Food Banks and Hunger

Les banques alimentaires et la faim

Updated April 27, 2008
Page révisée le 27 avril 2008

The Hunger Site Click on the graphic or text link to donate food

From the Child Rights Information Network (CRIN):

24 April 2008 - CRINMAIL 977- Special Edition on Food
* Introduction: What do soaring food prices mean for children?
* The Right to Food - and what a rights-based approach means
* Publications and factsheets
* News stories
* Organisation websites
**Other news**
**Quiz special on the Right to Food**
Source:
CRINMAIL(incl. subscription info)
[ Child Rights Information Network (CRIN) ]

From Health Canada:

Canadian Community Health Survey, Cycle 2.2, Nutrition (2004):
Income-Related Household Food Security in Canada
HTML version
PDF version - 2.9MB, 124 pages
The Office of Nutrition Policy and Promotion, Health Canada, is pleased to release Canadian Community Health Survey, Cycle 2.2, Nutrition (2004)—Income-Related Household Food Security in Canada. This report provides, for the first time in Canada, national and provincial estimates of income-related food security at the household, adult and child level based on a standard multiple-indicator measure of food security. This report will be of value to policy analysts, public health professionals, researchers, academic faculty and students with an interest in nutrition and healthy eating, social determinants of health and population health.
Source:
Canadian Community Health Survey
The Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) initiative began in 2000 with its main goals being the provision of population-level information on health determinants, health status and health system utilization. This series of surveys is a joint effort of Health Canada, Statistics Canada and the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI)

Related Health Canada links:

Office of Nutrition Policy and Promotion
Topics of Interest:
* Canada's Food Guide * Dietary Reference Intakes * Healthy Weights * Nutrition Labelling * Food & Nutrition Surveillance * Healthy Eating Research * Nutrition Policy Reports

Health Canada Population health surveys
* Canadian Community Health Survey * National Population Health Survey * Canadian Health Measures Survey * Joint Canada /United States Survey of Health * Health Services Access Survey
2003
- incl. links to more info for each survey

Related external links:

Canadian Community Health Survey - Nutrition (from Statistics Canada)
Canadian Institute for Health Information

Canadian Association of Food Banks (CAFB)
Association canadienne des banques alimentaires (ACBA)
"The Canadian Association of Food Banks (CAFB) represents food banks in every province. While we provide member food banks with groceries for people in need day-to-day, we ultimately work toward a hunger-free Canada. CAFB receives no assistance from any level of government, nor the United Way. We rely on many generous volunteers and supporters and only four paid staff nationwide. Our board of directors is comprised of two member food banks representatives from each province. We are assisted by an advisory committee of food and transportation industry experts."
- on the home page (above), you'll find links to : Public Education and Research - Find a Member Foodbank - Supporters - Directors - Food & Transportation Advisory Committee - National Food Share System - Activities Facts - Get Involved.

Some sample content from the CAFB site:

Food Bank Use Remains Unacceptably High:
New study shows over 720,000 Canadians, 39% of them children, currently rely on emergency food programs
(Ottawa) November 8, 2007 —The HungerCount 2007 report was released today by the Canadian Association of Food Banks (CAFB). In March 2007 alone, 720,231 individuals were assisted by community food banks in Canada. Food banks provided 2,344,462 meals to people in need during the same time period.

HungerCount 2007
Canada's only national survey of food banks and emergency food programs
Complete report (PDF file - 804K, 48 pages)
Summary (PDF file - 66K, 1 page)

Related Web/News/Blog links:

Google Search Results Links - always current results!
Using the following search terms (without the quote marks):
"HungerCount 2007, Canada, food"
- Web search results page
- News search results page
- Blog Search Results page (no search results)
Source:
Google.ca

More working poor relying on food banks
despite an 8.5% drop in overall use, national study shows
News Release
November 28, 2006
"(...) Even with employment, Canadians are struggling to stay above the poverty line and are increasingly turning to food banks to make ends meet, according to HungerCount 2006, the latest Canadian Association of Food Banks (CAFB) study. Charles Seiden, CAFB Executive Director, says the annual study shows the percentage of food bank clients who are part of Canada’s workforce this year is 13.4 per cent, up from 13.1 per cent last year."

HungerCount 2006
November 2006
Complete report (PDF file - 574K, 47 pages)
Summary (PDF file - 29K, 1 page)

Winter will be hard, food-bank report warns
November 23, 2005
CBC News
"The number of people using food banks is almost unchanged, but the outlook is grim, the Canadian Association of Food Banks said Wednesday. "We are concerned this situation will only worsen this winter, given the rise in the cost of living and especially the cost of energy," Charles Seiden, executive director of the association, said in releasing a report on food-bank usage."

Complete report:
Time for Action - Hunger Count 2005 (PDF file - 452K, 47 pages)
"Canada's only annual survey of food banks & emergency food programs"

Summary:
Hunger Count 2005 Summary (PDF file - 53K, 1 page)
November 2005

Earlier HungerCount reports - back to 1997

Source:
Canadian Association of Food Banks (CAFB)

Google Web Search Results : "hungercount 2005, canada, food "
Google News search Results : "hungercount 2005, canada, food"
Source:
Google.ca

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Poverty in a Land of Plenty: Towards a Hunger-Free Canada
Canadian Association of Food Banks survey shows unprecedented increase in food bank use
News Release
Winnipeg, October 15, 2004
"A record number of Canadians are using food banks in Canada, an increase of 8.5 percent since last year, according to a report published today. 841,640 people – exceeding the population of Winnipeg - including 317,242 children, are receiving food from food banks and emergency food programs, despite the Canadian government’sre-endorsement of the 1996 Rome Declaration on World Food Security two years ago. The Canadian Association of Food Banks’ (CAFB) survey, HungerCount 2004: Poverty in a Land of Plenty: Towards a Hunger Free Canada, demonstrates the government’s failure to provide a social network which enables people in Canada to feed themselves and shows a rise in food bank use across the country."

HungerCount 2004 (PDF file - 347K, 32 pages)
Research Studies - incl. links to hunger counts for 2004 and earlier years (back to 1997)

Related Link:

Food bank use by B.C. children up 42 per cent
November 11, 2004
"VICTORIA — A national report on the use of food banks by children in Canada has put British Columbia on its trend watch. The B.C. Liberal government said it's concerned about the results which found 41.7 per cent more children needed emergency food in B.C. in 2004 over 2003 - some 8,000 more kids. Human Resources Minister Susan Brice, however, said the conclusions in the Canadian Association of Food Banks' annual report reflect a North American problem."
Source:
CTV

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Something has to give : Food Banks filling the Policy Gap in Canada
Canadian Association of Food Banks urges federal leadership to address “national disgrace ” (PDF file - 108K, 2 pages)
Press Release
October 16, 2003
"Food bank use has reached 778,000 people in one month alone and has doubled since 1989, exceeding the population of New Brunswick,according to a report published today. Hunger issues are central to the public agenda, since well over 80 per cent of Canadians believe that the primary responsibility for solving the problem lies with the government, says an independent opinion poll released at the same time."

