Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-jn8rn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T17:51:26.077Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Food Bank Usage Is a Poor Indicator of Food Insecurity: Insights from Canada

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 May 2015

Rachel Loopstra  and
Valerie Tarasuk
Rachel Loopstra
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology, University of Oxford, E-mail: [email protected]
Valerie Tarasuk
Affiliation:
Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto, E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This article reflects on the insights afforded by the regular measurement and monitoring of household food insecurity in Canada juxtaposed against information on food bank usage in the population. We show that the number and characteristics of people using food banks suggest that this population is a non-representative subset of the food insecure population. We also highlight how the number of people using food banks is insensitive to the level of household food insecurity in the population. Who goes to food banks is a function of the nature of food bank operations and the severity of food insecurity. Representative data on household food insecurity should be regularly collected and utilised to make policy recommendations for interventions to address the problem of insecure food access.

Keywords

Household food insecurityCanadafood banks
Type
Themed Section on Hunger, Food and Social Policy in Austerity
Information
Social Policy and Society , Volume 14 , Issue 3 , July 2015 , pp. 443 - 455
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada (2014) First Nations People in Canada, Ottawa: Government of Canada, https://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1303134042666/1303134337338 [accessed 20.12. 2014].Google Scholar
Anderson, S. A. (1990) ‘Core indicators of nutritional status for difficult-to-sample populations’, Journal of Nutrition, 120, 11, 1559–600.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bocskei, E. M. and Ostry, A. S. (2010) ‘Charitable food programs in Victoria, BC’, Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research, 71, 1, 46–8.Google Scholar
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (2013) ‘Food bank use near record level in Ontario, report says’, http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/food-bank-use-near-record-level-in-ontario-report-says-1.2447361 [accessed 25.03.15].Google Scholar
Carlson, S. J., Andrews, M. S. and Bickel, G. W. (1999) ‘Measuring food insecurity and hunger in the United States: development of a national benchmark measure and prevalence estimates’, Journal of Nutrition, 129, 2S, 510S–516S.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Coates, J., Frongillo, E. A., Rogers, B. L., Webb, P., Wilde, P. E. and Houser, R. (2006) ‘Commonalities in the experience of household food insecurity across cultures: what are measures missing?’, Journal of Nutrition, 136, 5, 1438–48.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
De Schutter, O. (2012) Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, De Schutter, Olivier: Mission to Canada, Geneva: United Nations.Google Scholar
Emery, J. C., Fleisch, V. C. and McIntyre, L. (2013) ‘Legislated changes to federal pension income in Canada will adversely affect low income seniors’ health’, Preventitative Medicine, 57, 6, 963–6.Google Scholar
Emery, J. C. H., Bartoo, A. C., Matherson, J., Ferrer, A., Kirkpatrick, S., Tarasuk, V. and McIntyre, L. (2012) ‘Evidence of the association between household food insecurity and heating cost inflation in Canada, 1998-2001’, Canadian Public Policy, 38, 2, 181–215.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Food Banks Canada (2008) HungerCount 2008: A Comprehensive Report on Hunger and Food Bank Use in Canada, Toronto: Food Banks Canada.Google Scholar
Food Banks Canada (2009) HungerCount 2009: A Comprehensive Report on Hunger and Food Bank Use in Canada, and Recommendations for Change, Toronto: Food Banks Canada.Google Scholar
Food Banks Canada (2010) HungerCount 2010: A Comprehensive Report on Hunger and Food Bank Use in Canada, and Recommendations for Change, Toronto: Food Banks Canada.Google Scholar
Food Banks Canada (2011) HungerCount: A Comprehensive Report on Hunger and Food Bank Use in Canada, and Recommendations for Change, Mississauga: Food Banks Canada.Google Scholar
