A Ballyclare dad shared how he and his wife had to turn to grocery banks and family aid after losing their jobs to help them feed their children healthily on a tight budget.
New research on safe food and the Food Standards Agency in NI has found that a healthy basket of food can cost some families up to 46% of their weekly income.
Craig, a father of two, has voted in favor of a Consumer Council film on Hand to Mouth: Access to Healthy, Affordable Food on Low Income, to help highlight the problems faced by some low-wage countries. Income families across Northern Ireland.
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Craig said, “When my partner lost her job it was a bit daunting and I felt like I had no support. It was a complete disaster. We had to cut back and make changes.
“There were days when I had to rely on family members and bring my kids to their home for dinner. The past year has been so tough, mostly because of the cold weather and the need to buy oil just after Christmas, but I have help got from a chalkboard that actually “got food delivered to my home.”
Cost of a healthy food basket
The cost of a healthy, balanced diet for a family of four living on benefits with two adults and two children in elementary and secondary school is £ 162 per week (46% of their household income), while a healthy basket of groceries for a single parent is the minimum wage with two children in preschool and elementary school would cost £ 105 a week (25% of their household income).
For a retiree living alone, it would cost £ 61 a week to eat a healthy and balanced diet (32% of household income).
The research highlights the challenges low-income families face in trying to eat healthy and balanced food while meeting other vital household expenses, and shows how low-income families in Northern Ireland are now nearly half (46%) have to spend their weekly income to afford a healthy basket of food that meets basic food needs.
It was also found that performance households spend up to 14% more of their income on food than households in which an adult was employed.
Typically, low-income households do not eat well, which can lead to higher levels of obesity and its health complications such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes. The study also found that food costs for a low-income household with an older child were highest in post-elementary school age and cost about a third more than a similar household with younger children.
Joana Da Silva, Chief Specialist in Nutrition, safe food, introduces the report: “Managing a tight budget means families with children, single parents and retirees have to make strong decisions about how to spend their money, part of the household budget and get people fueled often cheap food that is low in nutrients when prioritizing other bills that need to be paid. “
Fionnuala Close, FSA’s Nutritional Health Policy Leader for Northern Ireland, continued: “While many families across Northern Ireland can enjoy healthy eating, other low-income households have difficulty on budget and tend to eat less well, which can lead to health inequalities. The 2020 Food Basket Research builds on a body of evidence that will help shape Northern Ireland policies to meet the food needs of the most vulnerable people in our society. “
Data from the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency showed that, from 2019 to 2020, nearly 1 in 6 (17%) of the Northern Irish population lived in relative poverty and 13% in absolute poverty.
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Food poverty is an issue that encompasses both the lack of access to nutrient-adequate nutrition and its effects on health, as well as the ability to participate in society through food.
Philippa McKeown-Brown, Head of Food Policy at the Consumer Council, added: “The Consumer Council was keen to produce a short film ‘Hand to Mouth’ to accompany research on the Minimum Essential Food Basket, which examines the difficulties people face When faced with access to a healthy diet, affordable and enjoyable diets on a budget.
“In the film, we hear from parents who are affected by a loss of income due to the coronavirus pandemic and the additional stress on their children during the school closings around the clock. Many families were again worried that the food would continue.”
The report “What will a healthy food basket in Northern Ireland cost in 2020” is available for download at: www.safefood.net.
The Consumer Council’s film, “Hand to Mouth: Access to Healthy, Affordable, Low-Income Food” is available at: www.consumercouncil.org.uk/foodpoverty
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source https://dailyhealthynews.ca/ballyclare-dad-speaks-out-on-cost-of-feeding-kids-a-nutritious-diet/
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