Hunger Count 2003 (PDF file - 739K, 48 pages)
October 2003

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Perceptions of a Problem -- report on Hunger: Trending Update September 2003 (PDF file - 186K, 9 pages)
September 2003

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HungerCount 2002
Eating their Words: Government Failure on Food Security (PDF file - 700K, 20 pages)
Canada’s Annual Survey of Emergency Food Programs
Prepared by Beth Wilson with Emily Tsoa
October 2002
"...40.8% of food bank recipients were children – an estimated 305,047 children relied on donated food in March 2002 compared to 278,472 in March 1997"

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Canada Has Failed Its Hungry and Poor, Food Banks Say (PDF file - 46K, 2 pages)
News Release
Toronto, June 6, 2002

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Position Statement on the Rome Declaration on World Food Security
and Canada’s Progress on Its Domestic Commitment to Improve Access to Food
(PDF file dated August 1, 2002 - 76K, 13 pages)
Prepared for the World Food Summit: five years later
June 10-13, 2002. Rome, Italy
Related Link:
Rome Declaration on World Food Security (November 1996)
More World Food Summit Links (this link takes you further down on this page. Click your BACK button to return here after checking out the WFS links below)

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HungerCount 2001 : Food Bank Lines in Insecure Times
Canada’s Annual Survey of Emergency Food Programs
Prepared by Beth Wilson with Emily Tsoa
For the Canadian Association of Food Banks
December 2001
Complete Report (PDF file - 907K, 20 pages)
Public Education and Research page - links to earlier HungerCount reports back to 1997

Centre for Studies in Food Security - Ryerson Polytechnic University (Toronto)
- incl. links to : Food Security Toronto - News - Food Security Course - About the Centre - Conferences - Toronto Food Research Network - Publications - Resources
Extensive collection of links to Canadian, American and international sites, organized by theme :
E-Resources
Culture and Diversity
Nutrition and the Environment
Food Policy
Food Security
Urban Food Systems

What's New from The Daily [Statistics Canada]:

June 26, 2007
Canada Food Stats
Canada Food Stats is an easy-to-use product that provides access to a broad spectrum of food statistics and indicators. It contains information on food available for consumption, food prices, nutrition, supply and demand, as well as data on the food industry, processing, employment, productivity, international trade and much more.

October 25, 2006
Food consumption, 2005
On the whole, Canadians are turning to more fresh fruits and vegetables in their diet, and away from oils and fats, according to the latest snapshot of food consumption for 2005. On average, they consumed 39.4 kilograms of fresh fruit in 2005, compared with 37.6 kg a year earlier and 36.0 kg in 1995. On the other hand, consumption of processed fruits (canned, frozen or dry) fell modestly to 8.0 kg per person. (...) The level of energy consumed per person declined by 1.1% in 2005. Caloric consumption has been stable this decade after expanding fairly rapidly during the 1990s.

Food Statistics - 2005, vol. 5, no. 2 (PDF file - 462K, 37 pages)
October 2006
"This publication contains information on food consumption, food prices and nutrition, as well as data on the food industry, processing, employment, productivity and trade."

Earlier editions of Food Statistics - links to 11 editions back to 2001

October 18, 2005
Food consumption, 2004
Canadians continue to lay off their veggies, but they are reaching for more fresh fruit, according to the latest data on food consumption.
Per capita consumption of fresh vegetables fell for the third consecutive year in 2004, hitting its lowest level since 1992.

Complete document:

Food Statistics 2004, vol. 4, no. 2 (PDF file - 543K, 36 pages)
October 2005
- incl the following tables: Canada's food sector at a glance - Food available by major group, per person - Food consumed by major group, per person - Food disappearance, by commodity - Food consumed, by commodity - Nutrients available from the Canadian food supply - Nutrients consumed from the Canadian food supply - Comparison between Canada and United States

May 26, 2005
Food consumption 2004
Despite the recent popularity of low-carbohydrate diets, Canadians continued to fill their plates with pasta, bakery products and cereal-based snacks last year. New data show each Canadian ate 66.8 kg of cereal products in 2004, up from 65.8 kg in 2003.
Report:
Food Statistics 2004, vol. 4, no.1 (PDF file - 440K, 38 pages)

May 3, 2005
Study: Food insecurity in Canadian households, 2000/01
Almost 15% of Canadians, or an estimated 3.7 million people, were considered to be living in what is known as a "food-insecure" household at some point during 2000/01, according to the article "Food insecurity" published today in Health Reports. ($)

February 21, 2003
Household spending on food, 2001
"Canadian households spent almost the same amount on food in 2001 as in 1996, according to new data from the Food Expenditure Survey. However, growing preference for eating out during this five-year period has changed how food dollars were spent."
Average weekly food expenditure per household, Canada and selected regions - 2001

FoodLink Waterloo Region
"FoodLink Waterloo Region is a non-profit organization linking farmers and citizens together to create a more sustainable food system in Waterloo Region. We are working together to promote local agriculture and to support local growers, by creating new urban-rural relationships among members of the farming community, consumers, and various health and social service groups. These partnerships are being cultivated to raise awareness of agricultural issues, create new markets for local farmers, and enhance food security in the Region of Waterloo."

Food Security: More Than a Determinant of Health (PDF file - 60K, 6 pages)
by Lynn McIntyre
February 2003
"In Canada hunger became a subject of investigation in the 1980s, when food banks began to emerge and children's feeding programs in schools became more common. Even though nutritional adequacy can be regarded as the single most important determinant of health, Canada's response to food insecurity has remained community-based, ad hoc and largely focused on the provision of free or subsidized food."
Source : Policy Options (February 2003)
[Institute for Research on Public Policy (IRPP)]

Dietitians of Canada
"Dietitians of Canada represents over 5500 dietitians across Canada and is committed to promoting the health and well-being of consumers through food and nutrition."
NOTE: I was unable to find a website for the
Community Nutritionists Council of BC

Sample reports:

Food costs take a big bite of the income pie for low-income British Columbians
News Release
November 28, 2007
Vancouver, British Columbia – Imagine spending 42% of your income after taxes on food. That’s how much a family of four receiving income assistance in BC would need to spend to purchase enough healthy food. Combine this with the estimated 65% required for shelter, and this family is in the hole before purchasing any other necessities of daily living, such as clothing, transportation, and personal care items. Compare these circumstances with a family of four with an average income; that family would spend about 17% of their income on food and 33% on shelter.

