Bringing food to the table

In terms of demographic factors:

• Half of respondents (50%) were in some form of employment;
• Over one-quarter (28%) of respondents lived in households with children;
• One-third of respondents (33%) were aged 45 to 59 years, while 6% were below the age of 25 years.

With regard to purchasing food:

• Almost two-thirds of respondents (65%) regularly purchased groceries at in-town superstores or large supermarkets;
• Over one-quarter of respondents (28%) regularly used local/corner shops to buy groceries;
• Over half of respondents (53%) travelled to stores using their own car, while 20% walked.

Food insecurity over the previous 12 months:

• Almost half of respondents (45%) had worried about food running out before there was money to buy more;
• More than one-third of respondents (37%) had cut down on the size of meals, or skipped meals altogether because they did not have enough money for food;
• More than one-fifth of respondents (21%) had gone for a whole day without eating because they did not have enough money for food.
• Food insecurity for those in employment: 

2,388 respondents provided information on their employment status with 45% in full-time or parttime employment:

• 40% respondents in employment had worried about food running out before there was money to buy more;
• More than one-third of respondents in employment (35%) couldn’t afford to eat balanced meals;
• Over one-quarter of respondents in employment (29%) had cut down the size of meals, or skipped meals, because there wasn’t enough money for food they needed.