The Paradox of Food Poverty & Food Waste: a Public Health Opportunity - Una Clarke IPH, Open, Conference, Belfast, Northern, Ireland, Dublin, Titanic, October, 2014, Public, Health

1. The Paradox of
Food Poverty & Food Waste:
a Public Health Opportunity
Úna Clarke MPH
Kitchen Economics

2. Food Waste is …
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3. Food Waste/Loss in the Food Supply Chain
Make up of total food
waste in developed
and developing
countries. Retail, food
service and home and
municipal categories
are combined for
developing countries.
Sources: Godfray et al., (2010) Food Security: The Challenge of Feeding 9 Billion People
Science 327:812-818
FAO (2011) Global food losses and food waste. Extent Causes and prevention FAO, Rome
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4. Food Waste is Wasted Resources
Source: FAO (2011) Food wastage footprint. Impacts on natural
resources FAO, Rome
$252Bn
Source: Dobbs et al., (2011) Resource Revolution Meeting the world’s energy,
materials, food and water needs McKinsey Global Institute
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5. Amounts of Food & Drink Waste, split
by food group and by reason, UK 2012
Source: Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) (2013) Household Food and Drink
Waste in the United Kingdom 2012 Final Report

6. Association between F&V consumption and
Cancer or CVD-specific mortality
Source: Oyebode O, Gordon-Dseagu V, Walker A et al. Fruit and vegetable consumption and all-cause,
cancer and CVD mortality: analysis of Health Survey for England data J Epidemiol
Community Healthy 31.3.14
In 2012 more than 13 billion F&V portions were wasted in the UK, enough to
provide more than 7 million people with their ‘5 a day’ for a year. WRAP (2013)
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7. Food Waste Reduction Strategies
USA 1943 UK 2007
1. Read Labels
2. Chill/ freeze
3. Use store cupboard
4. Plan meals
5. Portion control
6. Use leftovers
Credit: Maine Historical Society www.lovefoodhatewaste
Food knowledge Food Skills Behaviour
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8. Difficulty in Accessing Basic Services RoI, 2007
Grocery Banking Postal Public Transport GP
% % % % %
State 12 22 16 26 19
Age (Head of Household)
65+ 23 34 26 35 29
Principal Economic Status (HoH)
Home duties 20 31 21 32 27
Retired 19 31 24 33 26
Not work
25 36 26 33 26
Disability
Highest Education Attained (HoH)
Primary 21 32 24 36 27
Source: CSO Survey on Income and Living Conditions Housing Module 2007
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9. Effects of the recession on 13-year-olds’
families, Growing Up in Ireland 2012
Source: GUI The Family and Financial Circumstances of 13 year olds
November 2012 Child Cohort
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10. Inadequacy of Housing Facilities RoI, 2007
Shortage
of Space
Inadequate
Electrical
Installation
Inadequate
Plumbing
Installation
Not
equipped
with
heating
Not
comfortably
warm in
winter
Not
comfortably
cool in
summer
% % % % % %
State 18 9 6 2 4 8
Dwelling type
Apartment
/Bedsit
44 12 12 11 9 10
Tenure Status
Market
rental
31 10 7 6 8 5
<Market
rental
22 19 13 3 14 12
Source: CSO Survey on Income and Living Conditions Housing Module 2007
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11. Public Health Opportunity in Food Waste
• Data: Food Waste ≈ SLÁN/HSNI ≈ HBS/LCFSNI
• Chronic Co-morbidities: Food Waste ≈ Health
status
• Healthy Eating Guidelines: Fear of Food Waste
• Public Health Role in Reducing Food Waste:
Upstream Interventions
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12. NUTRITION
FOOD
SKILLS
HOUSE-HOLD
BUDGET
LOCAL
FOOD
ECONOMY
FOOD
SAFETY
FOOD
CULTURE
ENVIRON-MENT
Food Waste
Policy & Programmes
Health Determinants
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13. Food Waste - a Public Health issue
Thank you
“The most remarkable thing about my
mother is that for thirty years she served the
family nothing but leftovers.
The original meal has never been found”
Calvin Trillin
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14. Ú Ú NA CLARKE u n a c l a r k e a t . e i r c o m . n e t
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Kit chen Economics is a f lexible,
pract ical programme where
part icipant s learn about
healthy eat ing with emphasis
on reduced food wast e and
lower cost s.
C L A S S E S
Classes last about two hours
with act ivit ies. Part icipant s get
to cook and eat the foods they
prepare. We also visit the local
library and food producers like
the English Market in Cork cit y.
Topics covered in class include:
Port ion size
Food groups & nut rient s
A healthy store cupboard
Meal planning
Food safet y
Food labels
W H A T D I D
P A R T I C I P A N T S
L E A R N ?
“How to do simple cooking”
“To cook in bulk and f reeze
some for another day”
“To be adventurous”
“To stop wast ing so much
food”
“Lot s of new recipes”
“What ’s good and what ’s
not for me and my family”
“How to read labels”
unaclarke (at) eircom.net Úna Clarke