Communicating food poverty on the island of Ireland

The overall aim of the research was to investigate how the media portrays food poverty, and to explore public, policy and key stakeholder perceptions of food poverty.

The core research objectives were:

To investigate how food poverty is portrayed across policy documents, newspapers, and broadcast media on the island of Ireland.
To examine key stakeholder views, perceptions and understanding of food poverty.
To explore perceptions on how the issue of food poverty is framed in print and broadcast media

Policy analysis

The analysis of policy documents on the island of Ireland showed that food poverty tends to be presented as

problems of food affordability and/or accessibility
food insufficiency
a lack of varied food to maintain a healthy lifestyle
reliance on food banks
exclusion from social and cultural participation

The terms “food poverty” and “food insecurity” were largely used interchangeably. In both Ireland and Northern Ireland, the default solutions to the problem include charitable food aid and redistribution of waste or surplus foods.

Analysis of broadcast news media

Both radio and television tended to frame food poverty as driven by factors such as government policies, and political or societal situations (upstream drivers). These factors included the cost-of-living crisis, localised issues such as the housing crisis (Ireland) and the absence of leadership in Stormont (Northern Ireland), and the lack of government action to address the issue through policy measures. Existing measures to address the immediate issue were largely led by third-sector organisations, with calls for greater government intervention. Some news packages included tips on shopping and budgeting as moneysaving mechanisms. The increasing acceptance of the issue was highlighted through the portrayal of the “new poor” or “working poor”, along with calls for people to seek help if needed.

Analysis of print news media

The analysis of local and national newspapers in Ireland and Northern Ireland showed that publications tended to frame food poverty as driven by:

economic and societal factors, such as the cost-of-living crisis, inflation and wage stagnation,
policy decisions such as shortcomings in the social welfare system.

In print, some reference was also made to “individual-level drivers” – factors affecting individuals or households – such as addiction issues. Existing measures to address the immediate issue of access to food are primarily led by third-sector organisations, and there are appeals for greater government intervention. News coverage of responses led by third-sector organisations significantly outweighed coverage of policy responses. Reporting typically portrayed families with children as the main victims, while also highlighting the emergence of the “working” poor.

Stakeholder views, perceptions and understanding of food poverty

Stakeholders view food poverty as a complex issue, with a focus on inadequate food quantity, poor nutrition and social impacts. Mental health issues and social exclusion are commonly perceived consequences of food poverty. Stakeholders differ, however, on ideological and regional grounds regarding the drivers or causes of food poverty and responses to it.

Challenges for print and broadcast media

Media professionals advocate impactful storytelling with personal narratives – although they face challenges finding people for case studies. Members of the public question the effectiveness of media representation and suggest involving experts in nutrition, policy and food poverty to discuss the issue. Challenges in communicating food poverty include its complexity, the stigma surrounding it and media industry specific challenges such as labour capacity, and time. Both media professionals and third-sector stakeholders, such as charities providing access to food, recognise their interdependence in addressing the issue, but express concern about oversimplified reporting and information provided without context.

Recommendations

The findings highlight the need:

To develop a position statement and agree upon a shared language among advocates on the island of Ireland for communicating on food poverty
To establish a resource database and a panel of academics, lived experience experts and advocates
To improve the data landscape on food poverty
To collaboratively develop best practice guidelines for reporting on food poverty
To develop training workshops for media professionals and journalism students
To raise awareness of food poverty and the right to food among the public

You can download the report below.

Communicating food poverty on the island of Ireland (PDF)