A lack of opportunity and resources to buy healthy, affordable food is resulting in a re-emergence of hunger and modern-day malnutrition in Northern Ireland, according to Martin Caraher, Professor of Food and Health Policy, City University London.

Commenting, Professor Caraher who is delivering the Annual Lecture at the Féile an Phobail’s West Belfast Festival on the subject of food poverty said;

“With almost a quarter of people living in poverty in Northern Ireland, coupled with increasing food prices, the issue of food poverty is becoming ever more urgent. This is adding to the decline in health in areas where life expectancy in men can be on average eight years shorter than those living in wealthier areas in Northern Ireland, while for women the gap is five years. Trends suggest that this gap is widening.

“Living in poverty puts people at risk of poor dietary intake. This not only affects what people eat but also has implications for lifestyle, social interaction and, importantly, health status. We know that many see food as a flexible item in the household budget and healthy food such as fresh fruit and vegetables can often be more expensive. Families often have to choose poor quality to stretch their weekly budget. We also know that mothers skip meals to feed their children and cheap and highly processed foods are replacing nutritionally balanced meals.

“Food is a citizen’s right and governments should create the opportunities and environment in which people can make healthy choices. There is also a need to establish food welfare programmes which offer food security and culturally appropriate food choices to vulnerable groups, this is especially so in light of the current financial crises and government austerity cuts.”

Food Poverty is defined as the inability of individuals and households to have an adequate, nutritious and socially acceptable diet due to issues of affordability and access to food. A Food Poverty Network has been set up to measure the extent of food poverty across the island of Ireland. The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, Food Standards Agency in NI, Safefood and other partners are seeking to develop a coordinated approach to address food poverty in order to inform and influence practice and policy.

Gary McFarlane NI Director of the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health who co-authored a report examining the issue of food poverty in Northern Ireland which was published in 2007 said:

“The fact that food poverty exists in our society is not only a matter for concern, it is also unacceptable in any modern, democratic society. Once again it is those who are most disadvantaged who suffer the most. We already understand the devastating impact hunger, poverty and anxiety can have on families. Action must be taken urgently to eradicate the underlying causes of food poverty and improve the life experiences of our food poor. Universal access to healthy, affordable food should be the keystone of Government food and nutrition policy, and a cross-cutting commitment across a range of government departments and others to deliver a specific food poverty policy to eradicate this social injustice.”

Dr Leslie Boydell, from the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, sponsors for this lecture, added: “It is essential that we collectively address the issue of food poverty if we are going to be able to sustain health services into the future. The impact of food poverty on health has the potential to overwhelm our services.”

“Food Poverty – A New Hunger!”, the annual lecture of the West Belfast Festival, will take place at St Mary’s University College, Falls Road, Belfast on 7th August at 5pm – admission is free.

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Notes to editors:1. Statistics for Northern Ireland:• In Northern Ireland income is up to 30 per cent less than that of other parts of the UK. Full-time employees in Northern Ireland had the lowest median gross weekly earnings (£450.60) across the UK regions at April 2011. The UK median was £500.70 and London’s median gross weekly earnings for full time employees was £650.90 [Source: Northern Ireland Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2011];

• We have the highest reliance on state (income-related) benefits and tax credits than any other UK region/country [Source: Family Resources Survey 2009-10];• We have the highest number of households in fuel poverty (44 per cent of households spend more than 10 per cent of their income adequately heating their home) [Source: House Condition Survey 2009]. It is likely that it is these same people who have difficultly affording a healthy diet resulting in the difficult decision to either heat or eat; and• We spend persistently more on basic necessities, with the poorest households spending twice as much as their richer counterparts on food [Source: Family Spending Survey 2010].

2. The obesity prevention strategy for Northern Ireland – A Fitter Future for All: Framework for Preventing and Addressing Overweight and Obesity in Northern Ireland 2012-2022 – seeks to develop a coordinated approach to address food poverty measured by an indicator of the percentage of adults experiencing food poverty. The Food Poverty Network has been established to develop such an indicator and includes representatives from the Food Standards Agency in NI (co-chair); Safefood (co-chair); Chartered Institute of Environmental Health; Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety; Public Health Agency; Healthy Food for All; FareShare Island of Ireland, Department for Social Development; Department of Social Protection; Economic and Social Research Institute and Queen’s University, Belfast.

3. The West Belfast Festival’s Annual Lecture is sponsored by the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust.