Can Giving Clients a Choice in Food Selection Help to Meet Their Nutritional Needs?: Investigating a Novel Food Bank Approach for Asylum Seekers

Abstract

The aim of this research was to investigate whether a foodbank working directly with people seeking asylum and incorporating client choice, located in Melbourne Australia, can meet the nutritional requirements of asylum seekers. A structured process of direct observation was used to document each item selected from the foodbank in a single basket. The food baskets of 116 asylum seekers, all over the age of 18, who were wholly reliant on the foodbank were analysed for nutritional content. Analysis revealed that an average basket was deficient in almost all micronutrients including vitamins A, C, D and E, folate, calcium and zinc. Baskets were found to have higher than recommended levels of sodium and fat. Despite the foodbank allowing clients to individually select the food they wish to consume, the food baskets remained nutritionally inadequate. This may be due the structure of the foodbank, the nature of relying on community donations of food and complexities surrounding healthy food choice among asylum seekers. Providing choice around food acquisition is one way to promote dignity in the refugee determination process; however, this may not be the best way to provide a nutritionally adequate diet. In addition to donor guidelines that highlight the need for nutritionally and culturally appropriate foods, further supplementary nutritional education may be required to encourage healthy food choices where they exist.

The prevalence, severity and experience of food insecurity in Australia: An investigation of food aid use

“…Finally, most participants in this study reported obtaining half to one‐third of their food from food aid, meaning this under resourced sector carries a substantial burden for the nutrition and well‐being of some of Victoria's most vulnerable people. Given that many food aid providers rely on donated or surplus foods, the quality of the food provided can be low (Mukoya, McKay, & Dunn, 2017; Simmet, Depa, Tinnemann, & Stroebele‐Benschop, 2017). Other studies have found that people reliant on food aid in the United Kingdom were undernourished, but paradoxically also overweight or obese as a result of experiencing periods of ‘plenty and want’, embedding a reliance on high energy dense foods and overeating in times of plenty (Barker, Halliday, Mak, Wottge, & Russell, 2019).…”

Food-Based Social Enterprises and Asylum Seekers: The Food Justice Truck

“…The FJT is a social enterprise initiative of the ASRC and it operates as a mobile fresh food market that provides ethically sourced and locally produced fresh fruit, vegetables, grains, pulses, bread, and tea to the public at market rates and to people who are seeking asylum at a discount. In response to studies highlighting high levels of food and nutrition insecurity in the asylum seeker populations in Australia [ 14 , 15 , 30 , 31 ], the FJT was created to provide people seeking asylum in Melbourne with an affordable option for buying nutritious food. While the ASRC has operated a food bank since they began, the FJT was designed to enable a greater reach in the community by operating in four different sites across the city.…”

“…Asylum seekers receiving SRSS payments typically spend around half of their income on rent, one quarter on utilities, and much of the remaining on transport and essentials, leaving approximately $AUD 20 per week for food [ 13 ]. Such a limited income means that many are forced to skip meals or to rely on low-cost, nutritionally inadequate foods such as instant noodles and plain rice [ 14 , 15 ]. Financial barriers mean that asylum seekers in Australia are among those turning to charitable providers to meet their needs for food.…”

A Participatory Study of the Health and Social Impact of a Community Food Centre in Ottawa, Canada

“…There has been heterogeneity in the cases of food banks that have shifted how they operate to better meet a wide range of needs of the people who access food banks. For example, it has been reported that the dignity of clients is promoted when food banks allow individuals to choose the food items they wish to access rather than providing food hampers, which are orders (e.g., bags or boxes) of grocery items that are pre-packed by volunteers or staff for distribution to individuals who access the food banks (Mukoya et al, 2017). Programs to empower and support individuals in developing skills, finding employment, budgeting, and building self-efficacy have also been implemented successfully at food banks.…”