Food Insecurity

[MaryN]

One of the main concerns for Preppers, it would seem, is to ensure that they have a supply of food sufficient to last them for whatever period they have deemed to be problematic.

With over 800 million people on the globe suffering from food insecurity, I just wonder what level of difficulty in obtaining food you would consider sufficient to describe you personally as being in a state of food insecurity.
Would that be if you were not able to afford/obtain, say, fresh fruit and vegetables in the quantities you would normally buy? Or perhaps you could not afford to buy chocolate or beer?

I realise that comparing the food needs of people in the UK with those of people in the more deprived parts of the world is not practical - we are obviously used to a far higher standard of living. But what would you consider to be food insecurity in your lifestyle? Would you consider a sudden drop in your standards of living a prepping emergency, and are you "prepared"?

[Scythe13]

Interesting question.

For me, the term food-insecurity would have to mean not being able to remove that hungry feeling everyday.

Granted I do like to go to bed hungry now and again, because it's healthy. However, if I had no choice in the matter, that would be food insecurity.

As for difficulty of obtaining food, I'd probably have to go along the lines of when I had to supplement what I had grown with what nature provided. I don't mean those mushrooms you pick up when you're out walking the dogs, or that handful of greens for the salad. I mean actually needing to go out and get that food, otherwise we would be doing hungry.

We have the problem of feeding the dogs too. So I guess when the cost of our household food was beyond our means to cope.

A 40% increase would be bare able, but it wouldn't be fun.

[Sunna]

a uk full of hungury folk, who are not used to going without , trouble.

[Tarrel]

For me, in the short term, it's about having enough calories to maintain an adequate work level (which may be higher post-SHTF than now). Longer term it's about having a balance of nutrients to maintain health and a decent immune system; protein for muscle repair, carbohydrates for energy, vitamins, micro nutrients and electrolytes. A "paleo" type diet of meat and plenty of veg should sort it. Everything else is just luxury. (Although I'd miss coffee if I didn't have it!)

[Straight Shooter]

As Sunna said there are lots of people going hungury right NOW .....food banks are on the increase why? Because more people are in need . My plan is to grow my own......but even then I could go hungury, root veg clamps is a good skill to know, other food ......chickhens......and shorly some pigs and goats...eggs,milk,cheese,butter and meat......good post mary, this is where this site and members can get the best advice on the TRUE survival skills.........more posts like this Mary.

[River Song]

when they run out of Harvey's Bristol Cream - I'll switch the Valium

[CharlesHarris]

My neighbor has had very good success with free ranging guinea fowl. They are a great intrusion alarm, eat ticks by the thousands, are good layers, and their meat is excellent. They are much less trouble than chickens and seem much less bothered by predators. Best for me is that I barter one round of reloaded hunting ammunition for his deer rifle for a fresh egg!

[Mortblanc]

One round should get you at least a dozen eggs CH !!!

It is like saying that one deer is worth one egg.

An egg is two bites and the deer is food for the family for a week.

Eggs are a renewable resource and primers, powder....not so much.

I like guinea fowl but I must say that my chickens are no real trouble. People tend to pamper their chickens too much. They are only one step away from a wild jungle fowl and will do fine with much less than most hobby farmers give them. The chickens my grandparents raised never got moved in a tractor to fresh grass every day, medicine dabbed on every scrape and retirement guaranteed after they stopped laying!

As for "food insecurity", I do not reach that point until I have consumed the preps and am standing in a trashed field looking at a failed harvest, all the chickens died, the lake has gone dry, all the game is shot out and the geese and ducks have stopped flying.

[bigpaul]

this country has not known food insecurity for nearly 70 years, people in this country do not know the meaning of going hungry.

[T-oddity]

Can't agree more bp, I got involved in a local community gardening project in lets just say less well off part of the town, for people to grow their own veg at no initial cost; land, water and seed and even some tools provided free, how many have turned up to put in some effort to provide for themselves, "one", says it all really