Food Banks Canada (2013a) About Food Banks Canada, Mississauga: Food Banks Canada, http://foodbankscanada.ca/About-Us.aspx [accessed 17.06.2014].Google Scholar
Food Banks Canada (2013b) About Us, Mississauga: Food Banks Canada, http://www.foodbankscanada.ca/About-Us/Organization.aspx [accessed 17.06.2014].Google Scholar
Food Banks Canada (2013c) Making Connections: Annual Report 2013, Toronto: Food Banks Canada.Google Scholar
Food Banks Canada (2014) HungerCount 2014, Mississauga: Food Banks Canada.Google Scholar
Forsey, A. (2014) An Evidence Review for the All-Party Parliamentary Inquiry into Hunger in the United Kingdom, London: The Children's Society.Google Scholar
Gaetz, S., Donaldson, J., Richter, T. and Gulliver, T. (2013) The State of Homelessness in Canada 2013, Toronto: Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness.Google Scholar
Goldberg, M. and Green, D. A. (2009) Understanding the Link between Welfare Policy and Use of Food Banks, Ottawa: Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.Google Scholar
Gucciardi, E., Vogt, J. A., Demelo, M. and Stewart, D. E. (2009) ‘Exploration of the relationship between household food insecurity and diabetes in Canada’, Diabetes Care, 32, 12, 2218–24.Google Scholar
Hamelin, A. M., Mercier, C. and Bedard, A. (2011) ‘Needs for food security from the standpoint of Canadian households participating and not participating in community food programmes’, International Journal of Consumer Studies, 35, 1, 58–68.Google Scholar
Hamilton, W. L., Cook, J. T., Thompson, W. W., Buron, L. F., Frongillo, E. A., Olson, C. M. and Wehler, C. A. (1997) Household Food Security in the United States in 1995: Technical Report of the Food Security Measurement Project, Alexandria, VA: United States Department of Agriculture.Google Scholar
Holland, A. C., Kennedy, M. C. and Hwang, S. W. (2011) ‘The assessment of food security in homeless individuals: a comparison of the Food Security Survey Module and the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale’, Public Health and Nutrition, 14, 12, 2254–9.Google Scholar
Irwin, J. D., Ng, V. K., Rush, T. J., Nguyen, C. and He, M. (2007) ‘Can food banks sustain nutrient requirements? A case study in Southwestern Ontario’, Canadian Journal of Public Health, 98, 1, 17–20.Google Scholar
Jones, A. D., Ngure, F. M., Pelto, G. and Young, S. L. (2013) ‘What are we assessing when we measure food security? A compendium and review of current metrics’, Advances in Nutrition, 4, 5, 481–505.Google Scholar
Kirkpatrick, S. I. and Tarasuk, V. (2008a) ‘Food insecurity in Canada: considerations for monitoring’, Canadian Journal of Public Health, 99, 4, 324–7.Google Scholar
Kirkpatrick, S. I. and Tarasuk, V. (2008b) ‘Food insecurity is associated with nutrient inadequacies among Canadian adults and adolescents’, The Journal of Nutrition, 138, 3, 604–12.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lambie-Mumford, H. (2013) ‘“Every town should have one”: emergency food banking in the UK’, Journal of Social Policy, 42, 1, 73–89.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Loopstra, R. and Tarasuk, V (2012) ‘The relationship between food banks and household food insecurity among low-income Toronto families’, Canadian Public Policy, 38, 4, 497–514.Google Scholar
Loopstra, R., Dachner, N. and Tarasuk, V. (forthcoming) An Exploration of the Unprecedented Decline in the Prevalence of Household Food Insecurity in Newfoundland and Labrador, 2007–2012, Toronto: University of Toronto.Google Scholar
McIntyre, L., Bartoo, A. C. and Emery, J. H. (2012) ‘When working is not enough: food insecurity in the Canadian labour force’, Public Health and Nutrition, 17, 1, 49–57.Google Scholar
McIntyre, L., Connor, S. K. and Warren, J. (2000) ‘Child hunger in Canada: results of the 1994 National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth’, Canadian Medical Association Journal, 163, 8, 961–5.Google ScholarPubMed
Neter, J. E., Dijkstra, S. C., Visser, M. and Brouwer, I. A. (2014) ‘Food insecurity among Dutch food bank recipients: a cross-sectional study’, BMJ Open, 2014, 4, e004657.Google Scholar
Pegg, S. (2014) Food Banks and the Dependence Myth, Mississauga: Food Banks Canada.Google Scholar
Radimer, K. L., Olson, C. M. and Cambell, C. C. (1990) ‘Development of indicators to assess hunger’, Journal of Nutrition, 120, 11, 1544–8.Google Scholar
Rainville, B. and Brink, S. (2001) Food Security in Canada: 1998-1999, Ottawa, ON: Human Resources Development Canada, Applied Research Branch Research Paper R-01–2E.Google Scholar
