Exploring the Role of Individual Food Security in the Assessment of Population’s Food Safety

Abstract

Ensuring a sufficient level of food for the population in both quantitative and qualitative terms is a priority for most countries as well as for governmental and non-governmental bodiesbe they national, regional or international. The United Nations (UN) stresses the fact that one of the biggest problems the world is facing today is food insecurity. Most people enjoy food security, but the reverse is an unquestionable daily reality for nearly a billion people around the world. The concept of food security has had different meanings at different times, the definition changing over the years but the fundamental concept behind it remaining the same. When defining food security, we have to adopt a comprehensive approach, taking into account the economical, political, social and cultural factors that shape it, as well as find practical solutions to ensure its continued existence. Thus, resolving the food problem and ensuring food security must start from studying the relationship between consumption needs and the available food resources, rely on anthropometric research methods, and target population segments according to their biological needs. Starting from the study of the conceptual framework offered by the specialized literature, the present paper aims to clarify and identify the aspects which lie at the basis of studying the food security / insecurity for a population, through exploratory research. The exploratory research of an individual's food and nutritional security allows for a profound understanding of the concept, the factors that affect it and the interdependence between them, it also ensures a qualitative information gathering process. The results of the study may develop into measures aimed at improving individual food security as part of national food security. This research is done through the method of survey among the students of the Faculty of Business and Tourism, part of the Academy of Economic Studies. The statistical tool used was a questionnaire to identify the nutritional status of the respondents, but also their eating habits. Starting from the necessity of correcting imbalances in the behaviour related to food consumption, our scientific approach can be used to establish solutions for improving food consumption at the individual level, as a dimension of food security, for a segment of the population in Romania.

Reshaping the Traditional Pattern of Food Consumption in Romania through the Integration of Sustainable Diet Principles. A Qualitative Study

“…It was noticed that respondents with hedonistic attitude are "meat eaters" and also very fond of pastry. This finding resonates with those of previous studies of Bobe et al [119] and Hemann et al [120], which revealed that the attitude of striving for personal enjoyment in food consumption often results in overweight related health issues.…”

“…When asked about the risks of their eating style based on Romanian traditional products, most respondents indicated: A too high amount of meat or/and a too high intake of fat, salt, and sugar. Respondents perception matches-up to the findings of previous research in this area [7,119,121].…”

“…In terms of consumption habits, the research results showed the respondents' clear preference for traditional products and dishes based on animal origin ingredients, especially meat, to the detriment of vegetal origin ones. Similar results, which express an unhealthy eating behavior were stressed in the studies of Heerman et al [120], Bobe et al [119], and De Graaf [83].…”

“…Regarding the composition of meals, the conclusion that emerges from data sources analysis is the obvious preference for traditional products and dishes based on animal origin ingredients, which are found to be much more widely used in the daily diet of respondents compared to those of vegetable origin. Also, the preference for the consumption of meat and meat-based products at all three main meals of the day should be noticed, as well as for high-sugar products, especially in desserts and snacks, habits that are in obvious contradiction with the principles of healthy eating [7,83,119,120].…”

Research on Food Behavior in Romania from the Perspective of Supporting Healthy Eating Habits

“…The eclectic consumers pay high importance to taste and other organoleptic features, and less importance to nutritive value, are not concerned with healthy food and have a higher Body Mass Index. The existence of a segment of consumers whose primary interest mainly concerns the sensory characteristics, with decisive impact on appetite, that inevitably leads to unbalanced diets is a fact emphasized also by the previous study of Bobe, Procopie, and Bucur [13].…”