Publication
Title
Food reference budgets as a potential policy tool to address food insecurity : lessons learned from a pilot study in 26 European countries
Author
Abstract
The aim of this article is to present the development of cross-country comparable food reference budgets in 26 European countries, and to discuss their usefulness as an addition to food-based dietary guidelines (FBDG) for tackling food insecurity in low-income groups. Reference budgets are illustrative priced baskets containing the minimum goods and services necessary for well-described types of families to have an adequate social participation. This study was conducted starting from national FBDG, which were translated into monthly food baskets. Next, these baskets were validated in terms of their acceptability and feasibility through focus group discussions, and finally they were priced. Along the paper, we show how that food reference budgets hold interesting contributions to the promotion of healthy eating and prevention of food insecurity in low-income contexts in at least four ways: (1) they show how a healthy diet can be achieved with limited economic resources, (2) they bring closer to the citizen a detailed example of how to put FBDG recommendations into practice, (3) they ensure that food security is achieved in an integral way, by comprising the biological but also psychological and social functions of food, and (4) providing routes for further (comparative) research into food insecurity.
Language
English
Source (journal)
International journal of environmental research and public health. - Basel, 2004, currens
Publication
Basel : MDPI , 2019
ISSN
1661-7827 [print]
1660-4601 [online]
DOI
10.3390/IJERPH16010032
Volume/pages
16 :1 (2019) , p. 1-12
Article Reference
32
ISI
000459111400032
Pubmed ID
30586848
Medium
E-only publicatie
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (open access)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 02.01.2019
Last edited 04.03.2024
To cite this reference