There is a crisis of food insecurity and food poverty in Dorset

When you sit down for a meal tonight, thousands of people across Dorset can’t share in what you’re about to enjoy.

Over 380,000 people are at medium to high risk of food insecurity across Dorset and BCP and another 90,000 are experiencing acute food poverty.

People experience food insecurity when they are unable to feel certain that they can afford, obtain, prepare and eat a healthy, nutritious diet. They experience food poverty when this uncertainty becomes a fact.

The main causes are a combination of rapidly increasing food prices and poverty or low income.

Other important causes include poor housing, the wider local environment, limited or no access to affordable healthy food because of a lack of transport or local shopping options, physical or mental health challenges, disability, a lack of cooking skills, healthy eating knowledge, and confidence to cook, and other social factors.

The impacts of food insecurity and food poverty are felt far beyond the kitchen. In the short term, hungry children are unable to concentrate at school, while adult parents may skip meals to feed their children. Families experience a diet that is monotonous and may be harmful to health.

In the long term this increases cases of preventable illnesses like obesity and diabetes. It damages the wellbeing and confidence of adults and children and may even impair the ability to work.

Food education plays a critical role in addressing food insecurity. It can’t decrease food prices or increase income for a family experiencing acute food poverty. But building cooking skills and nutritional knowledge helps to lift families out of food insecurity and build a buffer against sliding into food poverty.

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