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Michael Drew’s review of the causes and effects of food poverty in Ireland offers the first full-length study of this significant and protracted issue that has been exacerbated by COVID-19.
The book brings together the complex picture emerging from interviews with users of food aid. Their pathways into and through food poverty are impacted by the policies and practices of government and employers with wide-ranging implications. The work explores the international landscape of food poverty and situates both experiences and responses in a comparative context. It considers how these results contribute to an understanding of the problem and what action should be taken.
As the demand for food banks and other emergency food charities continues to rise across the continent, this is the first systematic Europe-wide study of the roots and consequences of this urgent phenomenon.
Leading researchers provide case studies from the UK, Finland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain, each considering the history and driving political and social forces behind the rise of food charity, and the influence of changing welfare states. They build into a rich comparative study that delivers valuable evidence for anyone with an academic or professional interest in related issues including social policy, exclusion, poverty and justice.
Drawing on empirical research with the UK’s two largest charitable food organisations, this book explores the prolific rise of food charity over the last 15 years and its implications for overcoming food insecurity.
As the welfare state withdraws, leaving food banks to protect the most vulnerable, the author questions the sustainability of this system and asks where responsibility lies - in practice and in theory - for ensuring everyone can realise their human right to food.
The book argues that effective, policy-driven solutions require a clear rights-based framework, which enables a range of actors including the state, charities and the food industry to work together towards, and be held accountable for, the progressive realisation of the right to food for all in the UK.
Introduction Many findings from the quantitative and qualitative data on food poverty set out in this book are linked to or have implications for the policies and practices of government, employers and other relevant stakeholders. Drawing on the relevant literature and key findings from primary and secondary data analysis, this chapter discusses the most prominent of these issues. These include problems regarding social protection, housing, illness/disability, caring, low-pay and precarious employment. In particular, it highlights issues which, if addressed
key policies that drive food poverty. These issues are discussed in later chapters. Pathways into food poverty Inadequate social security Income protection Most respondents in this study were unemployed and relied entirely on social welfare support. This reflected multiple issues, including difficulties in finding suitable employment and barriers to work, such as illness/disability and care responsibilities. As many respondents found that their social welfare payment was inadequate to cover their necessary weekly expenditure, help with food was
significant cause of poverty and increases the risk of food poverty ( Carney and Maître, 2012 ), a review of Ireland’s welfare typology and social protection system is provided. Employment is not necessarily a route out of poverty and there is likely to be a real risk of in-work and food poverty for many in low-paid jobs, particularly given the increasing prevalence of precarious work. Many of those with illness/disability and caring responsibilities also face higher risk of food poverty, exacerbated by lack of state support and barriers to employment. Following a review of
, reflecting the multidimensionality of food poverty. While some respondents needed help to overcome temporary difficulties obtaining food, many conveyed longer-term food poverty, arising from a combination of factors, similar to those described as a ‘toxic cocktail’ by Daly and Kelly (2015 : 41). This typically included low-paid work or no employment, because of ill health, disability or full-time caring responsibilities. In many cases, the situation was aggravated by accumulating high-cost debt from moneylenders. These respondents relied on the safety net of social
policy concern. Food poverty affects over 300,000 people in Ireland (Department of Social Protection [ DSP], 2020c ) and there is evidence that the situation has been exacerbated by COVID-19. The financial impact of the pandemic has disproportionally affected groups that are already at high risk of food poverty, such as low-income families with children, lone parents, people with disabilities and renters (Society of St Vincent de Paul [ SVP], 2021a ). While the profile of food poverty in Ireland remains low, the problem of global hunger and food nutrition has
claimants to undergo ‘work capability assessments’ in order to determine their eligibility for this benefit paid to people who cannot work because of illness or disability. Those placed in the ‘work-related activity group’ were additionally required to engage in work-related activity, such as job searches, work preparation schemes and practice job interviews, in order to keep receiving benefits (Barr et al, 2015; Dwyer et al, 2016). Similar types of conditions were imposed on lone parents claiming income support who have children aged five or older (Johnsen, 2016
this period, the state assumed more responsibility and the influence of The Rise of Food Charity in Europe 114 the pillars diminished. The welfare state expanded quickly, with state pensions, social security, disability allowances and a minimum wage all being introduced during this period. Recipients moved from being dependent on charity offered by organisations linked to their religion to a position of having certain rights aligned with citizenship, regardless of their religious or political affiliation. After 25 years of welfare state expansion, the third
