Charitable Food Systems' Capacity to Address Food Insecurity: An Australian Capital City Audit.

Deborah Kerr,Joel Berg,Christina Pollard,Andrea Begley,Bruce Mackintosh,Sue Booth,Martin Caraher,Jonine Jancey,Cathy Campbell

doi:10.3390/ijerph15061249

Abstract

Australian efforts to address food insecurity are delivered by a charitable food system (CFS) which fails to meet demand. The scope and nature of the CFS is unknown. This study audits the organisational capacity of the CFS within the 10.9 square kilometres of inner-city Perth, Western Australia. A desktop analysis of services and 12 face-to-face interviews with representatives from CFS organisations was conducted. All CFS organisations were not-for–profit and guided by humanitarian or faith-based values. The CFS comprised three indirect services (IS) sourcing, banking and/or distributing food to 15 direct services (DS) providing food to recipients. DS offered 30 different food services at 34 locations feeding over 5670 people/week via 16 models including mobile and seated meals, food parcels, supermarket vouchers, and food pantries. Volunteer to paid staff ratios were 33:1 (DS) and 19:1 (IS). System-wide, food was mainly donated and most funding was philanthropic. Only three organisations received government funds. No organisation had a nutrition policy. The organisational capacity of the CFS was precarious due to unreliable, insufficient and inappropriate financial, human and food resources and structures. System-wide reforms are needed to ensure adequate and appropriate food relief for Australians experiencing food insecurity.

Highlights

The health consequences of socio-economic disadvantage, including homelessness, are increasingly seen in high income countries, including Australia [1,2,3,4]
Efforts to reduce pressure on government spending has seen a rise in third sector or voluntary organisations involved in efforts to address complex human problems such as food insecurity [38,39]
The study findings show the charitable food system (CFS) in inner-city Perth is complex, with disparate organisations working in an uncoordinated way in difficult conditions

Summary

Introduction

The health consequences of socio-economic disadvantage, including homelessness, are increasingly seen in high income countries, including Australia [1,2,3,4]. Food insufficiency is closely associated with poor mental and physical health [5,6,7,8] and is common among people who are homeless [5,9,10]. Cities attract vulnerable populations experiencing food insecurity as they provide concentrated food and support services. The types of people accessing inner-city charitable food services (CFS). Are highly variable and include people who are homeless or domiciled and in financial difficulty due to a range of circumstances, those living in hostel and shelters, backpackers, and women fleeing. Res. Public Health 2018, 15, 1249; doi:10.3390/ijerph15061249 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph

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