Implicating municipalities in addressing household food insecurity in Canada: A pan-Canadian analysis of news print media coverage

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: Household food insecurity (HFI) affects approximately 13% of Canadian households and is especially prevalent among low-income households. Actions to address HFI have been occurring primarily at the local level, despite calls for greater income supports from senior governments to reduce poverty. News media may be reinforcing this trend, by emphasizing food-based solutions to HFI and the municipal level as the site where action needs to take place. The objective of this study was to examine the level and framing of print news media coverage of HFI action in Canada.METHODS: Using a quantitative newspaper content analysis approach, we analyzed 547 articles gathered from 2 national and 16 local/regional Englishlanguage newspapers published between January 2007 and December 2012.RESULTS: News coverage increased over time, and over half was produced from Ontario (33%) and British Columbia (22%) combined. Of the 374 articles that profiled a specific action, community gardens/urban agriculture was most commonly profiled (17%), followed by food banks/meal programs (13%); 70% of articles implicated governments to take action on HFI, and of these, 43% implicated municipal governments. Article tone was notably more negative when senior governments were profiled and more neutral and positive when municipal governments were profiled.CONCLUSION: News media reporting of this issue in Canada may be placing pressure on municipalities to engage in food-based actions to address HFI. A more systematic approach to HFI action in Canada will require more balanced media reporting that acknowledges the limitations of food-based solutions to the income-based problem of HFI.KEY WORDS: Food insecurity; poverty; municipalities; newspapers; media analysis; Canada La traduction du résumé se trouve à la fin de l'article.Can J Public Health 2016;107(1):e68-e74 doi: 10.17269/CJPH.107.5231 H ousehold food insecurity (HFI) is defined as "the inability to acquire or consume an adequate diet quality or sufficient quantity of food in socially acceptable ways, or the uncertainty that one will be able to do so".1 HFI is a persistent problem in Canada, affecting 8%-10% of households since the late 1990s, 1 with a rise to 13% of Canadian households in 2012. 2 In the most recent Canadian analysis of food insecurity nationally, roughly one third (34%) of households identified as food insecure suffer from marginal food insecurity (i.e., worry about being able to afford to buy food), 46% suffer from moderate food insecurity (i.e., make compromises in quality or quantity of food intake) and 20% experience severe food insecurity (i.e., reduced intake of food and skipped meals). 2Adults in food-insecure households have a higher risk of inadequate nutrient intake, 3 as well as poorer self-rated health and an increased chance of developing diabetes, heart disease, hypertension and depression.

News media framing of food poverty and insecurity in high-income countries: a rapid review

“…The Trussell Trust is a UK-based NGO that supports a network of food banks while working and campaigning to end the need for food banks. Another study found a negative tone was adopted when senior governments were implicated in actions to address food insecurity, compared to more neutral and positive tones when local/municipal governments were profiled ( Collins et al ., 2016 ).…”

“…Across most studies ( n = 7), newspaper reporting on charitable food aid was predominately positive ( Wells and Caraher, 2014 ; Collins et al ., 2016 ; Knight et al ., 2018 ; Tikka, 2019 ; Price et al ., 2020 ; Smith-Carrier, 2021 ; Yau et al ., 2021 ). When food banks were framed as distributors of food waste it was considered a double win for both the environment and food poverty ( Tikka, 2019 ; Yau et al ., 2021 ).…”

“…All the included studies reported findings on existing or proposed solutions to food poverty and insecurity in newspaper coverage. Existing solutions to address food poverty and insecurity were predominantly solidarity initiatives ( n = 8) ( Wells and Caraher, 2014 ; Collins et al ., 2016 ; Knight et al ., 2018 ; Tikka, 2019 ; Marín-Murillo et al ., 2020 ; Price et al ., 2020 ; Smith-Carrier, 2021 ; Yau et al ., 2021 ), with charity-based solutions (such as food banks and redistribution of food waste initiatives) reported in six of these studies ( Wells and Caraher, 2014 ; Knight et al ., 2018 ; Tikka, 2019 ; Price et al ., 2020 ; Smith-Carrier, 2021 ; Yau et al ., 2021 ). The Trussell Trust was presented as the model of operation for food banks in one study ( Wells and Caraher, 2014 ).…”

“…The Trussell Trust was presented as the model of operation for food banks in one study ( Wells and Caraher, 2014 ). Fewer studies reported existing or proposed structural solutions to address food poverty and insecurity ( Collins et al ., 2016 ; Yau et al ., 2021 ; Mejia et al ., 2022 ). One such study found local/municipal governments (as opposed to senior governments) frequently implicated in actions to address food insecurity ( Collins et al ., 2016 ).…”

Revisión sistemática de los sistemas alimentarios en la transición a ciudades sostenibles

“…No se presenta ninguna crítica o cuestionamiento Industrial Cuestionamiento a los sistemas basados en compra de alimentos e ingresos económicos como alternativas: huertos comunitarios/agricultura urbana fueron los más comúnmente descritos, seguidos de los bancos de alimentos/programas de comidas, para combatir inseguridad alimentaria (Collins et al, 2016).…”