Food Insecurity Experienced in Asia Pacific During Pandemic

68% of those who have faced food insecurity dealt with it for the first time

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 29 April 2021 – Almost 7 in 10 Asia Pacific consumers who
have faced “food insecurity” at some point in their lives experienced it for
the first time in recent months, according to new research. Food insecurity is
defined as the lack of available financial resources for food at the household
level, and has been exacerbated by the
COVID-19 pandemic.

 

The research delved into family nutrition trends during the pandemic and
was conducted by OnePoll, on behalf of Herbalife Nutrition and Feed the
Children, among 2,500 consumers in five Asia Pacific markets, including Hong
Kong, Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam.

 

“We see that food insecurity has impacted parents more during the
pandemic because they lacked safe options to get fresh and healthy foods, and had
not enough money to buy the food needed. Many parents were also worried about the
pandemic’s lasting health impact on their children,” said Stephen Conchie,
Senior Vice President and Managing Director, Herbalife Nutrition Asia Pacific.

 

“Since food insecurity and poor nutrition are associated with several
chronic illnesses, there is an urgent need to provide families and children with safe and
affordable meal alternatives to allay concerns about food insecurity in the
longer term. With this goal
in mind, Herbalife Nutrition’s Nutrition for Zero Hunger initiative is just one
of the ways we collaborate with non-profit organizations and share resources to
bring about that vital change,” he
added. 

 

Shifts in Food Purchasing Behaviors

With 68 percent of Asia Pacific consumers who faced food security
concerns experiencing it for the first time in during the pandemic, close to half
(52%) of Asia Pacific consumers also started purchasing less
expensive foods. Respondents shared that they also started shopping at
different, less expensive stores (40%), skipped meals (34%), and received food
assistance from a food bank or a local community center (32%).

 

Parents Struggle in Maintaining Healthy, Balanced Diet

While the top food and nutrition issue among all respondents was the
inability to eat a balanced diet during the pandemic (34%), there were
significant differences reported between respondents who were parents compared
to non-parents, including:-

• Lack of access to fruits and veggies (40% for
  parents vs. 24% for non-parents)
• Lack of safe options to get food (39% for parents vs.
  26% for non-parents)
• Not enough money to purchase the food we needed (33%
  for parents vs. 22% for non-parents)

Parents Display Concern about Lasting
Health Impacts

Nine in 10 Asia Pacific parents (90%) surveyed worry that their child
will have lasting health effects as a result of food insecurity during the
pandemic. Since most children (70%) are currently doing online learning from
home, 63% of parents surveyed worry that they are not getting all the nutrients
they need because of the disrupted access to school meals. As such, the majority
(73%) have been making lunch for their children either at lunchtime or before
leaving for the day.

 

To ensure children can maintain a balanced diet during the pandemic,
about half of the parents (55%) said that the government should promote
flexible working hours for parents to ensure their kids are eating well. Other
popular solutions are for schools to provide easy, healthy meal recipes for
parents to use (43%) and relying on food delivery to increase healthy food
options (31%).