Sustainable solutions to the intractable problems of food insecurity

粮食不安全的概念是缺乏物质、社会或经济手段来获得足够数量的安全和有营养的食物，以促进健康和积极的生活方式。它与更广泛的健康决定因素密切相关，包括社会、文化和政治因素。由于最近由紧缩政策推动的福利改革，英国的食品不安全状况急剧增加，这加剧了弱势群体感受到的经济压力。由于突然失业和因病失去收入，COVID-19进一步给许多个人和家庭带来了经济上的影响。包括住房和失业在内的社会因素以及社区内存在粮食沙漠和沼泽等环境因素也在最弱势群体中粮食不安全的不成比例发展中发挥了作用。粮食不安全的影响广泛而严重。矛盾的是，在英国，饥饿和微量营养素缺乏症的发生率有所上升，与此同时，在社会经济地位较低的群体中，营养过剩和肥胖等非传染性疾病也在增加。这与这一人群食用廉价、能量密集但营养不良的饮食有直接关系。此外，粮食不安全还会影响心理健康，与焦虑和抑郁的增加有关。在英国，粮食不安全是一个令人担忧且看似棘手的问题，尽管在疫情期间最近得到了媒体的广泛关注，但缺乏有效的政策和政府的投入令人担忧。这导致依靠名人来提高人们对这一问题严重性的认识，并游说改变。同样，随着粮食不安全水平的不断提高，人们也需要依靠慈善部门来弥补这一差距。然而，传统的粮食援助只能提供短期的紧急救济，严重依赖他人的慷慨。为了应对粮食不安全危机，越来越依赖粮食援助不仅对慈善机构来说是不可持续的，而且通过粮食援助服务分发的粮食往往营养不足。粮食银行提供符合膳食准则的新鲜和健康食品的能力有限，因此，那些接受粮食援助的人被迫食用不易腐烂的超加工食品，这实际上可能会加剧健康不平等。要解决粮食不安全的根本原因，就需要进行改革，使福利制度和粮食环境有利于减少卫生不平等现象。迫切需要传统粮食援助的替代办法，以确保为所有人提供良好的粮食。这项研究与当地社会企业Can Cook合作，旨在推荐一种经济上可持续的、可扩展的、以社区为中心的粮食不安全对策。对传统粮食援助的局限性，包括消除食物选择以及对接受援助的人身心健康和福祉的负面影响，将为制定这种应对措施提供参考。将考虑粮食不安全个人的态度和经验，以便为支助家庭和社区一级当地粮食安全的最佳进程提供信息，并促进有效、相关和可持续的社会企业对策。

Food insecurity is conceptualised as a lack of physical, social or financial means to obtain safe and nutritious food in adequate quantities to promote a healthy and active lifestyle. It is highly intertwined with the wider determinants of health, including social, cultural, and political factors. Food insecurity has increased dramatically in the UK as a result of recent welfare reforms driven by austerity, which have intensified the economic pressure felt by disadvantaged groups. COVID-19 has further impacted many individuals and families financially due to sudden unemployment and loss of income due to illness. Social factors including housing and unemployment, and environmental factors such as the presence of food deserts and swamps within communities also play a role in the disproportionate development of food insecurity within the most disadvantaged populations. The effect of food insecurity is wide-ranging and severe. Paradoxically, the prevalence of hunger and micronutrient deficiencies has increased in the UK, alongside increases in over-nutrition and non-communicable diseases such as obesity in lower socio-economic groups. This has been directly related to the consumption of cheap, energy dense yet nutrient poor diets in this population. Additionally, food insecurity also impacts mental health, being linked to increases in anxiety and depression. Food insecurity is a worryingly and seemingly intractable problem in the UK and despite receiving much recent media attention during the pandemic, lack of effective policies and government dedication is concerning. This has led to reliance on celebrities to raise awareness of the gravity of the issue and lobby for change. Similarly, with levels of food insecurity ever-increasing, the charitable sector is relied upon to bridge the gap. However, traditional food aid can provide only short-term, emergency relief, relying heavily on the generosity of others. Increasing reliance on food aid in response to the food insecurity crisis is not only unsustainable for charities, but the food distributed through food aid services is often nutritionally inadequate. Food banks have a limited capacity to provide fresh and healthy foods to meet dietary guidelines and consequently, those receiving food aid find themselves forced into consuming non-perishable, ultra-processed foods which may, in reality, be contributing towards widening health inequalities. Changes that allow the welfare system and food environment to be conducive to reducing health inequalities are required to address the root causes of food insecurity. Alternatives to traditional food aid are urgently required in order to secure the provision of good food for all. Working in collaboration with the local social enterprise Can Cook, this research aims to recommend an economically sustainable, scalable and community-centred response to food insecurity. The development of such a response will be informed by an evaluation of the limitations of traditional food aid, including the eradication of food choice and negative consequences to mental and physical health and wellbeing of those in receipt of support. The attitudes and experiences of food insecure individuals will be considered in order to inform an optimum process to support local food security both at the household and community level, and promote an effective, relevant and sustainable social enterprise response.