The Cost of Eating in BC 2007 Report (528K, 12 pages)
"... profiles the hardships faced by families trying to purchase healthy food while living on a low-income"

Cost of Eating Reports for earlier years (back to 2001)

Source:
Dieticians of Canada
This report was produced by Dietitians of Canada, BC Region
in partnership with the Community Nutritionists Council of BC

Related link:

Poor in B.C. eat the worst
Government must raise welfare: Report
November 29, 2007
British Columbians have little access to healthy food because welfare cheques and minimum wage are too low, according to a report released Wednesday.The annual release from the Dieticians of Canada and the Community Nutritionists Council of B.C. say this province has more families than any other facing substantial barriers when trying to access healthy food.
Source:
Canada.com

Low income British Columbians can't afford to buy healthy food
News Release
October 6, 2003
"With rising food and housing costs, low-income families are more desperate than ever. A low income family would need to spend up to 44% of their disposable income on a nutritious diet compared to the average Canadian spending 17%. Twenty percent of the population has been defined as low income ... that's more than 800,000 British Columbians! The Cost of Eating in BC 2003 report profiles the struggles of many low-income families in BC. According to 2003 report, published by the Community Nutritionists Council of BC and Dietitians of Canada - BC Region, the monthly cost to feed a family of four increased by 9% since 2000 yet the income for the same family on income assistance declined by 6%."

Complete report:
The Cost of Eating in BC 2003 (PDF file - 147K, 25 pages)

A Workbook on Food Security & Influencing Policy
Developed by the Food Security Projects
- incl. links to: Intro (Food for Thought) - What are we talking about? - Why care about food insecurity - What can we do about it? - What is policy? - How can we influence policy? - Strategies for Action - Resources and Tools - Fact Sheets and Handout - About this Workbook - How to use this Workbook - Questions Behind the Workbook - Acknowledgements - Bibliography

Bibliography and Useful Resources
- links to 50+ sites organized under the following headings : General Food Security Websites - Defining Food Security - Food Security, Families & Children, Communities, & Health - Food Security, the Environment and the Economy - Addressing Food Security - The Policy Process, Implementing Policy & Influencing Public Policy - Provincial/Territorial Food Security Groups

Source:
Atlantic Health Promotion Research Centre
Nova Scotia Nutrition Council

FoodShare - "Working with communities to improve access to affordable, nutritious food"
FoodShare is a non-profit food security organization based in Toronto founded in 1985 to co-ordinate emergency food services and to collect and distribute food. Over the years, Foodshare has expanded to include a volunteer Hunger Hotline, advocacy for policies to ensure adequate employment and income and a number of self-help models like co-operative buying systems, collective kitchens and community gardens to address short-term issues of household hunger while also providing longer-term benefits by building the capacity of individuals and communities.
Explore the main sections of this site (Growing - Cooking - Learning - Working - Food 2020 - Good Food Box) for further links to online resources

Food Security Bureau (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada)
- incl. links to : Home - Mandate/ Organization - Activities/Services - Partners - Canada's Action Plan for Food Security - Progress Report - 2nd Progress Report - The World Food Summit - What's New - World Food Day - Other Related Sites

Welfare falls short of food costs, says study
Researchers call for review of welfare benefit levels
"March 12, 2002 -- A nutritional diet - as defined by the Ontario government's own standards - is out of reach for Toronto's welfare recipients, says a U of T study"
Source : University of Toronto News and Events

Food insecurity in Canadian households, 1998/99
About 8% of Canadians, or just under 2.5 million people, had to compromise the quality or the quantity of their diet at least once in 1998/99 because of a lack of money, according to the National Population Health Survey.
Source: The Daily, Statistics Canada (Wednesday, August 15, 2001)
NOTE : Go to the Statistics Canada website and do a search on "food" to find related reports and studies.

Food and Hunger Action Committee (Toronto)
The Food and Hunger Action Committee was formed in December 1999 to study food security in Toronto and recommend ways to reduce hunger, improve the nutritional health of Torontonians, and support food-based initiatives that benefit Toronto's economy, environment and quality of life. The Committee took a collaborative approach to its work, bringing together City councillors, City staff, the staff of non-profit agencies, food program participants, volunteers, clergy and interested members of the public to discuss the wide range of issues related to food and hunger in Toronto.
The Committee's work resulted in the release of two reports, one for each phase of this initiative
Planting the Seeds - May 2000
- includes information gathered from the community consultations, an inventory of food and hunger-related initiatives in which the City of Toronto is involved, a review of current literature in this area and recommendations on how to proceed. The above link takes you to the executive summary and a link to the report itself in PDF format -- 59 pages, 433K.
The Growing Season - February 2001
Phase II action plan: City Council asked the Committee to create a food charter for the City and to present an action plan to improve Torontonians' access to safe, affordable and nutritious food, and enhance the coordination and delivery of services related to food and hunger. The above link takes you to the executive summary and a link to the report itself in PDF format -- 1055K, 56 pages. There's also a link to Toronto's Food Charter (in PDF format - 110K, 4 pages) on this page.

Daily Bread Food Bank (Toronto)
"The Daily Bread Food Bank is a non-profit, non-denominational charitable organization working to eliminate hunger in the Greater Toronto Area. It is Canada's largest food bank, serving 170 food programs. In addition, we work together to try to end the root causes of hunger through public education and research."

Publications

Sample recent publications:

Hungry City> Make Your Mark!
Toronto's Daily Bread Food Bank Blog
Launched in June 2007
"(...) It is time to take the next steps in the fight against hunger and that is where Hungry City> Make Your Mark comes in. It is also where you come in. We are armed with information and we have realistic policy solutions outlined in A New Deal to Fight Hunger. Now, we need to come together for real political change. You are invited to post your concerns about hunger and poverty in your community on this blog. Keep visiting hungrycity.ca to see where people stand on this important issue. Daily Bread Food Bank is committed to ending the need for food banks and we are excited to work with our community and start mobilizing to have our voices heard. No one should go hungry in our great city, province or country. I’ve made my mark…have you?" [Excerpt from the Hungry City Blog Welcome Message, June 5/07)
Source:
Daily Bread Food Bank

Who's Hungry: 2007 Profile of Hunger in the GTA (PDF file - 1.8MB, 32 pages)
June 5, 2007
Read a detailed report about the current hunger crisis in the GTA. It features Daily Bread's A New Deal to Fight Hunger, a significant next step toward solving the hunger crisis.

Who's Hungry 2007 : Key Statistics (PDF file - 63K, 1 page)
June 5, 2007
Check out the key statistics drawn from the survey over 1,800 food bank clients from across the GTA.

