Why is food poverty a reality in Ireland?

Of all aspects of life on a low income, inability to provide enough healthy food for children is the one on which people are least willing to speak. Food poverty brings shame, despair and, particularly among parents, a sense of failure.

There is little in-depth research on it. The limited data we have, based on a measure developed by the Economic and Social Research Institute in 2012, finds “inability to have an adequate and nutritious diet due to issues of affordability or accessibility” was experienced by 8.9 per cent of people last year — up from 7 per cent in 2018.

But how could Ireland, reported last year by the Economist food security index as “the most food secure nation”, have food poverty?

A healthy diet is more expensive than appreciated by many. Research by Safefood, published in September, looks at the minimum cost of a socially acceptable healthy diet for six household “types”. It found 2020 costs ranged from €48 for a single adult in an urban area, to €169 for a two-parent, two-child household (rural).

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“Low-income households need to spend between 13 per cent and 35 per cent of their net income to buy a healthy minimum essential food basket,” it says. These costs and percentages are likely significantly higher today.

Though income inadequacy is the main problem, those at the coalface point squarely at inadequate public services compounding already desperate situations.

Michael Drew — whose newly published book, Uncovering Food Poverty in Ireland, is the only in-depth study on the experience of food poverty — says all 40 food bank users he interviewed were experiencing a “toxic cocktail” of issues including housing insecurity, disability, care responsibilities, precarious work and difficulties navigating an inflexible social welfare system, which increased their outgoings and reduced their capacity to work.

“People generally had two or three of these problems together ... [and] these would probably not be issues that would keep you poor to the same extent in countries with good public services.”

The Dublin diocesan charity Crosscare, which has run food banks since 1941, wants to shift away from the model and in October opened a “food poverty casebook service”.

“Food poverty is much more complex than simply a need for food,” says Joy Walsh, project leader. “Of course it’s that, but increasingly we felt just providing food aid was creating dependency. People were coming to food banks for long periods of time: for a year, two years.”

Now, when someone presents for food aid they meet a one-to-one caseworker. Underlying issues are tackled. “There is no question people who come to a food bank are in need, but what is the root cause and what is their exit strategy out of food poverty?”

Together with the service user, a caseworker will examine whether they are accessing all their entitlements, link them to employment supports, child supports, counselling, addiction services, as well as going over their budgets. “People are very genuine, they do the work. They want to get out of the situation they’re in.

“We are having really good results and very few people come back to us. We had estimated we would reach about 200 children though their families over this year. It’s now July and we have had over 700 children in about 400 families. Demand has been beyond what we imagined, and we get no State support.” The service has secured some funding from the Late Late Toy Show appeal.

Many do all they can, access everything they are entitled to and “still struggle”, says Walsh. “During Covid there was an acknowledgment from Government that the social welfare payments were not sufficient.

“Now we are going through inflation so you can imagine how tough that is on people on already insufficient incomes. There is no way people can manage. Budgets just don’t add up. You can do all the practical skills but ultimately the cost of living has increased beyond what people have.”