To describe the prevalence of food poverty according to dimensions of socio-economic inequality and the food groups consumed by Brazilian children.

Dietary data from a structured qualitative questionnaire collected by the Brazilian National Survey on Child Nutrition (ENANI-2019) were used. The new UNICEF indicator classified children who consumed 3–4 and <3 out of the eight food groups as living in moderate and severe food poverty, respectively. The prevalence of consumption of each food group and ultra-processed foods (UPF) was estimated by level of food poverty according to age categories (6–23; 24–59 months). The most frequent combinations of food groups consumed by children living in severe food poverty were calculated. Prevalence of levels of food poverty were explored according to socio-economic variables.

123 municipalities of the five Brazilian macro-regions.

12 582 children aged 6–59 months.

The prevalence of moderate and severe food poverty was 32·5 % (95 % CI 30·1, 34·9) and 6·0 % (95 % CI 5·0, 6·9), respectively. Children whose mother/caregiver had lower education (<8 years) and income levels (per capita minimum wage <¼) had the highest severe food poverty prevalence of 8·3 % (95 % CI 6·2, 10·4) and 7·5 % (95 % CI 5·6, 9·4), respectively. The most consumed food groups among children living in food poverty in all age categories were ‘dairy products’, ‘grains, roots, tubers, and plantains’ and ‘ultra-processed foods’.

Food poverty prevalence was high among Brazilian children. A significant occurrence of milk consumption associated with grains and a considerable prevalence of UPF consumption were found among those living in severe food poverty.

The aim of this study was to investigate the social and environmental factors involved in the food decision-making processes of families living on lower incomes on the Island of Ireland.

A qualitative design was employed for this study, using photovoice and creative mapping methods. Parents were requested to take photos and draw maps of their food environments. Interviews were then conducted with parents, using the materials produced by parents as a cue to discuss their food environments, influences and decision-making processes around food choices.

The participants were interviewed online via Microsoft Teams.

The participants were parents or guardians of children between the ages of 2 and 18 who self-defined as ‘living on a tight budget’.

Twenty-eight participants were recruited and interviewed for this study, including twelve parents in Northern Ireland and sixteen in the Republic of Ireland. The findings were mapped on to Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory and showed that multiple, overlapping and intersecting factors at the individual, micro-, meso-, exo-, macro- and chrono-system were implicated in family food choices. Upstream factors in particular, including structural, policy and commercial determinants, appear to be significant drivers of behaviour.

While the findings suggest that a complex range of factors are involved in family food choices, it is clear that policy measures and regulations are needed to stave off the impacts of rising social inequality and food poverty. Health promoters should strive to find non-stigmatising interventions to bridge the nutritional divide experienced by lower-income families.

To meet some of the UN’s seventeen Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, there is a need for more effective policy to reduce food insecurity in low-income and lower-middle-income countries (LMIC). Measuring progress towards these goals requires reliable indicators of food security in these countries. Routinely conducted household consumption and expenditure surveys (HCES) provide potentially valuable and nationally representative data sets for this purpose. The present study aimed to assess methods used to determine national food security status using proxy measures from HCES data in LMIC globally.

A scoping literature review was conducted using electronic databases. Of the 929 abstracts identified, a total of twenty articles were reviewed against strict inclusion and exclusion criteria and included for further analysis.

Fourteen LMIC globally were represented in the twenty articles. The simplest metric used to indicate food insecurity compared household food expenditure against a level of expenditure considered to be below the poverty line. Data on acquisition of food was commonly converted to available energy for the household using local food composition tables and expressed as a proportion of household total energy requirements. Dietary diversity was also assessed in some studies as well as experience of food insecurity.

The review demonstrated that routinely collected HCES data sets provide a useful resource for the measurement of household food security in often resource-limited LMIC. Standardisation of methods used to assess food security is needed to allow for more useful comparisons between countries, as well as to assess temporal trends.

To assess the nutritional quality of food aid delivered by food banks in France and to identify practical modifications to improve it.

National-level data were collected for all food aid distributed by French food banks in 2004, and its nutrient content per 2000 kcal was estimated and compared with French recommendations for adults. Starting with the actual donation and allowing new foods into the food aid donation, linear programming was used to identify the minimum changes required in the actual donation to achieve the French recommendations.

French food-bank-delivered food aid does not achieve the French recommendations for dietary fibre, ascorbic acid, vitamin D, folate, magnesium, docosahexaenoic acid, α-linolenic acid and the percentage of energy from saturated fatty acids. Linear programming analysis showed that these recommendations are achievable if more fruits, vegetables, legumes and fish were collected and less cheese, refined cereals and foods rich in fat, sugar and/or salt. In addition, new foods not previously collected are needed, particularly nuts, wholemeal bread and rapeseed oil. These changes increased the total edible weight (42%) and economic value (55%) of the food aid donation, with one-third of its edible weight coming from fruits and vegetables, one-third from staples, one-quarter from dairy products and approximately a tenth from meat/fish/eggs.

Important changes in the types and amounts of food collected will improve the nutritional quality of food-bank-delivered food aid in France. Such changes are recommended to improve the diets of deprived French populations.

To investigate the relationships between food poverty and food consumption, health and life satisfaction among schoolchildren.

Analysis of the 2002 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study, a cross-sectional survey that employs a self-completion questionnaire in a nationally representative random sample of school classrooms in the Republic of Ireland.

A total of 8424 schoolchildren (aged 10–17 years) from 176 schools, with an 83% response rate from children.

Food poverty was found to be similarly distributed among the three social classes (15.3% in the lower social classes, 15.9% in the middle social classes and 14.8% in the higher social classes). It was also found that schoolchildren reporting food poverty are less likely to eat fruits, vegetables and brown bread, odds ratio (OR) from 0.66 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.45–0.87) to 0.81 (95% CI 0.63–0.99); more likely to eat crisps, fried potatoes and hamburgers, OR from 1.20 (95% CI 1.00–1.40) to 1.62 (95% CI 1.39–1.85); and more likely to miss breakfast on weekdays, OR from 1.29 (95% CI 0.33–1.59) to 1.72 (95% CI 1.50–1.95). The risk of somatic and mental symptoms is also increased, OR from 1.48 (95% CI 1.18–1.78) to 2.57 (95% CI 2.33–2.81); as are negative health perceptions, OR from 0.63 (95% CI 0.43–0.83) to 0.52 (95% CI 0.28–0.76) and measures of life dissatisfaction, OR from 1.88 (95% CI 1.64–2.12) to 2.25 (95% CI 2.05–2.45). Similar results were found for life dissatisfaction in an international comparison of 32 countries. All analyses were adjusted for age and social class.

Food poverty in schoolchildren is not restricted to those from lower social class families, is associated with a substantial risk to physical and mental health and well-being, and requires the increased attention of policy makers and practitioners.

Household food insecurity is a major determinant of undernutrition, yet there is little information on its prevalence in the South African population. This paper assesses household food insecurity in South Africa using a quantitative and objective measure, known as food poverty, and provides prevalence estimates by geographic area and socio-economic condition.

Secondary data analysis combining two sources: Statistics South Africa's household-based 1995 Income and Expenditure Survey; and the University of Port Elizabeth's Household Subsistence Level series, a nationally-conducted, market-based survey.

South Africa.

A nationally representative sample of the entire country – stratified by race, province, and urban and non-urban areas – consisting of 28 704 households.

A household is defined to be in food poverty when monthly food spending is less than the cost of a nutritionally adequate very low-cost diet. The prevalence of food poverty in South Africa in 1995 was 43%. Food poverty rates were highest among households headed by Africans, followed by coloureds, Indians and whites. Higher food poverty rates were found with decreasing income, increasing household size, and among households in rural areas or those headed by females.

The widespread nature of household food insecurity in South Africa is documented here. Prevalence rates by geographic and socio-economic breakdown provide the means for targeting of nutritional interventions and for monitoring progress in this field. The corroboration of these findings with both internal validation measures and external sources suggests that food poverty is a useful, objective measure of household food insecurity.