A New Deal to Fight Hunger (PDF file - 60K, 2 pages)
June 1, 2007
Daily Bread's call for a comprehensive anti-poverty strategy

Related link:

Hungry City - A Daily Bread Food Bank Initiative
There is no excuse for hunger and poverty in a country as wealthy as Canada, the Hungry City initiative is your chance to take action. Join with thousands of others to make your voice heard for real political change, to elect a provincial government committed to ending hunger and poverty on October 10th, 2007. Hungry City is about you. Find out how you can participate, make your mark here...

National Hunger Awareness Day
June 6th, 2006 marks the launch of the inaugural National Hunger Awareness Day in Canada. The goal is to raise public awareness of domestic hunger at both the National and Local level. A cross-sector of sponsors and stakeholders will be engaged ranging from media, faith-based groups, national corporations, politicians and the general public. Local activities will also take place in an effort to raise food and funds through our various members. Learn more about Hunger Awareness Day and how you can take part!
- incl. links to : Our Mission - Events - Photo Album - Media Room - Related Links - FAQs

Related Links:

Canada:
Canadian Association of Food Banks
Daily Bread Food Bank - Toronto

U.S.:
National Hunger Awareness Day
America's Second Harvest - The Nation's Food Bank Network
- Hunger in America 2006
"The America's Second Harvest Network produced "Hunger in America 2006 ," a comprehensive profile of the incidence and nature of hunger and food insecurity in the U.S. Our study provides extensive demographic profiles of emergency food clients at charitable feeding agencies and comprehensive information on the nature and efficacy of local agencies in meeting the food security needs of clients.The study is the largest of its kind. More than 52,000 individuals agreed to share their personal stories with us through face-to-face interviews at charitable emergency hunger-relief agencies like pantries, soup kitchens, and shelters. Nearly 31,000 local emergency hunger-relief agencies completed survey questionnaires about their efforts to serve millions of hungry Americans."

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Daily Bread’s Who’s Hungry report illustrates depth of hunger crisis
Survey examines hunger in the GTA and Daily Bread advances solutions
(PDF file - 96K, 1 page)
News Release
June 6, 2006
TORONTO, ON ? Food bank use across the GTA has risen a dramatic 79% since 1995, according to the report Who’s Hungry: 2006 Profile of Hunger in the GTA released today at BCE Place. The results of Daily Bread’s annual survey paint a picture that cannot be ignored of the struggles and financial plight of the diverse population relying on food banks. The 894,017 people who accessed emergency food services last year through GTA food banks, 38% of whom were children, would not go hungry if the issue of poverty were addressed. So, in conjunction with the report, Daily Bread advances the Blueprint to Fight Hunger.

Complete report:

Who's Hungry:
2006 Profile of Hunger in the Greater Toronto Area
(PDF file - 1.9MB, 13 pages)

Blueprint to Fight Hunger (PDF file - 214K, 1 page)
June 2006

The Daily Bread Food Bank announces education savings program to help break poverty cycle
Canadian Scholarship Trust Foundation facilitates starting an RESP for Daily Bread clients
TORONTO, April 10, 2006/CNW/ - The Daily Bread Food Bank announced today a newpartnership designed to help break the poverty cycle through an accessible education savings program. Recognizing the importance of saving for post-secondary education in reducing the barriers to higher education and encouraging self-sustainability, Daily Bread and Canadian Scholarship Trust Foundation (C.S.T.) have partnered to help low-income families take advantage of the Canada Learning Bond (CLB) program by setting up a Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP).
Source:
Newswire.ca

Related Links:

Daily Bread Food Bank
Canadian Scholarship Trust Foundation
Canada Education Savings Grant
Registered Education Savings Plan
Canada Learning Bond

Who's Hungry: 2005 Profile of Hunger in the Greater Toronto Area (PDF file - 393K, 28 pages)
June 07, 2005
"Daily Bread Food Bank insists that charitable food relief programs are only a temporary solution to hunger. Food banks have consistently advocated that government programs ensure a decent standard of living for everyone. Despite this work, food banks are still entrenched as a necessary social service for low-income people, compensating for the government cutbacks of the 1990s and the increasingly tenuous labour market."

Survey results indicate drastic overhaul of social assistance required (PDF file - 60K, 2 pages)
Report looks at who’s hungry in Toronto in 2005 and how to help them
News Release
June 7, 2005
"TORONTO, ON – Thirty-four per cent of people on Ontario Works are discouraged from working because of the deduction of employment income from their social assistance, according to the results of Daily Bread’s 2005 survey of people relying upon food banks. As a result, just thirteen per cent of this group reports work income (virtually identical to the 14% who do so across the province). The loss of dental and drug benefits is another major barrier to getting back to work as shown by the experience of people relying upon food banks who are working full-time—46 per cent of them have no dental coverage and only 43 per cent have an employer drug plan."

Rebuilding Lives:
Taking children off welfare and encouraging their parents to work (PDF file - 390K, 18 pages)
March 15, 2005
"Daily Bread's detailed proposal on the best way for the provincial government to keep its promise to end the clawback of the National Child Benefit Supplement from social assistance cheques. To do so, it recommends changing how social assistance benefits are calculated so that adults have a greater incentive to work their way off welfare and their children receive the NCBS whether their parents are on or off welfare."

Governments Failing Newcomers:
Highly Skilled Immigrants Being Forced to Use Food Banks (PDF file - 26K, 4 pages)
March 26, 2005
"Preliminary results from the 2005 Annual Survey on skilled immigrants being forced to rely upon foodbanks to survive in Toronto. This report builds a strong and compelling case for greater financial support from the federal government to help the province of Ontario aid immigrant settlement to quicken the pace of their integration into the Canadian economy--benefitting both the immigrants and the long-term health of the Canadian economy."

Housing Report Update: Rising Food Bank Use Linked to Tenant Protection Act (PDF file - 142K, 3 pages)
Toronto
November 02, 2004
"Daily Bread has taken a closer look at our research statistics to determine the correlation between rent increases and food bank use. The results are included in the attached an update to our August report on housing. The data shows that there is a strong link between rising food bank use and the Tenant Protection Act. "

How much difference would the NCBS make for food bank families? (PDF file - 138K, 2 pages)
A review of the impact of the "clawback" of the National Child Benefit Supplement is affecting children whose families are on social assistance
Research Bulletin #4
Toronto
August 31, 2004
"...it is possible to extrapolate that approximately 13,500 children in the Greater Toronto Area alone would no longer need to use a food bank if their families received the National Child Benefit Supplement."
Source:
Publications
[ Daily Bread Food Bank ]

Somewhere to Live or Something to Eat: Housing Issues of Food Bank Clients in the Greater Toronto Area
August 2, 2004
- based on housing statistics from the Daily Bread Food Bank's Annual Survey of Food Bank Clients.
"This 22-page paper looks at the key housing issues affecting food bank clients. Set against the context of the Welfare Rates cut in 1995 and the Tenant Protection Act in 1998, the paper focuses on rent and income problems many food bank clients are facing now. (...) It is particularly timely given that the Ontario government has just completed its consultation process for new landlord-tenant legislation and is currently engaged in writing a new act in which new rent control guidelines will be established. This paper should be viewed as a contribution to that process."

