Culture And Media
Italy: Over 3 million people live under 'food poverty' line says report
Rome, 8 October (AKI) - Three and a half million people - 4.4 percent of the Italian population - are living below the 'food poverty' line, a report by two non-governmental organisations said in a report presented at Rome's town hall on Thursday.
The report considers a family of two in Italy to be living in "food poverty" if their monthly expenditure on food and drink items is under 222.29 euros per month.
The report was prepared by Fondazione Banco Alimentare Onlus, a non-profit food bank, and the Foundation for Subsidiarity. The report surveyed more than 1.5 million people that use the food bank.
Over 80 percent of the poor is made up of blue-collar workers, most of them unemployed. Well off families spend 370 euros more per month in food and drink expenditure than poor ones, the report found.
A well-off family will spend 525 euros per month, compared to 155 euros for poor ones.
Italy's typical pauper is unemployed, with a diploma, a large family and from the south of the country, according to the report. It said at least 10.3 percent of couples with three or more children live under the food poverty line.
Low-income groups who find it difficult to achieve a balanced healthy diet, are often referred to as experiencing 'food poverty' or 'food insecurity'.
"Our data show that food poverty in Italy is not a media invention, but an imposing phenomenon, a bitter reality that thousands of families experience daily," said Giancarlo Rovati, a sociologist at Milan's Catholic University, quoted by Italian daily La Repubblica.
"At least 2.3 million people in this country receive some sort of food aid, above all, by private corporations, but this does not solve the problem," Rovati added.
The biggest cause of poverty and thus food poverty is unemployment, with 59 percent. Health and disability accounts for 30 percent of paupers and the death of a family member, for 15 percent, the report said.
The problem is bound to get worse, especially given Italy's the rising unemployment rate. This is predicted to reach 9.1 percent this year and 10.5 percent in 2010, according to the International Monetary Fund.
The report considers a family of two in Italy to be living in "food poverty" if their monthly expenditure on food and drink items is under 222.29 euros per month.
The report was prepared by Fondazione Banco Alimentare Onlus, a non-profit food bank, and the Foundation for Subsidiarity. The report surveyed more than 1.5 million people that use the food bank.
Over 80 percent of the poor is made up of blue-collar workers, most of them unemployed. Well off families spend 370 euros more per month in food and drink expenditure than poor ones, the report found.
A well-off family will spend 525 euros per month, compared to 155 euros for poor ones.
Italy's typical pauper is unemployed, with a diploma, a large family and from the south of the country, according to the report. It said at least 10.3 percent of couples with three or more children live under the food poverty line.
Low-income groups who find it difficult to achieve a balanced healthy diet, are often referred to as experiencing 'food poverty' or 'food insecurity'.
"Our data show that food poverty in Italy is not a media invention, but an imposing phenomenon, a bitter reality that thousands of families experience daily," said Giancarlo Rovati, a sociologist at Milan's Catholic University, quoted by Italian daily La Repubblica.
"At least 2.3 million people in this country receive some sort of food aid, above all, by private corporations, but this does not solve the problem," Rovati added.
The biggest cause of poverty and thus food poverty is unemployment, with 59 percent. Health and disability accounts for 30 percent of paupers and the death of a family member, for 15 percent, the report said.
The problem is bound to get worse, especially given Italy's the rising unemployment rate. This is predicted to reach 9.1 percent this year and 10.5 percent in 2010, according to the International Monetary Fund.
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