Food, poverty and health
This research investigated the intersection of food, poverty and health amongst impoverished consumers in the developed world. Food is often chosen for reasons other than health benefits and food insecurity is a leading health and nutrition issue within the USA. This research reports on the consumer experience of receiving SNAP benefits (food vouchers) for the purpose of informing food policy.
Relative to the rest of the world, the US leads the world in terms of wealth, power, and technological innovation, yet the pervasiveness of poverty and inequality within the US is in direct contrast with the immense national wealth and historic commitment to human rights. While socialist oriented policy is not popular in the current US political climate, the US welfare safety net includes Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security, with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistant Program (SNAP, formerly known as the Food Stamps program up until 2008) as the primary anti-hunger program.
Recognizing food as an inherent part of social inequality enables researchers to expose the intersectionalities. To that end, this research investigated low-income American consumers receiving SNAP benefits (that is, Government food assistance) on their views of food, poverty and health. This research was conducted at a South Texas food bank outreach center in a district comprising 16,959 households receiving SNAP. Within these SNAP households, 40.3% are recorded as livingbelow the poverty line with a median income of $27,160 and a racial population of 77% white, 14.7% Black or African American, and 40% Hispanic or Latino origin. As well, in combination with these challenging socioeconomic conditions, obesity and diabetes are prevalent health conditions in this community.
This research shows that the experience of food, poverty, and health intersect in myriad ways. The cost of adequate food for those living in poverty, sometimes means necessarily going without. More than that, while some go without food, others go without medication and some experience homelessness, others incarceration. Those going without medication then face the consequence of exacerbated health conditions and possibly the need for hospitalization. Others face alcoholism and mental health issues such as depression. For the community therefore, the cost of food insecurity is far higher than the cost of groceries gone without.
Each of the participants in this study arrived at the opportunity to participate in this research because they happened to visit this food bank outreach center during the time this research was being conducted. That means, given their impoverished circumstances they had specifically sought out alternative means of food supply beyond their SNAP benefits. In other words, they were there to help themselves. Some of the study participants were employed or had partners who worked, yet they still needed help and constitute some of the working poor in America. While some of the study participants came to this outreach center specifically for food and fresh produce, others came for social support.
While the circumstances of poverty mean an adequate supply of food is financially out of reach, the experience of food insecurity negatively impacts health, including mental health. Impoverished consumers therefore face a double bind where lack of food compounds the experience of poverty and poverty amplifies food insecurity. More than that, being in ill-health or coping with disabilities for example further constrains people in terms of sourcing adequately food for themselves and/or their families. In this way, bodily and mental variabilities and vulnerabilities are shown to intersect with food access.
The stories reported in this work include families reluctant to accept SNAP benefits due to the associated stigma but do so because of the terrifying emotional experience of an empty pantry. Single parent households that choose food quantity over quality just to ensure their children have food available. Homelessness, alcoholism, drug abuse, domestic violence, debilitating depression, and complex health needs are aspects of the stories reported in this research. The findings presented here therefore show that the myriad ways that food, poverty, and health intersect can be positively impacted with SNAP policy investment rather than divestment.
Here is the full reference and link to this published research:
Schembri, S. (2019). Food, poverty and health: the lived experience for SNAP recipients. Journal of Social Marketing. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSOCM-10-2018-0124
