WHAT IS FOOD INSECURITY?
Food insecurity is inadequate or insecure access to safe or nutritious food [1]. It is recognized by governments and international organizations as the main contributor to global undernutrition. Other contributors include women’s education level (women’s education is restricted or discouraged in many countries), basic sanitation, and cultural practices [2].
Food insecurity is a significant global issue which is expected to increase in severity as the world’s population continues to increase, and as our ability to produce enough food is hampered by climate change and the scarcity of natural resources.
FOOD SECURITY: THE NUMBERS
In 2016, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations has found that the number of undernourished people had increased, after steadily decreasing for roughly 10 years [2]. Although numbers have begun to fall again, food insecurity remains a serious issue and one that we must collectively address. Roughly 11% of the world’s population does not have access to adequate nutrition currently [3].
A recent FAO report found that food insecurity was most severe in Sub-Saharan, Eastern, and Middle Africa, with between 22.7% and 33.9% of people qualifying as food insecure. Parts of Asia saw food insecurity at over 10%, while food insecurity in the Caribbean was at 17.7% [2].
Unfortunately, food insecurity has the greatest impact on young children. Currently, undernutrition causes almost half of deaths in children under five, and one out of six children in developing countries is underweight [3].
WHY DOES FOOD INSECURITY EXIST?
The FAO defines several core underlying causes of food insecurity: Drought, political conflict, population growth, poverty, and ecosystem fragility.
Many of the most food insecure places on the planet are faced with a combination of several of these factors, which together can have a compounding effect on dramatically reducing access to food. Most of these locations are primarily rural, meaning that people rely on local agriculture for nutrition, resulting in high vulnerability to environmental and economic challenges [4].
FOOD INSECURITY IN CANADA
Although Canada is among the most food secure countries in the world, food insecurity remains a serious problem in Canada.
1 in 8 households in Canada is food insecure, meaning 4 million Canadians, 1.15 million of which are children, do not have access to adequate or safe nutrition. In Canada, food insecurity is highly correlated with poverty, as well as with living in a rural or isolated setting [1].
WHAT CAN BE DONE?
Considering the severe and wide-reaching global impact of food insecurity, we all have a part to play in its eradication.
Here in Canada, more than $31 billion worth of food is wasted every year [5]. On the consumer end, we can all be more efficient with our consumption of food, and more conscious about not throwing away food products unless it is absolutely necessary. This decreases the overall demand for consumer products, and therefore the potential for food waste. Restaurants and food retailers must also be willing to reduce their food waste, which may involve changing their company policies.
On a more global scale, the responsibility lies with governments and large food corporations. Global food insecurity is exacerbated by the extremely unequal distribution of critical resources across the globe, and the unsustainable ways these resources are produced. It is up to these large, international organizations to ensure that food is produced at a lower cost and in a more sustainable manner. as a result, more food and related resources may be distributed to places that are currently food insecure, without continuing to damage the environment and degrade natural ecosystems.
The necessity to alter the way we source and produce food on a global scale is already ushering in a new approach to the food supply. Governments are providing various forms of aid to food-insecure regions and encouraging local efforts to produce low-cost, low-environmental-impact food. At the same time, a new breed of food suppliers is emerging; companies that are focused on disrupting the status-quo, with food products and ingredients that are sustainably produced, low cost, and have potential to be made available across the globe.
REFERENCES:
1. PROOF. (2018). Household Food Insecurity in Canada. PROOF Food Insecurity Policy Research. Retrieved from http://proof.utoronto.ca/food-insecurity/
2. FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP and WHO. (2017). The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2017. Retrieved from http://www.fao.org/3/a-I7695e.pdf
3. WFP. (2018). Hunger Statistics. Food Aid Foundation. Retrieved from http://www.foodaidfoundation.org/world-hunger-statistics.html
4. FAO, UN. (2000). The Underlying Causes of Food Insecurity. The Elimination of Food Insecurity in the Horn of Africa. Retrieved from http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/x8406e/X8406e01.htm
5. Evans, P. (2014). Food waste costs Canada $31B a year, report says. CBC. Retrieved from http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/food-waste-costs-canada-31b-a-year-report-says-1.2869708000