ABOUT THIS BOOK

An examination of food poverty in austerity-era Europe.

Food is fundamental, yet food poverty has increased in the Global North. Adopting a comparative case approach, Food and Families in Hard Times addresses the global problem of economic retrenchment and the burden it places on the most vulnerable. This timely book examines food poverty in the United Kingdom, Portugal, and Norway following the 2008 financial crisis, examining the resources available to families in relation to the intersection of public policies, local institutions, and kinship networks. The book explores the ways that low income impacts household food provisioning, formal and informal support for struggling families, the provision and role of school meals, and constraints upon families’ social participation. Drawing upon extensive and intensive knowledge on the conditions and experiences of low-income families, the book also draws upon current research in European social science literature to shed light on the causes and consequences of food poverty in austerity-era Europe.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Rebecca O’Connell is a reader in the sociology of food and families in the Institute of Education at University College London. Her books include Food, Families and Work, Living Hand to Mouth, and What is Food? Julia Brannen is professor emerita of sociology of the family in the Institute of Education at University College London, and a fellow of the Academy of Social Science. Her latest book is Social Research Matters.

REVIEWS

‘Original, rigorous, empathic. This is a ground-breaking contribution to transnational food and social policy research, which gives voice to the lived experiences of children and low-income mothers unable to feed their families. Containing moving testimony, this book is essential reading for changing public policy to the progressive realisation of the right to food for all, even in Norway.’ – Graham Riches, University of British Columbia

‘Using the lens of food insecurity, this sensitive, fine-grained, cross-national and multi-tiered study offers important insights into poverty as experienced by children and mothers. It represents a valuable contribution to the academic literature but should also be read by politicians, policy-makers and practitioners.’ – Ruth Lister, Loughborough University

TABLE OF CONTENTS

List of figures List of tables Acknowledgements
Introduction
Part 1: Setting the scene 1.The national contexts: the UK, Portugal and Norway 2.Research questions and concepts 3.The study 4.Which types of households are at risk of food poverty?
Part 2: Households as resource units 5.Three unemployed lone mother families 6.Three dual earner families 7.Three undocumented migrant families
Part 3: The social dimensions of food poverty 8. Exclusion from sociability and social relationships
Part 4: Formal and informal support 9.Charity, family and friends 10. Children’s experiences of school meals 11. Conclusions and reflections
References Index