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Food Insecurity amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: Food Charity, Government Assistance, and Employment

Author

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  • Fei Men
  • Valerie Tarasuk

Abstract

To mitigate the effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the federal government has implemented several financial assistance programs, including unprecedented funding to food charities. Using the Canadian Perspectives Survey Series 2, we examine the demographic, employment, and behavioural characteristics associated with food insecurity in April–May 2020. We find that one-quarter of job-insecure individuals experienced food insecurity that was strongly associated with pandemic-related disruptions to employment income, major financial hardship, and use of food charity, yet the vast majority of food-insecure households did not report receiving any charitable food assistance. Increased financial support for low-income households would reduce food insecurity and mitigate negative repercussions of the pandemic.

Suggested Citation

  • Fei Men & Valerie Tarasuk, 2021. "Food Insecurity amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: Food Charity, Government Assistance, and Employment," Canadian Public Policy, University of Toronto Press, vol. 47(2), pages 202-230, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpp:issued:v:47:y:2021:i:2:p:202-230
    DOI: 10.3138/cpp.2021-001
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    Cited by:

    1. Katherine Kent & Laura Alston & Sandra Murray & Bonnie Honeychurch & Denis Visentin, 2022. "The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Rural Food Security in High Income Countries: A Systematic Literature Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(6), pages 1-29, March.
    2. Smith, Lindsey Gail & Yifei, Maggie Ma & Widener, Michael & Farber, Steven, 2022. "Geographies of grocery shopping in major Canadian cities: evidence from large-scale mobile app data," OSF Preprints kjsdz, Center for Open Science.
    3. Janet Music & Sylvain Charlebois & Louise Spiteri & Shannon Farrell & Alysha Griffin, 2021. "Increases in Household Food Waste in Canada as a Result of COVID-19: An Exploratory Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-11, November.
    4. Lindsey G Smith & Maggie Yifei Ma & Michael J Widener & Steven Farber, 2023. "Geographies of grocery shopping in major Canadian cities: Evidence from large-scale mobile app data," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 50(3), pages 723-739, March.
    5. Younas Khan & Štefan Bojnec & Umar Daraz & Farah Zulpiqar, 2024. "Exploring the nexus between poor governance and household food security," Economic Change and Restructuring, Springer, vol. 57(2), pages 1-17, April.
    6. Higgins, Christopher D. & Páez, Antonio & Kim, Gyoorie & Wang, Jue, 2021. "Changes in accessibility to emergency and community food services during COVID-19 and implications for low income populations in Hamilton, Ontario," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 291(C).
    7. Alex Firestine & Audrey J. Murrell, 2024. "Built Environment and Gender-Based Vulnerability as Key Drivers of Food Insecurity in Allegheny County," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 21(7), pages 1-21, July.
    8. Gibb, James K. & Williams, Sarah & Mikelsteins, Kaspars & Charles, Jada & McKinnon, Leela & Beach, Laura & McKerracher, Luseadra & Fields, Jessica, 2024. "Queering food security research: A critical analysis of 2SLGBTQ+ People's experiences of food insecurity in Toronto during the COVID-19 pandemic," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 345(C).

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