The emergence of food bank/voucher programs in Taiwan: a new measure for combating poverty and food insecurity?

2013 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate Yeong-Tsyr Wang ◽  
Li-Ching Lyu
Keyword(s):  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Food Bank ◽  
Voucher Programs

Allocation Optimization Problem for Peruvian Food Bank

2019 ◽  
pp. 201-215
Author(s):  
Ricardo Campos-Caycho ◽  
Renzo A. Benavente-Sotelo ◽  
Yasser A. Hidalgo-Gómez ◽  
Christian A. Blas-Bazán ◽  
Pamela Ivonne Borja-Ramos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Research Work ◽  
The Other ◽  
Food Bank ◽  
Gas Emissions ◽  
Maximum Coverage ◽  
Nutritional Needs

Food insecurity is a recurrent condition in which members of a household do not have enough food to cover their nutritional needs; this condition contributes to increasing social vulnerability of those affected. In Peru, there are more than 9 million people who suffer this condition, which generates malnutrition and anemia, mostly in children. On the other hand, the waste of food is associated with production the large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions that affect global warming. According to reports in Peru, 20% of what is food produced becomes waste. This scenario in terms of food for Peruvians represents 3 billion calories in wasted food that could feed 2 million people. The Peruvian Food Bank manages food donations, ensuring this food can reach people in need through humanitarian aid entities. This applied research work uses the tools of operations research to determine a solution to the problem of maximizing the combination of food orders to be distributed based on their total nutritional value to the beneficiaries, seeking maximum coverage and minimum logistic costs.

Food Insecurity and Dietary Intake Of Immigrant Food Bank Users

2007 ◽  
Vol 68 (2) ◽  
pp. 73-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy J. Rush ◽  
Victor Ng ◽  
Jennifer D. Irwin ◽  
Larry W. Stitt ◽  
Meizi He
Keyword(s):  
Dietary Intake ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Fruits And Vegetables ◽  
Mean Value ◽  
Food Bank ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Highly Educated ◽  
Before And After ◽  
24 Hour Recall ◽  
Milk And Dairy Products

Purpose: The degree of food insecurity and dietary intake was examined in adult Colombians who are new immigrants to Canada and use a food bank. Methods: In-person surveys were conducted on a convenience sample of 77 adult Colombian immigrant food bank users in London, Ontario. Degree of food insecurity was measured by the Radimer/Cornell questionnaire, food intakes by 24-hour recall, sociodemographics, and questionnaires about changes in dietary patterns before and after immigration. Results: Thirty-six men and 41 women participated in the study. Despite being highly educated, all respondents had experienced some form of food insecurity within the previous 30 days. The degree of food insecurity seems to be inversely associated with income and length of residency in Canada. Total daily energy intake was low, with a mean value of 1,568.3 ± 606.0 kcal (6,217.5 ± 2,336.4 kJ). In particular, a large proportion of participants consumed a diet low in fruits and vegetables (73%) and milk and dairy products (58%). Conclusions: Colombian immigrant food bank users new to Canada experience various degrees of food insecurity, which is associated with inadequate food intake. Interventions are needed to assist this population with adapting to society while concurrently sustaining healthy eating patterns.

scholarly journals Prevalence of food insecurity among food bank users in Germany and its association with population characteristics

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 96-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Depa ◽  
Fiona Gyngell ◽  
Annalena Müller ◽  
Laila Eleraky ◽  
Carolin Hilzendegen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Population Characteristics ◽  
Food Bank