Complete Report (PDF file - 766K, 22 pages)
Summary of Housing Report (PDF file - 24K, 2 pages)

July 20, 2004
Who's Who? (PDF file - 56K, 1 page)
"This profile of food bank clients looks specifically at family groups, sources of income, immigration and gender by age. This information is collected from our 2004 Annual Survey."

June 21, 2004
Who’s Hungry? (PDF file - 39K, 1 page)
"This updated fact sheet answers the question Who’s hungry? by examining data provided by Daily Bread’s annual survey of food recipients. The report provides statistics on the issues impacting low-income people in the GTA."

Disabled demand aid from province
Short of food following blackout
August 27, 2003
By Kevin Connor
"Low-income, disabled shut-ins say they are the forgotten souls after last week's blackout. Because government offices were closed last week, they couldn't receive assistance from the
Ontario Disability Support Program office."
Source: Toronto Sun

Sample reports from 2000, 2001

A Report From the 2001 Survey of Food Recipients
How Food Recipients Deal With Poverty (PDF) - April 16, 2001
Who's Hungry Now? (PDF) - April 14, 2001
Looking After Our Kids (PDF) - April 13, 2001
Working Harder, Falling Behind (PDF) - April 12, 2001

Seniors Losing Ground in Poverty Battle: A Stealth attack on Seniors (PDF) - April 20002002 Publications (all released in April 2002):
No Money, No Food (PDF file - 19K, 3 pages)
Poorer People, Poorer Health (PDF file - 57K, 2 pages)
Hunger Scandal Sheet (PDF file - 21K, 2 pages)
Who's Hungry Now? (PDF file - 30K, 3 pages)

Hunger in Ontario in the Year 2000 : Common, but Senseless (PDF file - 50K, 12 pages)
Prepared for the Ontario Association of Food Banks
October 2000
- includes statistical data on food bank use in Ontario during March 2000 and an opinion poll (June 2000) on the opinions of Ontarians regarding hunger and food banks and who is responsible for solving the hunger problem.

Seniors Losing Ground in Poverty Battle: A Stealth attack on Seniors (PDF) - April 2000

Empty Spaces on Pantry Shelves: Food Insecurity in a Nation of Wealth
December 21, 2007

Transition Magazine : Families & Food
Winter 2007-2008, vol. 37-4
[includes Canadian Families Deserve Food Security [PDF file - 110K, 4 pages]]
by David Northcott
[David Northcott is executive coordinator of Winnipeg Harvest and a Board member of The Vanier Institute of the Family.]

Public Lecture:
A Place in time, Families, Family Matters & Why They Matter
October 18, 2007
by Robert Glossop, Ph.D.

Source:
Vanier Institute of the Family (VIF)
"...our vision: to make families as important to the life of Canadian society as they are to the lives of individual Canadians."

People- & Planet-Friendly
"People- & Planet-Friendly is a unique, nonprofit service, "bringing people together over ideas that matter". Our themes include peace, environment, sustainable living, food, community, communication, democracy, activism and human rights. People- & Planet-Friendly – gateway to environment and sustainable living in Canada and beyond. Employment listings and Calendar with thousands of subscribers. Also: Portals & Guides on environmental and social themes; Forum and Bulletin Board; popular E-mail Newsletter. Look for our Green Products & Services directory, launching in late 2004."

Housing, Hunger and Health Statistics : What’s Available and Where to Find It
January 2004
- incl. links to online resources
PDF version
HTML version
Source:
CSPC-T Research & Policy Updates
[ Community Social Planning Council of Toronto (CSPC-T) ]

"Healthy Minds"
Breakfast Pilot Program Evaluation
October 1999-March 2000
New Brunswick Department of Education
As a means for addressing the nutritional needs of students in the elementary school years, a "Healthy Minds" Breakfast Program was piloted in two school districts (Tracadie-Sheila & Saint John) in K-5. The program was designed to provide basic breakfast food items to students in a non-stigmatizing environment. All schools in District 8 (Saint John) and District 9 (Tracadie-Sheila), with kindergarten to grade five, were chosen to pilot the "Healthy Minds" breakfast program from October 1999 to March 2000. District 8 participated with 31 schools, representing 6,638 students and District 9 participated with 21 schools, representing 3,836 students.

Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society  

International Sites
(links below are added in reverse chronological order)

U.S. Mayors examine causes of hunger, homelessness (small PDF file - 2 pages)
News release
December 17, 2007
Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Conference of Mayors and Sodexho, Inc. released today the results of its 2007 Hunger and Homelessness Survey at a press conference at the Conference of Mayors Headquarters in Washington, D.C. For more than 21 years, the Conference of Mayors has documented the magnitude of the issues of hunger and homelessness in our nation’s cities. This report provides an analysis of the scale of the problem in twenty-three of America’s major cities (listed below) and the efforts these cities are making to address the issue.
Source:
The U.S. Conference of Mayors
Sodexho USA

Complete report:

2007 U.S. Hunger and Homelessness Report (PDF file - 983K, 72 pages)
December 2007

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One in Eight U.S. Households with Infants is Food Insecure
New Report Links Food Insecurity to Maternal Depression,
Poor Parenting, and Overweight Toddlers
Press Release
July 12, 2007
Washington, DC – One in eight U.S. households with infants (12.5 percent) reports being “food insecure”, according to a new analysis by Child Trends. “Food insecure” is defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to be “limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods."
- the brief also links food insecurity with maternal depression, poor parenting, and-paradoxically-overweight toddlers.

Related Research Briefing based on the report:

Food Insecurity and Overweight among Infants and
Toddlers: New Insights into a Troubling Linkage (PDF file - 178K, 6 pages)
By Jacinta Bronte-Tinkew, Ph.D., Martha Zaslow, Ph.D., Randolph Cappsa , Ph.D., and Allison Horowitz, B.A.
July 2007
"(...) This Research Brief is based on a forthcoming paper in the Journal of Nutrition titled “Food Insecurity Works Through Depression, Parenting and Infant Feeding to Influence Overweight and Health in Toddlers,” co-authored by the same group as the research briefing."

Source:
Child Trends
Founded in 1979, Child Trends is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research center serving those dedicated to creating better lives for children and youth.

Related link from Child Trends:

Child Trends DataBank
"...the one-stop-shop for the latest national trends and research on over 100 key indicators of child and youth well-being, with new indicators added each month."
HINT: the best way to see the content in this databank is by clicking the "You may also search by: (Subgroup / Age / Alphabetically)" links immediately under the photos on the Child Trends home page.

