Background
Methods
Measurements
Study sample and data collection procedures
Research sites | Type of municipality | IMM | Number of interviews |
---|---|---|---|
México City | Urban: 100% | Very low | 70 |
Low | 8 | ||
Tamaulipas | Urban: 88.6% Semi-urban:11.4% | Very low | 39 |
Low | 5 | ||
State of Mexico | Urban: 59.6% Semi-urban: 40.4% | Very low | 21 |
Low | 8 | ||
Medium | 6 | ||
Very high and high | 12 | ||
Oaxaca | Urban: 90.7% Semi-urban: 9.3% | Very low | 16 |
Low | 26 | ||
Medium | 1 |
Data analysis
Dimension | Codes | Questions |
---|---|---|
Food Insecurity | Food access in the household | How difficult is it to get food in your neighborhood, town, or municipality? Where do you usually buy food? Why? |
Food consumption in the household: a) Food quality and quantity b) Variety of foods c) Portion size d) Skipping meals or not eating | Is the food you eat at home enough for the whole family? Have you ever had to buy less food or lower the quality of food? Why? What would it mean for you to have varied nutrition? Have you been able to maintain varied nutrition in your home? Why? Did you or any member of the household skip any of the meals that you are used to eat? Why did this happen? At any time, did you stop eating for a whole day? Why did this happen? | |
Concern about food scarcity | Have you been concerned about running out of groceries, and you won’t be able to buy more? How often does this happen? What do you think about it? |
Results
Sample - demographic characteristics
Level of Marginalization | Average age | % Gender | % Educational Level | Type of job |
---|---|---|---|---|
Very Low | 44 | Male: 47.3 Female: 52.7 | No Education: 2.7 Elementary: 11.6 Junior High School: 19.2 High School: 31.5 College: 23.3 Post-Graduate:11.7 | Tertiary sector: 72% Unpaid labor: 10% Secondary sector: 5% Informal work: 5% Retired: 5% Unemployment: 3% |
Low | 45.5 | Male: 53.2 Female: 46.8 | No Education: 14.9 Elementary: 14.9 Junior High School: 14.9 High School: 31.9 College: 21.3 Post-Graduate: 2.1 | Tertiary sector: 52% Secondary sector: 15% Unpaid work: 9% Informal work: 9% Unemployment: 9% Retired: 6% |
Medium | 43 | Male: 57.1 Female: 42.9 | No Education: 14.3 Elementary: 28.6 Junior High School: 14.3 High School: 28.6 College: 14.2 | Tertiary sector: 43% Informal work: 28% Unpaid work: 15% Retired: 14% |
Very High and High | 47 | Male: 41.7 Female: 58.3 | No Education: 8.3 Elementary: 33.3 Junior High School: 16.7 High School: 31.3 College: 10.4 | Tertiary sector: 66% Informal work: 25% Retired: 9% |
Food access and consumption
Very low levels of marginalization
“We prefer the tianguis because of their fresh products, besides, [it] ends up being a little bit cheaper…[tianguis] is better in terms of quality and price almost all the time… When there are sales of something in the supermarket we buy [in this venue], but at times…fruits are no tripe enough, even though [they are] cheaper. You end up throwing them away.” (31-year-old woman)“[We buy] in the tianguis because fruits and vegetables are fresher and cost less and are of higher quality. [We buy sometimes] in the supermarkets because sometimes buying a little bit of more quantity helps you in planning until the next quincena.” (40-year-old woman)
“Well yes, lately we’ve tried to increase food variety because before, well no, I believe that all these [factors] influence to be in good health. And now, when one is sick, now, one tries to eat better.” (51-year-old male)“Yes, thanks God, now we do plan for the week, what’s needed for [food] consumption over the week.” (45-year-old woman)“Mh well […] sometimes it’s like this, because at times it’s not enough now. Yes, the money, but lately, we’ve prevented this [shortage]. Well, thanks God we are better established, that is, better programmed on what needs to be purchased in the weekends for the rest of the week. Afterwards, we buy [food] as needed.” (56-year-old male)
Low levels of marginalization
“No difficult, it is not difficult, because there is food everywhere, the problem one has is no money, that’s the problem.” (43-year-old male).“Well, to save [you buy] in the supermarkets […] one only visits the [convenient] store only because you are in a hurry. In big establishments [supermarkets], we don’t save much but we can buy more things.” (40-year-old woman).
“Yes, we always plan for all of us to eat. Something our parents have taught us, our grandparents, is that always all [family members] need to eat and the parents are the last ones to be fed, right? Parents sacrifice themselves for their children. But well, we are not expecting to sacrifice ourselves. We hope that all [family members] are satisfied.” (55-year-old male)
“Sometimes we look for the cheapest food, to make ends meet.” (35-year-old woman)“Well yes, because there is sometimes well…if we don’t have enough, we must figure it out…if I’m going to [usually] eat two or three tortillas, well, I only eat one [tortilla] so there are enough [tortillas] left for my children.” (39-year-old woman)“We don’t have enough to buy everything at once […] if you buy chicken, then you don’t buy milk. If you buy milk, you don’t buy, well, fruits, or buy fruits and no milk […] I mean there is always something lacking.” (37-year-old woman).