Food banks, welfare, and food insecurity in Canada

2014 ◽  
Vol 116 (9) ◽  
pp. 1405-1417 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valerie Tarasuk ◽  
Naomi Dachner ◽  
Rachel Loopstra
Keyword(s):  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Social Assistance ◽  
Food Assistance ◽  
Food Banks ◽  
Food Bank ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Assistance Programs ◽  
Recent Emergence ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – Similar to the recent emergence of food banks in other affluent nations, the genesis and ultimate entrenchment of food banks in Canada has been tightly intertwined with the dismantling of the welfare state. Through an examination of Canadian data, the authors elucidate the implications of entrenching voluntary, extra-governmental, charitable food assistance programs as an adjunct to publicly funded social assistance programs. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – Publicly available food bank reports, population health survey data, and the results of a study of low-income families in Toronto are reviewed to examine the food security status of social assistance recipients and their use of food banks. Findings – In 2012, 70 percent of households in Canada who were reliant on social assistance were food insecure. Social assistance recipients comprise at least half of food bank clientele and have done so for as long as this information has been tracked, but the assistance provided by food banks appears insufficient to alter households’ food insecurity. Although food banks currently distribute over 200 million pounds of food annually, the scale of their operations pales in comparison to the food needs of those who seek their help. Originality/value – In the 30 years since food banks began in Canada, there has been considerable research into this response, as well as extensive population monitoring of food insecurity. Canada provides an informative case study of an affluent country's long-term dependency on charitable food assistance and the impact this has on the food insecurity of those reliant on social assistance programs.

scholarly journals Improving the nutritional status of food-insecure women: first, let them eat what they like

2007 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 1288-1298 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynn McIntyre ◽  
Valerie Tarasuk ◽  
Tony Jinguang Li
Keyword(s):  
Nutritional Status ◽  
Dietary Intake ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Food Preferences ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Healthy Food ◽  
Dietary Intakes ◽  
Healthy Foods ◽  
Food Bank ◽  
Diverse Community

AbstractObjectiveTo determine the extent to which identified nutrient inadequacies in the dietary intakes of a sample of food-insecure women could be ameliorated by increasing their access to the ‘healthy’ foods they typically eat.DesignMerged datasets of 226 food-insecure women who provided at least three 24-hour dietary intake recalls over the course of a month. Dietary modelling, with energy adjustment for severe food insecurity, explored the effect of adding a serving of the woman's own, and the group's typically chosen, nutrient-rich foods on the estimated prevalence of nutrient inadequacy.Setting and subjectsOne study included participants residing in 22 diverse community clusters from the Atlantic Provinces of Canada, and the second study included food bank attendees in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Of the 226 participants, 78% lived alone with their children.ResultsWhile nutritional vulnerability remained after modelling, adding a single serving of either typically chosen ‘healthy’ foods from women's own diets or healthy food choices normative to the population reduced the prevalence of inadequacy by at least half for most nutrients. Correction for energy deficits resulting from severe food insecurity contributed a mean additional 20% improvement in nutrient intakes.ConclusionsFood-insecure women would sustain substantive nutritional gains if they had greater access to their personal healthy food preferences and if the dietary compromises associated with severe food insecurity were abated. Increased resources to access such choices should be a priority.

scholarly journals Food Insecurity in a Low-Income, Predominantly African American Cohort Following the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 111 (3) ◽  
pp. 494-497
Author(s):  
Tamara Dubowitz ◽  
Madhumita Ghosh Dastidar ◽  
Wendy M. Troxel ◽  
Robin Beckman ◽  
Alvin Nugroho ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Low Income ◽  
The United States ◽  
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program ◽  
Food Bank ◽  
Assistance Program ◽  
Nutrition Assistance ◽  
National Trends ◽  
The Impact

Objectives. To examine the impact of COVID-19 shutdowns on food insecurity among a predominantly African American cohort residing in low-income racially isolated neighborhoods. Methods. Residents of 2 low-income African American food desert neighborhoods in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, were surveyed from March 23 to May 22, 2020, drawing on a longitudinal cohort (n = 605) previously followed from 2011 to 2018. We examined longitudinal trends in food insecurity from 2011 to 2020 and compared them with national trends. We also assessed use of food assistance in our sample in 2018 versus 2020. Results. From 2018 to 2020, food insecurity increased from 20.7% to 36.9% (t = 7.63; P < .001) after steady declines since 2011. As a result of COVID-19, the United States has experienced a 60% increase in food insecurity, whereas this sample showed a nearly 80% increase, widening a preexisting disparity. Participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (52.2%) and food bank use (35.9%) did not change significantly during the early weeks of the pandemic. Conclusions. Longitudinal data highlight profound inequities that have been exacerbated by COVID-19. Existing policies appear inadequate to address the widening gap.

