Literature Review
Literature Supporting the Thesis There are multiple articles that state that Canadian food banks do not meet the nutritional requirements of the users, and links this factor to certain medical conditions and illnesses. To begin with, one study shows that a food hamper does not meet the recommended daily servings of vegetables, fruits, dairy, and meat and alternatives, according to Canada’s Food Guide. For instance, the hamper only provides 2 servings of fruits/vegetables, but the recommended serving is 4 to 6 for children, and 7 to 8 for adolescents. Also, it provides insufficient amounts of calories/energy, calcium, magnesium, zinc, and vitamins A, C, and D, as it only meets about half, or less than half, of the recommended intake. In addition, the study notes that inadequate nutrition can result in negative health outcomes (e.g., obesity, depression, and anemia). Also, a second article proposes similar ideas. According to Bazerghi, McKay, and Dunn (2016), food banks lack nutritional content, which may result in poor health conditions. Based on their systematic review, it shows that Canadian food bank users primarily do not receive the recommended nutritional intake of vegetables, fruits, dairy, protein, fat, and micronutrients (especially vitamin A and C). In addition, in one of the case studies they
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For instance, the hampers contain an average of 6 servings, and the recommended serving for children and teens is 3 to 6 and 6 to 7 respectively. Also, the article mentions that food banks offer fresh and healthy products, such as, vegetables and milk. However, these supplies are inconsistent as it depends on the donations of the bigger population and corporations. In order to meet nutritional needs, the food donors are strongly recommended to donate healthy products and food banks should have safe food storage (proper
Food security case study analysis Donna Miller is an 83-year-old Caucasian woman and friend from church, living in South Western Sydney. She is retired and is living on her pension, with her accommodation provided by the Housing Commission. Donna is a lower-class citizen who lives alone in a small apartment in a low socioeconomic area. Despite this, public transport, recreational parks and local grocery stores are accessible and within walking distance (1). She lacks familial support as her family dwells in Queensland and suffers from mental health issues.
While most people know that eating well is important to staying healthy and for prolonging life, poverty makes it difficult to access good nutritious food. Easy access to abundant food is not
During my second week of my community health hours, I was placed at River City Food Bank. River City Food Bank’s main goal is to lessen hunger in the Sacramento region by offering healthy food and assistance to vulnerable populations. They do not only provide healthy food but they also provide nutrition education and counseling. In addition, they provide diapers for babies and the older population. They also provide health services for mothers and assist them with contraceptives and other important education for their women daily life. Their mission is to help people from all ages, from homeless to the working poor and families who are struggling.
years, with more than 850,000 Canadians making use of a food bank in a typical year (Ontario
Furthermore, you should not give poor donations for items sure as, junk food that can add to the problem. For example, sheet cakes, holiday cakes, sugary sodas and other processed bakery items. Our group is looking to purchase healthy food to give our community food bank, which includes, canned foods, pasta, veggie, dry cereals, potted meats, and nuts. Besides, U.S. has increase to forty-eight million of people going hungry by 2012, a five-fold jump since the late 1960's. Finding food has become a central worry for millions of Americans. According to National Geographic Magazine. This is not the solution for food poverty, but it removes the responsibility of the government to tackle hunger allowing them to not fix the gap between our income and the cost of nutritional food. Finally, the food banks are a charitable organization to distribute food to those who have difficulty purchasing food to avoid
Malnourishment is no longer an issue seen only in the indigent population and developing countries. Many Americans are also plagued with this issue, largely due to unhealthy food choices. Providing a multidisciplinary approach to public nutrition
Challenges of maintaining proper nutrition for the economically disadvantaged in the US. Studies show there is a clear difference in economic classes in regards to nutrition and food consumption. Low income groups find it very difficult to eat a healthy diet, and are experiencing food poverty or food insecurity. There are many reason for food poverty the main problems to eating a healthy diet are cost, accessibility, and education. The combination of these three problems creates areas in cities, counties and rural areas called food deserts.
On some cases, the reasons range from, “They don’t need it; they can do it themselves” to “I don’t see any starving children.” However, charitable services and food programs are already struggling to serve eligible families (1). With the high percentage of hunger rates and little support, food programs generally run out of food and supplies before they can serve all of those who need it. Furthermore, signs of malnutrition are not always evident. While the most obvious sign of hunger is little to no fat in bones, families that are obese could also be living with insufficient meals. Because poor families are limited to their food choice, they choose high fat foods since they are much more affordable and long lasting than fresher and healthier options (7). Denial of food hunger in Solano County prevents people from getting the help they need, and makes the situation even
If a significant portion of the people on public assistance cannot afford to eat healthfully and furthermore do not have the ability or the nutritional education necessary to live a healthy lifestyle this has immediate effects on the growing epidemics of obesity, heart disease and other lifestyle related illnesses and on the health system that is already at capacity.
The biosocial factors that predict food insecurity do not discriminate against the economic circumstances found in Canadian households and aligns with both low-income and higher-income populations. These factors were identified as single-parent households, people with rental
According to the United Nations, food security is defined as “all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life” (“Rome Declaration,” 1996). Canada has adopted this definition, although they monitor food insecurity per each household and analyze financial barriers causing the situation. Research has shown that 62.2% of households
Although the United States government spends $176 billion on hunger programs every year, there are currently more than 46 million Americans going hungry every day. In the U.S. every county, state, or congressional district experiences some form of malnutrition and hunger. Right now there is a rapid increase in the number of hungry Americans and the issue is quickly becoming problematic. Today one in six Americans participate in one or more of the fifteen nutrition assistance programs funded by the government and provided by the USDA. Recently more people have begun to question what hunger really is, what all the programs actually do, and what their results are.
The target population for this quality improvement project are individuals experiencing food insecurity. The specific population being targeted are those accessing the services at the One Roof Community Centre located at 99 Brock Street, Peterborough, Ontario. Peterborough, Ontario is specifically at risk for food insecurity, being that 11.5% of households experience food insecurity in this region (Peterborough Social Planning Committee, 2015). Additionally, one in seven children experiences food insecurity in Peterborough. Low incomes are not enough to cover the expenses of eating healthy foods (Peterborough County-City Health Unit, 2015).
Moreover, statistical facts are also extremely important when analyzing food security. One must understand that the numbers mean more than a digit on a page; they are a measure of human suffering, pain, and hunger. The data recorded by Statistics Canada in 2012 showed that the highest level of food insecurity was in isolated provinces and territories, as well as where there was a higher level of poverty (Roshanafshar & Hawkins, 2015). This data can be deemed accurate because not only is a government of Canada report, it also follows the trend that impoverished places fall into higher levels of food insecurity. Due to how isolated the most impoverished territories are it can be difficult to import food, find a steady job, or have access to
There are usually three types of food categorizes when donating to a food rescue organization; unprocessed, processed or cooked, and non-perishable food. These can be placed into sub-categories for collection and distribution, such as “(i) fruits and vegetables (fruits, vegetables, packaged salads, etc.), (ii) bread (bread,