to secure adequate access to
food for all?
We declare no competing interests.
Supplementary Material
| Title | Description | Type | Size |
|---|---|---|---|
 Supplementary appendix | .16 MB |
References
- The Trussell Trust. Latest foodbank figures top 900,000: life has got worse not better for poorest in 2013/14, and this is just the tip of the iceberg. http://www.trusselltrust.org/foodbank-figures-top-900000. ((accessed Aug 29, 2014).)
- Ashton, JR, Middleton, J, and Lang, T. Open letter to Prime Minister David Cameron on food poverty in the UK. Lancet. 2014;
383: 1631
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- García Rada, A. Child poverty and malnutrition rise in Spain as austerity measures bite. BMJ. 2013; 347: f5261
- Wunderlich, GS and Norwood, JL. Food insecurity and hunger in the United States: an assessment of the measure. National Research Council of the National Academies, Washington, DC; 2006
- Seligman, HK and Schillinger, D. Hunger and socioeconomic disparities in chronic disease. N Engl J Med. 2010; 363: 6–9
- Heflin, CM, Siefert, K, and Williams, DR. Food insufficiency and women's mental health: findings from a 3-year panel of welfare recipients. Soc Sci Med. 2005; 61: 1971–1982
- Kirkpatrick, SI, McIntyre, L, and Potestio, ML. Child hunger and long-term adverse consequences for health. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2010; 164: 754–762