scholarly journals Changing probability of experiencing food insecurity by socioeconomic and demographic groups during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Koltai ◽  
Veronica Toffolutti ◽  
Martin McKee ◽  
David Stuckler
Keyword(s):  
Logistic Regression ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Food Bank ◽  
Demographic Groups ◽  
Logistic Regression Models ◽  
Employment Transitions ◽  
Percentage Points ◽  
Population Prevalence ◽  
The Uk

Background: Food supply concerns have featured prominently in the UK response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We assess changes in food insecurity in the UK population from April to July 2020. Method: We analyze 11,095 respondents from the April through July waves of the Understanding Society COVID-19 longitudinal study survey linked with Wave 9 of the UK Understanding Society study. Food insecurity was defined as having used a food bank in the last 4 weeks; being hungry but not eating in the last week; or not able to eat healthy and nutritious food in the last week. Unadjusted estimates to examine changes in population prevalence and logistic regression were used to assess the association between employment transitions and food insecurity. Findings: The prevalence of reporting at least one form of food insecurity rose from 7.1% in April to 20.2% by July 2020. Some of the largest increases were among Asian respondents (22.91 percentage points), the self-employed (15.90 percentage points), and 35-44-year-olds (17.08 percentage points). In logistic regression models, those moving from employment to unemployment had higher odds of reporting food insecurity relative to furloughed individuals (OR=2.23; 95% CI: 1.20 to 4.13) and to the persistently employed (OR=2.38; 95% CI: 1.33 to 4.27), adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics. Furloughed individuals did not differ significantly in their probability of experiencing food insecurity compared to the persistently employed (OR=1.07; 95% CI: 0.83 to 1.37). Interpretation: Food insecurity has increased substantially in the UK. Steps are needed to provide subsidies or food support to vulnerable groups.

scholarly journals Food bank drive-through distribution during COVID-19: A reflective essay

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Brittney Cavaliere ◽  
Carson Drew ◽  
Katie Martin
Keyword(s):  
Food Insecurity ◽  
New England ◽  
Free Food ◽  
People Of Color ◽  
Food Banks ◽  
Food Bank ◽  
Food Pantry ◽  
Regional Food ◽  
Food Needs ◽  
To Receive

The COVID-19 pandemic has created an unprece­dented surge in food insecurity and demand for free food. In response, Foodshare, the regional food bank serving Greater Hartford, Connecticut, created a drive-through distribution program to meet the immediate food needs of residents. Our team at Foodshare’s Institute for Hunger Research & Solutions conducted two surveys of people receiving food at the drive-through distribution to help inform Foodshare’s programming and response to the pandemic. Results show that 70% of households receiving food had never gone to a food pantry or other program to receive free food prior to COVID-19, and 67% said they come at least once a week. Additionally, 86% of guests are not going elsewhere to receive free food and only 37% know of other places to get free food. The majority of people receiving food at the drive-through distribution were people of color, who are those most affected by COVID-19 from both health and financial perspectives. From April to August 2020, Foodshare served an average of 1,500 households each day and more than 150,000 cars total at the drive-through distribution alone. Despite serving an immediate need for food, the drive-through model presents challenges, particu­larly during the New England winter with snow and freezing temperatures, and is an expensive endeavor. Foodshare and other food banks will need to pivot again from short-term pandemic assistance to longer-term approaches to create dignified, convenient, and sustainable access to healthy food for additional people struggling with food insecurity. Food banks can also leverage their extensive platforms of volunteers and donors to advocate for policy changes that will ensure eco­nomic stability and food security.

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