Food Insecurity in Advanced Capitalist Nations: A Review

Abstract

Food insecurity is a substantial problem in nearly every advanced capitalist nation, with sizable portions of residents in many affluent countries struggling to eat healthily every day. Over time, a very large literature has developed that documents food insecurity, evaluates programs meant to reduce that insecurity, and proposes solutions to attenuate the problem. The purpose of the current review is to provide a very broad overview of the food insecurity literature, including definitions, measurement, areas of study, and impacts on health. Importantly, this review suggests there are two major causes of food insecurity in the advanced nations: economic inequality and neoliberalism. The food insecurity literature suggests that diminished government responsibility in advanced capitalist nations corresponds to an increase in feeding programs run by non-profit and charitable organizations. This review concludes by suggesting that, while a massive amount of research on food insecurity currently exists, more research is still needed to address gaps in the literature when it comes to significant events, coping strategies and disadvantaged populations.

Welfare State Spending, Income Inequality and Food Insecurity in Affluent Nations: A Cross-National Examination of OECD Countries

“…Research has also found that welfare state spending significantly reduces income inequality in selected affluent democracies [47]. Further, scholars have suggested that inequality contributes to food insecurity in advanced capitalist nations [2]. Along these lines, we forward our next two hypotheses: Hypothesis 3 (H3).…”

“…In recent decades, the primary focus of food insecurity research has shifted from availability of an adequate supply of food, to how food is distributed [1], which is deeply embedded in political-economic relationships [2]. When it comes to cross-national research this reorientation focuses more attention on food insecurity in affluent nations that tend to have a disproportionate amount of the world's available food per capita [3,4].…”

The Prevalence and Socio-Demographic Correlates of Food Insecurity in Poland

“…However, FI is often analyzed at the household level due to the fact that food purchasing decisions are usually made at this level. FI is difficult to measure as it is a multifaceted problem, and households (and also individuals) can drift between food security and insecurity over time [ 9 ]. Several indicators and consequently methods for assessing FI have been proposed thus far to understand the problem and monitor progress in eliminating hunger, as well as to provide targets for national and international political action.…”

“…Several indicators and consequently methods for assessing FI have been proposed thus far to understand the problem and monitor progress in eliminating hunger, as well as to provide targets for national and international political action. However, so far there is no one generally accepted official measurement of food insecurity worldwide [ 9 ]. Although measuring FI based on individual data (people’s direct experience) are considered more reliable than model-based macro measurements [ 10 ].…”

A creative response to food issues during the Covid-19 lockdown: Singing over the anger

“…Why are there such substantial levels of food insecurity present in developed affluent countries? Long et al, (2020) provide a comprehensive review suggesting two major causes of food insecurity in the advanced nations: economic inequality and neoliberalism. In simple terms, the latter affects the former, via increased unemployment and decreased social welfare benefits, thus exacerbating poverty and inequality.…”