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Hunger Relief Portal - Relief Organizations and Hunger Statistics
This site is a portal consisting of a listing of organizations involved in the elimination of hunger.
Articles on hunger and poverty are also presented, along with statistics on world hunger.

United Nations World Food Program
Interactive Hunger Map

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New CDF Report: More Than 13 Million Children Face Food Insecurity -- U.S.
Press Release
June 2 2005
"According to the most recent figures from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 13.3 million American children were food insecure in 2003; of these, 420,000 lived in households where someone had to go hungry. Overall, 36.3 million Americans experienced food insecurity in 2003, 1.4 million more than in 2002, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture."

Complete report:

Food Insecurity 2005 (PDF file - 122K, 6 pages)

Source:
Children's Defense Fund

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Hunger, homelessness on rise
December 15, 2004
"Hunger and homelessness continue to rise nationwide with requests for emergency food assistance increasing in 97 percent of the cities surveyed including Nashville, according to the Sodexho USA Hunger and Homelessness Survey. The U.S. Conference of Mayors released the 27-city survey in Washington, D.C., Tuesday. An average of 20 percent of the requests for food assistance have gone unmet and 78 percent of the surveyed cities reported a 7 percent increase in requests for shelter by homeless families."
Source:
Nashville City Paper Online

Press Release (PDF file - 58K, 3 pages)
December 12, 2004

Source:
U.S. Conference of Mayors

And, from the "Every-Cloud-Has-A-Silver-Lining" crowd:

Survey: Good news in fight against hunger, homelessness
December 15, 2004
"Washington - Requests for emergency food and shelter increased in many large U.S. cities this year, but not by as much as in recent years, according to a survey released Tuesday. Requests for food rose by 14 percent, while appeals for shelter increased by 6 percent, said the annual report by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, based on surveys of 27 large cities. The numbers have risen every year since the conference began the survey 20 years ago. However, the rate of increase for food requests was the lowest since 1998. The rate of increase for shelter requests was less than half what it was in 2003, and the lowest since 1997.
Source:
The Plain Dealer

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Recent Trends in Food Stamp Participation among Poor Families with Children
Discussion Paper
June 2004
"Food stamp caseloads increased dramatically between October 2002 and October 2003. Our results show that families recently on welfare were substantially more likely to participate in the Food Stamp program in 2002 than in 1997 or 1999. In contrast, participation rates for families with no cash welfare experience, the largest share of poor families with children, remained quite low throughout the period. The new program rules and procedures did not affect their participation. The low current incomes and economic hardship of nonparticipating families indicate the food stamps would benefit these families substantially. States could encourage more families to take advantage of food stamps by strengthening public outreach and simplifying their programs."

Complete report (PDF file - 100K, 38 pages)

Source:
Assessing the New Federalism
[ The Urban Institute ]

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Highlights of the Child Nutrition and
Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children Reauthorization Act of 2004
July 8, 2004
"On Wednesday, June 30, 2004, President Bush signed the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 into law (Public Law 108-265). The Act expands the availability of nutritious meals and snacks to more children in school, in outside school hours programs, and in child care; and improves the quality of food in schools."

Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act Section-by-Section from the Congressional Research Service (PDF file - 373K, 53 pages)
July 16, 2004

Federal Food Programs in the U.S
- incl. links to info about : Food Stamp Program - National School Lunch Program - School Breakfast Program - Summer Food Service Program for Children - Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants & Children - Child and Adult Care Food Program - The Emergency Food Assistance Program - Community Food and Nutrition Program - Resources to assist afterschool and summer programs in using the child nutrition programs
- also incl. State Profiles (Choose a state to view a profile of the Federal Food Programs in the state)and a National Profile.

Source:
Current News & Analyses
[ Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) ]

Related Links:

Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act
Bill Summary
Updated June 24, 2004
"The federal government invests more than $16 billion annually in child nutrition programs under the Child Nutrition Act, Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act, and related programs. On June 24, 2004, the House overwhelmingly approved the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act, a House-Senate consensus forged to strengthen these programs and improve their effectiveness for America’s most vulnerable children. “This is the most far-reaching child nutrition bill in a generation,” said Barry Sackin of the American School Food Service Association (ASFSA) in a recent interview with Education Daily."
Source:
Committee on Education and the Workforce
(U.S. House of Representatives)

Google.ca News Search Results : "Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act"
Google.ca Web Search Results : "Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act"
Source:
Google.ca

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Modernization of Food Stamp Program Almost Complete - U.S.
June 25, 2004

Food Stamp Program Goes Electronic
Food-Bank Comment Causes Furor
NPR: Commentary: Food Stamps and Medicare
USDA: Food Stamp Program
The WIC Program: Background, Trends, and Issues
A Guide to Food Stamp Program Outreach

"Started in 1939, the food stamp program administered by the United States Department of Agriculture is one of the entitlement programs designated to provide a safety net for Americans. The program enjoys some of the greatest bipartisan support and continues to be immensely successful. Earlier this week, the Department of Agriculture announced that the paper stamps which have been issued under the program for over six decades will be completely phased out later this month and replaced by a plastic card that operates in the same fashion as a bank debit card. As part of this transformation of the program, the Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman has commented that the Agriculture Department will be asking for suggestions for a new name for the food stamp program, a move that may also reduce some of the stigma that has been associated with this extremely valuable initiative in the past. Currently only six counties in California and the U.S. territory of Guam still use the paper food stamps. The usually staid Department of Agriculture has also been in the news as of late due to a comment made by a senior official in that government office who noted in an interview that people who eat at food banks are "taking the easy way out." Several elected officials from the state of Ohio took great exception to his comment, remarking in a letter sent to his office that "You have displayed a disparaging attitude toward the victims of hunger and an astonishing lack of awareness of what is happening beyond the Beltway." [KMG]

The first link leads to a news piece from the Washington Post that discusses the modernization of the delivery system for food stamps in detail. The second link will take visitors to a news brief from MSNBC that provides a summary of the debate surrounding the recent comment made by a senior official at the Department of Agriculture regarding the use of food banks. The third link leads to a 3-minute audio feature from NPR on the continuing popularity of food stamp programs across the United States, reported by the venerable Daniel Schorr. The fourth link leads to the official United States Department of Agriculture website about the food stamp program, complete with eligibility details and research reports on the effectiveness of the program. The fifth link leads to an October 2002 report on the continued success of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (known colloquially as WIC), which "safeguards the health of low-income women, infants, and children up to age 5 who are at nutrition risk." The last and final link leads to a site that provides some fine information on the various food stamp benefit program outreach activities that are intended to provide information on eligibility and benefits, with the primary goal of increasing the participation rate amongst those eligible parties."
Review by The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2003

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Characteristics of Food Stamp Households: Fiscal Year 2002
December 2003
Source:
Mathematica Policy Research

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From the U.S. Conference of Mayors:

U.S. Conference of Mayors - Sodexho Hunger and Homelessness Survey 2003
Hunger, Homelessness Still On the Rise in Major U.S. Cities; 25-City Survey Finds Unemployment, Lack of Affordable Housing Account for Increased Needs
Press Release
December 18, 2003
"Washington, DC -- Hunger and homelessness continued to rise in major American cities over the last year, according to the new U.S. Conference of Mayors-Sodexho Hunger and Homelessness Survey, released today at the Conference of Mayors Headquarters. As the overall economy remained weak, requests for emergency food assistance increased by an average of 17 percent over the past year, and requests for emergency shelter assistance increased by an average of 13 percent in the 25 cities surveyed."

