Families and food: exploring food well-being in poverty

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to investigate dynamics of food consumption practices among poor families in a developing country to advance the Food Well-being (FWB) in Poverty framework. Design/methodology/approach The research design used semi-structured interviews with 25 women and constructivist grounded theory to explore food consumption practices of poor families in rural South India. Findings Poor families’ everyday interactions with food reveal the relational production of masculinities and femininities and the power hegemony that fixes men and women into an unequal status quo. Findings provides critical insights into familial arrangements in absolute poverty that are detrimental to the task of achieving FWB. Research limitations/implications The explanatory potential of FWB in Poverty framework is limited to a gender (women) and a specific country context (India). Future research can contextualise the framework in other developing countries and different consumer segments. Practical implications The FWB in Poverty framework helps identify, challenge and transform cultural norms, social structures and gendered stereotypes that perpetuate power hegemonies in poverty. Policymakers can encourage men and boys to participate in family food work, as well as recognise and remunerate women and girls for their contribution to maintaining familial units. Originality/value This paper makes an original contribution to the relevant literature by identifying and addressing the absence of theoretical understanding of families, food consumption and poverty. By contextualising the FWB framework in absolute poverty, the paper generates novel understandings of fluidity and change in poor families and FWB.

Advancing Food Well-Being in Poverty Through Intersectionality

“…As the researcher is from Bangladesh, cultural familiarity strengthened the responsiveness of participants (Strauss & Corbin, 2008). The interviewer guide questions were based on the four dimensions of FWB in poverty outlined by Voola et al (2018). Each interview lasted 30-40 minutes and was audio-recorded (with the consent of the participant).…”

“…Voola et al (2018) analyzed the FWB framework in the context of absolute poverty and re-interpreted Block et al's (2011) five dimensions (food socialization, food availability, food marketing, food literacy, food policy) from a familial perspective. The findings of Voola et al (2018) suggest that food marketing and food literacy are the weakest indicators of FWB. Traditional means of marketing are not effective with most rural consumers because of the limited number of media channels, villagers' workload, lack of time, and the typically high price of food items featured in marketing communications (Viswanathan et al, 2009).…”

“…Therefore, this article contributes to the FWB literature by applying the intersectional lens to an existing FWB in poverty framework (Voola et al, 2018) by unpacking the food consumption practices of poor women in Bangladesh. Thus, the findings have implications for marketers and policy makers aiming to develop targeted policies to meet the distinct needs of minorities in food consumption practices.…”

On the Way to Food Well-Being. A Critical Analysis of the Food Well-Being Concept and the Possibilities of Its Empirical Verification

“…Hémar-Nicolas & Ezan, 2019) were particularly popular. Some studies included only women, considered responsible for preparing meals in a given environment (Voola et al, 2018), while others were studies covering all households in a given country. In most cases the groups were small, which was due to the qualitative nature of the research, selected deliberately, using the snowball method.…”

Envisioning a community‐centric approach to impact assessments in subsistence marketplaces

“…Avoiding such analytical pitfalls, Voola et al . (2018) carry out a holistic analysis of food well‐being in subsistence marketplaces by documenting how gender norms and economic factors interact to foster food insecurity. Similarly, Viswanathan et al .…”