Sustainable solutions to the intractable problems of food insecurity

粮食不安全的概念是缺乏物质、社会或财政手段，无法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高度交织在一起，包括社会、文化和政治因素。由于最近由紧缩推动的福利改革，英国的粮食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。由于突发失业和因病导致的收入损失，新冠肺炎进一步影响了许多个人和家庭的经济。社会因素，包括住房和失业，以及环境因素，如社区内粮食沙漠和沼泽的存在，也在最弱势人口中粮食不安全的不成比例发展中发挥作用。粮食不安全的影响是广泛和严重的。矛盾的是，在英国，饥饿和微量营养素缺乏症的流行率有所增加，同时营养过剩和肥胖等非传染性疾病在较低社会经济群体中也有所增加。这与这一人群中廉价、高能量但营养不良的饮食的消费直接相关。此外，粮食不安全还影响心理健康，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的看似棘手的问题，尽管最近在疫情期间受到了媒体的大量关注，但缺乏有效的政策和政府的奉献精神令人担忧。这导致了对名人的依赖，以提高人们对这个问题的严重性的认识，并游说改变。同样，随着粮食不安全程度的不断提高，人们依赖慈善部门来弥合差距。然而，传统的粮食援助只能提供短期的紧急救济，严重依赖于他人的慷慨。增加对粮食援助的依赖以应对粮食不安全危机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。食品银行提供新鲜健康食品以满足饮食指南的能力有限，因此，那些接受食品援助的人发现自己被迫消费不易腐烂的超加工食品，这在现实中可能会加剧健康不平等。要解决粮食不安全的根源，就必须进行改革，使福利制度和粮食环境有利于减少健康不平等现象。迫切需要传统粮食援助的替代品，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，旨在建议对粮食不安全采取经济上可持续、可扩展和以社区为中心的应对措施。将通过评估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者的身心健康和福祉的负面影响，来制定这一对策。将考虑粮食不安全个人的态度和经历，以便为在家庭和社区两级支持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应对措施。

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.