Hunger and Homelessness Survey:
A Status Report on Hunger and Homelessness in America’s Cities
A 25-City Survey (PDF file - 802K, 121 pages)
December 2003

Sources:
U.S. Conference of Mayors
Sodexho USA "the leading provider of food and facilities management in the United States"

Earlier hunger and homelessness reports from theU.S. Conference of Mayors (lower down on this page)

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The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2003
November 2003
- Table of Contents and acknowledgements
- Flyer (PDF file - 91K, 4 pages)
- Complete report (PDF file - 369K, 40 pages)
- News Release (November 25, 2003)
Source:
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Created in 1945, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has a mandate "to raise levels of nutrition and standards of living, to improve agricultural productivity, and to better the condition of rural populations.(...) FAO has 183 member countries plus one member organization, the European Community. Since its inception, FAO has worked to alleviate poverty and hunger by promoting agricultural development, improved nutrition and the pursuit of food security - defined as the access of all people at all times to the food they need for an active and healthy life."

......................................................................................................

Food Stamp Participation Jumps in August 2003 to Almost 22.4 Million Persons;
Is Almost 5.5 Million Persons Higher Than in July 2000
Curent News and Analysis
November 7, 2003
- includes Food Stamp Program Participation Data in August 2003 compared with last month, last year and five years ago; also includes links to almost a dozen related online resources.
Source:
Food Research and Action Center
Related Link:
FRAC News Digest - "...highlights what's new on hunger, nutrition and poverty issues at FRAC, at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, around the network of national, state and local anti-poverty and anti-hunger organizations, and in the media."
News Digest Archives - links to almost 100 newsletters back to January 2002, each containing links to further resources

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Food Stamp Program [ Food and Nutrition Service, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture ]
"The Food Stamp Program serves as the first line of defense against hunger. It enables low-income families to buy nutritious food with coupons and Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards."
- incl. info for : Applicants & Recipients - Retailers - Governments - Researchers - Public Advocacy Groups

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Household Food Security in the United States, 2002
October 2003
Food Assistance and Nutrition Research Report
"Eighty-nine percent of American households were food secure throughout the entire year 2002, meaning that they had access, at all times, to enough food for an active, healthy life for all household members. The remaining households were food insecure at least some time during that year. The prevalence of food insecurity rose from 10.7 percent in 2001 to 11.1 percent in 2002, and the prevalence of food insecurity with hunger rose from 3.3 percent to 3.5 percent. This report is based on data from the December 2002 food security survey."
Summary of Study Findings (PDF file - 73K, 2 pages)
Table of contents + links to all chapters and appendices
Complete report (PDF file - 421K, 58 pages)
Source:
Economic Research Service
[ U.S. Department of Agriculture ]

International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) (Washington-Based)
"The mission of the International Food Policy Research Institute is to identify and analyze policies for sustainably meeting the food needs of the developing world. Research at IFPRI concentrates on economic growth and poverty alleviation in low-income countries, improvement of the well-being of poor people, and sound management of the natural resource base that supports agriculture."
- focus on Central and South America, the Middle East, Africa and Asia

NEWatIFPRI
"NEWatIFPRI is an e-mail list that updates subscribers with the latest news, publications, and research results important to global food policy issues. IFPRI's mission is to identify and analyze strategies and policies for meeting food needs of the developing world on a sustainable basis, with particular emphasis on low-income countries and on the poorer groups in those countries."
Click on the link above to subscribe - you'll receive one or two issues per month by e-mail.

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Global Action for Food Security
March 2007
By Joachim von Braun and Michiel Keyzer
The Centre for World Food Studies at Vrije University in the Netherlands and the International Food Policy Research Institute have recently increased their collaborative activities. Both centers are working on a study of China's agricultural transition. Recently the directors of the two institutes joined forces to discuss global action for food security.

Global Action for Food Security is based on a presentation and discussion by the two authors on global mechanisms to reduce hunger, given at an expert meeting in Amsterdam on September 27, 2006 in celebration of World Food Day and dialogues thereafter.

Source:
Centre for World Food Studies at Vrije University in the Netherlands and
the International Food Policy Research Institute

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blog world hunger
Blog world hunger is an open global food and nutrition security diary that aims to help the effort to identify and analyze alternative national and international strategies and policies for meeting world food needs in ways that conserve the natural resource base. It is facilitated by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).

Globalization, Trade and WTO - 70 links to online international resources on the subject of food security and globalization

2020 Vision
A 2020 Vision for Food, Agriculture, and the Environment is an international initiative of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) to identify solutions for meeting future world food needs while reducing poverty and protecting the environment.

World Water and Food to 2025: Dealing with Scarcity
November 5, 2002
Washington, D.C.
"Current water policies threaten global water and food security. This book describes future water situations and how we can avert a crisis."
Click on the above link to read more about this book, to examine the table of contents and download highlights, individual chapters or the complete report (see below) in PDF format, or you can also order a hard-copy version of the book.

Sustainable Food Security for All by 2020 — Proceedings of an International Conference
September 4–6, 2001 • Bonn, Germany
"IFPRI's 2020 Vision held a major international conference on food security last year in Bonn, Germany. More than 900 people from the public and private sectors and civil society came together for three days to discuss goals, solutions, and the actions necessary to end hunger in the next two decades. These proceedings compile the presentations made by more than 70 speakers, summaries of the discussions that followed, results of polls taken during the conference, and other highlights."
- From this page, you can download (as separate files) the entire proceedings, the table of contents or the foreword.
Publications Released for the 2020 Conference - links to over two dozen reports on food security prepared for or as a result of the Bonn conference.

Reaching Sustainable Food Security for All by 2020
"New Powerpoint tool for teachers, researchers, practitioners, and others working on global food security: 34 slides on IFPRI's action plan for ending hunger by 2020. The action plan reflects IFPRI's best judgment and the advice of more than 900 public, civil society, and private leaders."

