Food insecurity leaves people feeling ‘suicidal’

Research into issue highlights physical and psychological impact of poverty

Food insecurity should be classed as a public health emergency because of the “considerable” physical and psychological impact it has on health, a new report has concluded.

In-depth research into the issue found for those suffering from the problem “going days without eating was a strikingly common experience”.

The Menu for Change group – which brings together campaigners from the Poverty Alliance, the Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland, Oxfam Scotland and Nourish – carried out what it said was the first research of its kind, taking a “longer and more holistic view of people’s circumstances to better understand the contexts in which severe food insecurity has emerged”.

The report said: “Three-quarters of participants reported some form of mental ill-health, a finding that underscores the need to consider food insecurity as a public health emergency.”

The report found for many of those affected “a lack of money to buy food is one challenge amongst many” – noting they could also be dealing with health issues, homelessness, debt, bereavement or caring responsibilities.

“Food insecurity has considerable physical, psychological and social impacts on individuals and families,” it stated.

“Hunger, going days without eating, was a strikingly common experience for interviewees in this study.

“Such severe food insecurity was found to affect interviewees’ physical health, mental health and overall sense of well-being.”

The research found there was a “close relationship between financial difficulties, food insecurity and mental health”.

It added: “Food insecurity left interviewees and their children feeling lonely, excluded, anxious, depressed and at times even suicidal.”

The “precarious nature” of zero-hour contracts and temporary jobs was a “key driver of food insecurity”, according to the research.

In addition, people moving on to Universal Credit from work or other benefits, and having to wait at least five weeks for a payment, was a “common trigger for severe food insecurity”.

It called on the UK Government to make changes to the benefit system to tackle food insecurity, including increasing payments in line with inflation and removing the two-child cap on some payments.

Westminster was also urged to ban “exploitative” zero-hours contracts and increase the National Living Wage, which is set by the government, to the level of the Real Living Wage.

The Scottish Government could help by using public-sector contracts to help deliver better working conditions and by investing more cash in welfare rights advice services, the report said.

Holyrood ministers were further urged to enshrine the right to food in Scots law “and then inform and empower people in Scotland to claim this right”.

“Close relationship between financial difficulties, food insecurity and mental health

Picture: Steve Brown. Westminster has been urged to ban zero-hour contracts and increase the National Living Wage.