Can low-income households afford a healthy diet? Insufficient income as a driver of food insecurity in Europe

Abstract

In Europe, food insecurity is still a serious concern for individual and public health. Although progress has been made in reducing undernourishment, other types of malnutrition such as obesity and overweight are on the rise. Policies that aim at improving healthy eating and addressing food insecurity tend to focus on food aid, nutritional education and financial incentives. These policies are generally not targeted at the problem of insufficient income as a key barrier to access a healthy diet. In this paper, we present new evidence which shows that insufficient household income and inadequate minimum income policies constitute a remaining concern for accessing a healthy diet. We make use of estimates of the minimum cost of a healthy diet in 24 European countries, in accordance with national food-based dietary guidelines. We use these unique data to (1) estimate the proportion of people living in (sub)urban areas with insufficient income to access a healthy diet, before and after housing costs, based on representative income survey data (EU-SILC), and, (2) compare the cost of a healthy diet with the level of minimum income schemes for specific household types using microsimulation techniques. We find that in 16 out of 24 countries at least 10% of the population in (sub)urban areas risks to be confronted with income-related food insecurity. Our findings show that policies directed at tackling food insecurity should be embedded in broader economic and social policies that promote an adequate income for all, and limit the cost of other essential goods and services.