Riches, G. (2002) ‘Food banks and food security: welfare reform, human rights and social policy - lessons from Canada?’, Social Policy and Administration, 36, 6, 648–63.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rosol, R., Huet, C., Wood, M., Lennie, C., Osborne, G. and Egaland, G. M. (2011) ‘Prevalence of affirmative responses to questions of food insecurity: International Polar Year Inuit Health Survey, 2007-2008’, International Journal of Circumpolar Health, 70, 5, 488–97.Google Scholar
Salonen, A. (2014) ‘The Christmas celebration of secondary consumers: observations from food banks in Finland’, Journal of Consumer Culture, first view doi:10.1177/1469540514541881.Google Scholar
Skinner, K., Hanning, R. M. and Tsuji, L. J. (2014) ‘Prevalence and severity of household food insecurity of First Nations people living in an on-reserve, sub-Arctic community within the Mushkegowuk Territory’, Public Health Nutrition, 17, 1, 31–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Statistics Canada (2008) Canadian Community Health Survey Annual Component 2007, Ottawa: Statistics Canada.Google Scholar
Statistics Canada (2009) Canadian Community Health Survey Annual Component 2008, Ottawa: Statistics Canada.Google Scholar
Statistics Canada (2010) Canadian Community Health Survey Annual Component 2009, Ottawa: Statistics Canada.Google Scholar
Statistics Canada (2011) Canadian Community Health Survey Annual Component 2010, Ottawa: Statistics Canada.Google Scholar
Statistics Canada (2012) Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) Annual Component: Detailed information for 2011, http://www23.statcan.gc.ca/imdb/p2SV.pl?Function=getSurvey&SurvId=3226&SurvVer=1&InstaId=15282&InstaVer=8&SDDS=3226&lang=en&db=imdb&adm=8&dis=2 [accessed 15.07.2013].Google Scholar
Tarasuk, V. S. and Beaton, G. H. (1999). ‘Household food insecurity and hunger among families using food banks’, Canadian Journal of Public Health, 90, 2, 109–13.Google Scholar
Tarasuk, V. and Dachner, N. (2009) ‘The proliferation of charitable meal programs in Toronto’, Canadian Public Policy-Analyse De Politiques, 35, 4, 433–50.Google Scholar
Tarasuk, V. and Eakin, J. M. (2003) ‘Charitable food assistance as symbolic gesture: an ethnographic study of food banks in Ontario’, Social Science and Medicine, 56, 7, 1505–15.Google Scholar
Tarasuk, V. and Eakin, J. M. (2005) ‘Food assistance through “surplus” food: insights from an ethnographic study of food bank work’, Agriculture and Human Values, 22, 2, 177–86.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tarasuk, V., Mitchell, A. and Dachner, N. (2013a) Household Food Insecurity in Canada: 2011, http://nutritionalsciences.lamp.utoronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/foodinsecurity2011_final.pdf.Google Scholar
Tarasuk, V., Mitchell, A., McLaren, L. and McIntyre, L. (2013b) ‘Chronic physical and mental health conditions among adults may increase vulnerability to household food insecurity’, The Journal of Nutrition, 143, 11, 1785–3.Google Scholar
Tarasuk, V., Dachner, N., Hamelin, A. M., Ostry, A., Williams, P., Bosckei, E., Poland, B. and Raine, K. (2014a) ‘A survey of food bank operations in five Canadian cities’, BMC Public Health, 14, 1234.Google Scholar
Tarasuk, V., Dachner, N. and Loopstra, R. (2014b) ‘Food banks, welfare, and food insecurity in Canada’, British Food Journal, 116, 9, 1405–17.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Taylor-Robinson, D., Rougeaux, E., Harrison, D. and Whitehead, (2013) ‘The rise of food poverty in the UK’, British Medical Journal, 347, f7157.Google Scholar
Tinnemann, P., Pastatter, R., Willich, S. N. and Stroebele, N. (2012) ‘Healthy action against poverty: a descriptive analysis of food redistribution charity clients in Berlin, Germany’, European Journal of Public Health, 22, 5, 721–6.Google Scholar
Tsang, S., Holt, A. M. and Azevedo, E. (2011) ‘An assessment of the barriers to accessing food among food-insecure people in Cobourg, Ontario’, Chronic Diseases and Injuries in Canada, 31, 3, 121–8.Google Scholar
Willows, N. D., Veugelers, P., Raine, K. and Kuhle, S. (2009) ‘Prevalence and sociodemographic risk factors related to household food security in Aboriginal peoples in Canada’, Public Health Nutrition, 12, 8, 1150–6.Google Scholar
Wunderlich, G. S. and Norwood, J. L. (eds.) (2006) Food Insecurity and Hunger in the United States: An Assessment of the Measure, Washington, DC: National Research Council of the National Academies.Google Scholar