Partners from across Dorset’s integrated care system and the voluntary sector came together on Thursday to discuss the impact of food insecurity in the county and how they can make changes to improve the situation.
The event, titled ‘Dorset’s Hidden Hunger’, was jointly organised by Public Health Dorset, BCP Council, Dorset Council and the Bournemouth and Poole Sustainable Food Cities Partnership and took place at Upton House.
Food insecurity stretches beyond people who are in urgent need, it also includes people who are worried about being able to afford enough food or are having to compromise on the quality or quantity of their food.
Research by the Food Foundation has estimated that the cost of following the Eatwell Guide, the UK government’s recommendations for eating a healthy, balanced diet, is £42 per week per adult, so a family of four would expect to spend over £100 per week to have a nutritious diet.
Public Health Dorset found that 46% of the Dorset population were not spending enough money on food per week to eat a healthy diet according to the Eatwell Guide. This equates to over 350,000 people in around 165,000 households, almost a third of which contain children.
Sam Crowe, Director of Public Health Dorset, said:
“Food insecurity is a real challenge facing Dorset. In the 21st century, it’s shocking that there is still such a high number of families who are struggling to afford to eat a healthy diet. The Dorset Hidden Hunger event was all about bringing together people from across the health and care system to start thinking about solutions and how we can build upon some of the excellent support thats already available across our communities.”
Around 70 attendees heard recordings from interviews with Dorset residents with experience of food insecurity, who shared how the experience has made them feel, the impact it’s had on them and their families and how they’ve been supported.
One Dorset resident who was interviewed for the event said:
“I separated from my husband five years ago and I’ve noticed in that time it’s become increasingly difficult with rising energy bills, the cost of living and food in particular. My income hasn’t gone up in line with everything else. I would say I’m in a good job, which is frustrating because when you’ve got yourself to that place, you expect things to be a little easier.”
Some support for people experiencing food insecurity is available across Dorset, such as food banks, community fridges, help with budgeting and cooking classes.
Alistair Doxat-Purser, Chief Executive of Faithworks Wessex, a local charity which runs five foodbanks and a debt advice and budget coaching service, said:
“It’s awful that people should be hungry in Dorset in 2019, but this event was first of all about celebrating the amazing people in our communities who got an idea like community fridges and school uniform re-use and made it happen. It was also about releasing the power of each organisation whether public health, councils, NHS, all the fabulous church and community activities, or untapped ideas in businesses and supermarkets – all to make sure ‘my neighbour’ has enough to eat. Is this a turning point?”
Cllr Vikki Slade, Leader of BCP Council, said:
“There are a lot of people with a lot of pride who would really worry about telling people what’s really going on. I’m thrilled that we’ve come together as a partnership to try and make a difference and dispel some of the myths. These are families, grandparents, children, hard-working people, who are struggling, and this shouldn’t be happening in the 21st century.”
Cllr Andrew Parry, Portfolio Holder for Children, Education and Early Help at Dorset Council, said:
“We quite often talk about our favourite foods or dinners, but some people really don’t have a choice about what they have to eat. This is not just an issue facing deprived areas, hidden hunger is also a big issue in areas of Dorset which we traditionally associate with prosperity. Food insecurity is often an end product of really difficult periods in people’s lives, so we need to work together as one system to address the issue as a whole.”
Photo from left to right:
• Alistair Doxat-Purser – Chief Executive, Faithworks Wessex
• Cllr Vikki Slade – Leader, BCP Council
• Lucy Johns – Children’s Services Strategic Commissioner, Dorset Council
• Cllr Andrew Parry – Portfolio Holder for Children, Education and Early Help, Dorset Council
• Sam Crowe – Director, Public Health Dorset
