FOOD SECURITY AND POVERTY REDUCTION

A social justice approach

Poverty

A recent authoritative definition of poverty is to be found in the OECD Development Action Committee’s (DAC) Guidelines on Poverty Reduction (OECD (2001)), which state that:

“Poverty encompasses different dimensions of deprivation that relate to human capabilities including consumption and food security, health, education, rights, voice, security, dignity and decent work.” (OECD (2001), p. 8)

Definitions

Food security “Access by all people at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life. Food security includes at a minimum: (1) the ready availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods, and (2) an assured ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways.”

Food insecurity “Limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods or limited or uncertain ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways.”

Food Insecurity – National Statistics

Of the 35 million food-insecure people in the United States in 2005, 12.4million were children younger than 18 years.

As with poverty, subpopulations with the highest prevalence of household food insecurity are:

• Blacks -22.4%• Latinos -17.9%• households

w/children younger than 6 -16.7%

• and single-mother households 30.8%)

Food insecurity, poverty and poor health outcomes.

POVERTY CREATES

POOR HEALTH,

POOR HEALTH CREATES

POVERTY –

FOOD SECURITY

IS AN INTERVENING FACTOR

Poverty

Food Insecurit

y

Poor Health

-- Dr. David Williams

The Choices of Individuals Are Limited by the Environments in Which They Live.

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Food Deserts

Food Security Options

Create incentives for local farmers Increase the use of community gardens Provide access to EBT machines at

Farmer’s Markets and CSA programs so that SNAP and WIC participants can purchase healthy food.

Attract new grocery stores to low income neighborhoods.

Support existing stores to offer healthy food options

Attracting Grocery Stores

Improved access to healthy foods can improve the local residents’ health, reduce health inequities, create & retain jobs, improve local economic development & generate increased tax revenue.

These efforts can help transform underserved communities into communities of choice and opportunity.

Support Existing Stores

Reduce the risk, and the costs, for small stores

supporting facade up-dates and

assisting with marketing.

Community groups can encourage small stores to increase shelf space for fresh produce by: documenting

unmet demand, subsidizing

additional costs, providing managers

with tips to help them buy, sell and display produce

providing low cost loans 

Pick the right retailer

Improvement efforts are most successful when merchants are genuinely receptive to selling healthier products and willing to invest to improve long-term viability.

Increase and capitalize on customer spending power

Promote resident participation in nutrition assistance programs to bolster the purchasing power of local residents,

Ensure that retailers accept WIC and SNAP benefit cards.

Community organizations can promote stores that offer healthier food.

Connect stores with government resources

Financial and technical assistance for small businesses can be targeted to small-scale retailers in low-income communities who are willing to improve their selection of healthy foods.

Local economic development and health departments may also be able to support these efforts.  

Center for Health Equity

Lisa Tobe, MPH, Director

Lisa.tobe@louisvilleky.gov

502-574-6616, 502-574-8045

2422 W. Chestnut Street

Louisville, KY 40205

http://www.louisvilleky.gov/

Health/equity/