Medium levels of marginalization
“I believe that right now, no, it’s not difficult to get food…the difficulty is to have the economic resources to be able to…well, to obtain it. And well, I believe that this is the most difficult.” (45-year-old male).In this category, tianguis, convenient stores, and supermarkets comprise places where interviewees purchase food, setting as main criteria for food selection: price, quality, and variety.“At different stands of the tianguis, for example, at the butchery that we have here, the fruit store. Also, there is Lores (a self-service store). We also go to Tuxtepec, to the big stands that they have. Sometimes we take advantage of going to Tuxtepec, and just get there, and calculate where food is a little cheaper.” (60-year-old male).“The other advantage that we have is that we live only ten minutes away from the city of Huajuapan de León. There, one can find practically everything.” (40-year-old woman).Regarding food consumption, 85% of surveyed individuals indicate that no family member has gone a day without eating food. However, the same interviewees must skip one of the three meals of the day in addition to reducing food quantity and quality. These participants must prioritize the payment of other expenses in the household (such as the imbursement of utilities) to make ends meet all the way to the quincena’s end. Other expenditures take prominence in the household’s budget. Consequently, resources allocated for food consumption and purchases of high-quality food are reduced:“Mh no, thanks God, at least beans, we’ve had food to be able to eat the three meals of the day.” (30-year-old male)“Here sincerely well […] for lack of employment […] sometimes we’ve not had enough economic liquidity [financial stability] to be able to eat three times a day. But my daughters do, I try my best so they can always have three meals per day. At least we always eat beans and eggs.” (42-year-old woman)
Very high and high levels of marginalization
Interviewees at very high and high levels of marginalization live in the most vulnerable contexts. Even though these areas are considered semi-urban localities, they are still located at a far distance from urban centers. Among participants under this category, food accessibility issues are present. The long commute from homes to urban centers creates a natural barrier to access food. Experiencing issues with transportation also enlarges the distance and increases the time to gain accessibility. Issues with transportation—such as not owning a vehicle or having to take several rides to reach the closest urban center—impose a serious inconvenience to approach centers of food distribution. In this case, participants strive to find areas/neighborhoods where food stores offer variety, higher quality, and lower prices:“In Santa Fe, the municipal head, this is where I purchase, every Sunday holds a market. And, well, there are some who purchase two weeks of food supplies, but it depends on one’s budget, also. But to go to Santa Fe, you must also pay the bus fare or find someone to give you a ride, and one only pays gasoline expenses. The trip lasts almost an hour” (31-year-old male).“… When we go to Ixtlahuaca, days before we put some coins aside …for example, the [cooking] oil is a little bit cheaper in Supercompras [convenient store] or Soriana [supermarket].” (57-year-old male).
“To be able to feed ourselves with a variety of foods, unfortunately sometimes, one cannot [do so] for the low salary or the high prices of the basic consumption basket. You go and purchase something from the store and spend 100 [Mexican pesos], 200 [Mexican pesos], one does not earn [those monies] in one day.” (41-year-old male).“[…] If there is no money, sometimes only for example you buy, what can I tell you? potatoes and there will be no meat, and there are […] no other things, the cheese, the milk, or something like this. And well, it’s like this under these conditions.” (47-year-old woman).
“Above all, at the end of the payday, there is not much money, well like I was telling you at the beginning, we must look for substitutes or look for less expensive food.” (32-year-old woman).“It happened at some moment that I was laid off. I was very sad but, did not last long… [During that time,] [w]e stopped having dinners to economize [reduce cost].” (35-year-old woman).
Concern about Food Scarcity
Very low levels of marginalization
“It’s a little of a difficult situation to set limits and limits more on what relates to food or to stop doing other things to be able to eat […] First and foremost is food, but at times, other factors gain [prominence] and you must stop doing something to cover [these expenses], taking a toll on nourishment.” (56-year-old woman)
“Now, well, when one is working you don’t feel it, because to say something, we get a good job in two or three weeks and there we must move forward while another good job drops on us.” (60-year-old male)“Oh, true that! Because sometimes one says: damned! The money is gone, and I am in need [of food] and the pantry is empty, and I don’t have [money].” (42-year-old woman)
Low levels of marginalization
“Well yes, yes, yes, really, I’ve worried about food. I mean about food supplies, because well, one can handle everything little by little, but well […] my children.” (34-year-old woman)
“Obviously, I’m the head of the household and I’ve felt sick and have not had the chance to work, so they deduct from my salary the days that I don’t work (53-year-old male)“At the end of the quincena, [there] is not enough [money] to purchase meat or chicken sometimes, one needs to eat more plain things.” (29-year-old woman)“Yes, well there are things that we cannot buy, for instance, canned tuna or things like that are more expensive. For example, I buy cheddar cheese or double cream cheese, but cheaper, but they would like to have gouda cheese, but this one is more expensive. Well, one would like to have turkey breast, but it costs more, and there are some [turkey breasts] that are very cheap, but don’t taste good […] So, there are things that we cannot buy.” (41-year-old male)
Medium levels of marginalization
“Yes, we’ve been worried because when we’ve nothing in the pantry and there are still days left before the pay day[…] That, generates a lot of concern.” (57-year-old woman)“When one has money all the month’s pantry is purchased—the non-perishable food staples—and then, one only buys perishable items daily.” (67-year-old male)
Very high and high levels of marginalization
“Well […] no, it feels really bad, isn’t? One gets desperate, you can say at the beginning, if someone gives us a taco or something like that, one says: well no, I don’t want to be in that situation—well, it does feel ugly, one reacts and says: well, work hard, hustle it!—and there is no way out but that’s it! Thanks God! here we go, our economy began to improve.” (65-year-old woman)
“Feeding has always been my priority […] then, I believe that, well, is the last item that I would cut back from the budget even though everything is more and more expensive overtime.” (50-year-old male)“Ungracefully, the farmer is no longer harvesting the land […] and it’s going to be a fucking moment when we will have no food. And even, if we have the fucking money to buy food, there is not going to be food.” (31-year-old male)