Lack of Food Security: Focussed Literature Review and Research Framework - August 2001

Abstract

Although the responsibility for food security rests with Health Canada and Agriculture Canada, Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) has been concerned with insecurity of various types. The Applied Research Branch has studied job insecurity and income insecurity. This literature review and framework on food insecurity is part of that work.

There are indications that households experiencing food insecurity arrive at this situation due to different reasons. The individuals in these households would therefore rely on a variety of coping strategies. If this conclusion proves true, then the policy response has to be diverse also.

The process used in this paper consisted of a selected literature review to build upon work done on the issue of food insecurity, and based on this review, the development of a research framework for insecurity due to lack of food. The paper was sent to about thirty people in Canada and a few in the United States for comments; it was revised based on the comments. The Applied Research Branch (HRDC) subsequently arranged with Statistics Canada to conduct a one time supplement to the National Population Health Survey, for data collection on food insecurity.

This working paper supplements the focussed review of literature with annotations of more recent relevant publications. It also discusses the revised research framework that was used to develop the instrument for the Supplement to the National Population Health Survey on Food Insecurity. An analysis of the data is forthcoming.

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