DOWNLOAD the Powerpoint presentation (250K) : "A slideshow presentation resulting from the 2020 Bonn conference on achieving global food security."
Also available in the following formats:
HTML
PDF (276K)

Reaching Sustainable Food Security for All by 2020: Getting the Priorities and Responsibilities Right
May 2002
Full Report (PDF file - 1.1MB, 36 pages)
Highlights (PDF file - 630K, 14 pages)
"An action plan resulting from the 2020 Bonn conference on achieving global food security. Reflects IFPRI's best judgment and the advice of more than 900 public, civil society, and private leaders on the actions needed to end hunger by 2020."

THE INFO FINDER - A global link to research on agriculture, hunger, poverty, and the environment.
This convenient new search engine allows you to easily find digital information from the websites of all 16 Future Harvest Centers, the CGIAR, and FAO, which collaboratively developed this research tool.

Food Research and Action Center (U.S)
"The Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) is a leading national organization working to improve public policies to eradicate hunger and undernutrition in the United States. Founded in 1970 as a public interest law firm, FRAC is a nonprofit and nonpartisan research and public policy center that serves as the hub of an anti-hunger network of thousands of individuals and agencies across the country."

Federal Food Programs in the U.S
- incl. links to info about : Food Stamp Program - National School Lunch Program - School Breakfast Program - Summer Food Service Program for Children - Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants & Children - Child and Adult Care Food Program - The Emergency Food Assistance Program - Community Food and Nutrition Program - Resources to assist afterschool and summer programs in using the child nutrition programs
- also incl. State Profiles (Choose a state to view a profile of the Federal Food Programs in the state)and a National Profile.

United States:
The Food Assistance Landscape, March 2005
Food Assistance and Nutrition Research Report
"Expenditures for USDA's 15 food assistance programs totaled $46 billion from October 1, 2003, to September 30, 2004, marking the second consecutive year in which spending exceeded the previous record high. The fiscal 2004 spending level represented a 10-percent increase from the previous fiscal year, the fourth consecutive year in which total food assistance expenditures increased. Five programs—the Food Stamp Program, the National School Lunch Program, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), the School Breakfast Program, and the Child and Adult Care Food Program—accounted for 94 percent of USDA's total expenditures for food assistance."

Complete report:

The Food Assistance Landscape, March 2005 (PDF file - 247K, 6 pages)

Related Links:

Food & Nutrition Assistance Programs
Food Security in the United States (ERS Briefing Room)

Source:
Economic Research Service (ERS)
[ U.S. Department of Agriculture ]

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Federal Nutrition Programs Making Record
Difference for Families, Children and Elderly
Press Release
February 23, 2005
"FRAC Finds National and State Performance Gaps Remain;
Warns Budget Cut Proposals Could Add to Hunger"

Complete report:

From the U.S. Conference of Mayors:

Hunger, Homelessness On the Rise in Major U.S. Cities
Mayors' 25-City Survey Finds High Housing Costs, Weak Economy Increase Need
2002 Hunger/Homelessness Report Released
Press Release
December 18, 2002
"As housing costs continued to rise faster than incomes and the national economy remained weak, requests for emergency food assistance increased an average of 19 percent over the past year, according to a 25-city survey released today by the U.S. Conference of Mayors. The survey also found that requests for emergency shelter assistance grew an average of 19 percent in the 18 cities that reported an increase, the steepest rise in a decade."
Full Report (PDF file - 1MB, 141 pages)

Mayors Call to Action (PDF file - 17K, 2 pages)
Other Sources of Information - PDF file - 18K, 1 page)
Supporting studies and reports on hunger and homelessness from six organizations, from the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture to the National Coalition for the Homeless
Sample:
Household Food Security in the United States, 2001 (U.S. Department of Agriculture)
Released November 2002
"The number of food-insecure households increased 9.4% from 10.5 million in 1999 to 11.5 million in 2001."

Related Links:

17th Annual Survey of Hunger and Homelessness in America's Cities
December 12, 2001
Press Release
Full Report (PDF file - 400K, 137 pages)
...or click on the Press Release link above and select from the following files : Summary - Hunger - Homelessness - Housing - Outlook
16th Annual Survey on Hunger and Homelessness in America's Cities (December 14, 2000)

Related Link:

World Food Summit - Rome, November 1996
- incl. links to : Why the summit? - Opening Interventions by participants - Documents - Parallel Events - Conclusion - World Food Summit Newsletter

Future Harvest (International)
"Future Harvest is a global initiative, incorporated in June 1998 as a charitable and educational organization to advance debate and catalyze action for a world with less poverty, a healthier human family, and a better environment. In 2001, Future Harvest UK was established in the United Kingdom. Future Harvest was created by 16 food and environmental research centers, known as the Future Harvest Centers, located around the world. These centers are supported by 58 governments, private foundations, and international and regional organizations known as the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR)."
Site Map - links to everything on the site on one page
- incl. the five pillars of the Future Harvest organization : Peace - Growth - Earth - Health - People
Related Links :

Future Harvest Centers - "international food and environmental research centers located throughout the world that are working to increase food security, reduce poverty, and protect the environment in the developing countries."
Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR)

Economic Perspectives - May 2002
Food Security and Safety
Source : U.S. Department of State
Office of International Information Programs (IIP)
(formerly the Information Bureau of the United States Information Agency)

Electronic Journals of the U.S. Department of State

Working Papers - Cornell Food and Nutrition Policy Program
Links to dozens of downloadable working papers on food, nutrition, poverty, health, etc - all international (no Canadian content)
Source : Cornell Food and Nutrition Policy Program at Cornell UniversityHunger in America 2001
"This report presents the results of a study conducted in 2001 for America's Second Harvest (A2H), the nation's largest organization of emergency food providers. The study is based on completed in-person interviews with more than 32,000 clients served by the A2H network, as well as completed questionnaires from nearly 24,000 A2H agencies."
November 11, 2001
Complete Report (PDF file - 618K, 289 pages)

Report of the 27th Session of the Committee on World Food Security
Rome, 28 May - 1 June 2001

List of Documents from the 27th Session - links to 16 documents

Food Insecurity and Public Assistance (U.S.)
Working Paper
George J. Borjas
May 2001
This paper examines the extent to which welfare programs reduce the probability that vulnerable household are food insecure, where food insecurity occurs when the household experiences food deprivation because of financial resource constraints.
(The above link takes you to the Working Paper abstract)
Complete Paper (PDF file - 150K, 54 pages)
Source : Joint Center for Poverty Research (JCPR)

From the The U.S Conference of Mayors (USCM) :

National Call to Action

Press Release
February 27, 2002
"Citizens from every state in the nation join America's Second Harvest to issue urgent call to action for more food for the hungry Recession, job loss send thousands more to food-relief agencies and supplies can't keep pace with demand."

A National Call to Action - links to : The Facts