Infographic – Food insecurity: a systemic and integrated approach to provide access to healthy food

Food insecurity involves a complex interaction between inter-related factors: limited access to healthy foods, increased availability of unhealthy foods in the food environment and the influence of traditions and social norms ; physical limitations including the lack of suitable equipment, limited storage space ; the lack of time exacerbated by precarious working conditions and long commutes, financial uncertainty forcing the most precarious households to make less nutritious food choices, and cultural and individual factors including education, nutritional knowledge, physical and mental exhaustion, especially among single-parent families.

To meet these challenges, the literature advocates a systemic and integrated approach, combining several policy measures. Existing initiatives, or those currently being tested, include the following examples:

• Traditional solidarity schemes: social food bank, fresh produce distribution, community gardens,
• Food voucher programs: such as SNAP and WIC in the United States,
• Innovative initiatives, such as the Social Food Security, which is currently being tested in Montpellier (France) and aims to ensure fair and universal access to a healthy diet, while promoting local and sustainable consumption,
• Tax reforms, such as the VAT exemption on necessities in Spain,
• Educational initiatives, such as culinary workshops and school nutrition programs.