Lesson 1: Chapter 3: The Global Scale
Over and Underconsumption
According to the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation, since 2014, the number of people affected by hunger across the globe has been slowly increasing. (FAO, 2022)
The global burden of malnutrition includes both undernourishment and over-nutrition.
Globally, in 2020, an estimated 22 percent of children under 5 years of age were stunted, 6.7 percent of children under 5 years of age were wasted and 5.7 percent of children under 5 years of age were overweight (FAO, 2022).
The World Health Organisation (WHO) determines the criteria for these child growth standards median measurements as:
Stunting – measured by height for age
Wasting – measured by weight for height
Overweight – measured by weight for height
There are many issues / problems relating to the over-consumption of food, including heart disease, food related cancers and obesity.
The 2022 Healthy Ireland survey found that overall, 63% of adult men and 50% of women in Ireland are considered over-weight or obese.
BMI (Body Mass Index) was used to assess over-weight and obesity based on self-reported weight, height and waist circumference measurements.
Inequality is a major factor in the distribution of food and nutrients.
As demand increases, nations are having to become more adept at managing food resources, which includes environmental considerations.
Agricultural technology and methods, food policies, food regulations, household economics and ever-changing consumer attitudes are all contributing to changes to the supply and demand for food globally.
All engagement with food is in herently political, as the adage goes – “eating is a political act.”
Michael Pollan (2006) is largely credited with this extension of Wendell Berry’s famous line: eating is inescapably an agricultural act (1990, p. 149).
While some regions produce high levels of food waste, other regions of the world are experiencing food shortages.
This needs to change.
The Illusion of Choice
Though it may sound like a conspiracy theory, it’s true: there really are only 10 companies that control most of the food and drinks you’ll find in most supermarkets.
Household expenditure on food
Click to see insights from the household expenditure on food CSO Household Budget Survey 2015-2016
- From a high of 27.7% of overall household expenditure in 1980, household expenditure on food steadily declined until very recent food price increases.
- It’s important to note that housing, as a proportion of household expenditure has steadily increased in parallel.
- This is the most up to date figures currently available. Data collection for the Household Budget Survey 2020 was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fieldwork for Household Budget Survey 2022-23 has been undertaken, results pending.
Food Security
It is important to note that ultimately, food security is a contested concept.
The 1996 World Food Summit defined food security as a situation that exists when at the individual, household, national, regional and global levels, all peoples, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. Based on this definition, four dimensions of food security can be identified:
Food Availability – the supply of food.
Economic & Physical Access to Food – food access refers to the ability of the individual to acquire sufficient food (demand).
Food Utilisation – refers to the way the body makes use of nutrients.
Stability Over Time – is the fourth pillar of food security. Food security can be threatened by conflict, famine, war and other political factors.
Why should we care?
The risk of increased rainfall as well as drought can cause food security problems, for both agricultural industries at home and abroad.
We import a significant amount of our food, and if farmers in other countries continue to experience extreme weather events such as flooding and drought, their crops will fail and we will experience food shortages.