Food on a Low Income

• Project start date: 5 October 2010
• Project status: Completed
• Discipline: Nutrition
• Principal researcher/s: Dr. Ken McKenzie, Millward Brown Lansdowne

Research objective

• To understand the meaning and role of food in four different categories of low-income households.
• To explore food management strategies, including factors which influence purchase and consumption.
• To investigate the meaning/understanding of 'healthy eating' for low-income households and elicit how agencies, such as Safefood, can support households in this regard.
• To highlight the differences and commonalities in experiences among the different groupings.

Outputs

Research report

• Title: Food on a low income
• Publication date: 5 October 2011
• Summary: This research adds further insight into people's experience of food on a low income and it informs both policy and community based programmes such as community food initiatives and awareness campaigns.
• Findings:
  • Many common issues, barriers and facilitators to healthy eating were found across all groups. However, it is evident that there are specific issues unique to each household type.
  • Conservatism and the lack of variety in meal choices were key issues among all households. The typical diet for many was narrow and restricted to known favourites. Little or no experimentation occurred for fear of wastage. Participants claimed to know about a healthy diet, but they saw the barriers to eating healthily as insurmountable. They were not sufficiently engaged by current public health strategies regarding healthy eating. The groups used specific strategies when shopping to prevent budget deviation. For most the priority was to put food on the table and the nutritional content of the food did not come into question.
  • For families with children, the strong influence of children’s preferences, 'pester power', the lack of time devoted to food preparation and a reliance on convenience foods were evident. In two-parent households, this 'pester power' was somewhat modified by the presence of a partner. The responsibility of being sole carer and provider of food and meals was an added pressure for lone parents. Meal-skipping among mothers was also evident in both family groups, with many prioritising feeding their children over feeding themselves. Single males had an active dislike of shopping for and preparing food. This, along with a solitary life, had a strong negative impact on eating habits and as a result meal skipping was a common feature. For older individuals, traditional eating patterns were strong, and the majority were confident in their cooking skills. Eating alone and the boredom of a predictable diet were the predominant emotions governing food related attitudes and habits among these individuals. Older females appeared to have better coping strategies, including maintaining food related social interaction.
  • This research has highlighted that the social environment within which low-income households live has an impact on their experiences around food and that food choices are clearly not made in a vacuum.
• Recommendations:
  1. A concerted cross-sectoral approach should be adopted to tackle food poverty on the island of Ireland.
  2. Engagement with the food industry is required to influence manufacturing, retail and catering practices to create a healthier supportive food environment.
  3. Any changes in public policy that affects those in low-income groups should consider the affordability of a healthy diet.
  4. Peer-led community projects that focus on developing coping skills for eating on a budget should continue to be supported and expanded.
  5. The design and delivery of healthy eating programmes should specifically address the varying issues experienced by different low-income households.
  6. Community food initiatives that make available fresh healthy produce in low-income communities should be supported.
  7. Community food initiatives that provide culturally appropriate healthy eating information and food skills training should be further mainstreamed.
  8. Continue to include a qualitative aspect in future research on food poverty to understand real life experiences.
  9. Further research is necessary to study the food experience of low-income groups in relation to wider environmental issues.
  10. Ongoing research on the current and changing cost of a 'healthy diet' is needed.

  You can download the report and a summary below.

Similar research

• Community Food Initiatives (2022)
• The cost of a healthy food basket in Northern Ireland 2014-2022 (2014)
• The cost of a healthy food basket in Ireland 2014-2022 (2014)