The sad toll of the Covid crisis on food aid recipients

From one crisis to another.

While France is currently facing a historic surge in prices which is cutting into the purchasing power of households, in particular the most precarious, INSEE is releasing a new study on the impact of the Covid period for beneficiaries of the food aid.

Unsurprisingly, the organization notes that “

”.

With a particularly marked effect “

”.

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The study, conducted between November 15 and December 10, 2021, points out that at the end of last year, "

".

However, among the 4,500 questionnaires collected, only 10% consider that it was directly the health crisis that made them switch to food aid.

For the others, if they do not consider the Covid crisis as the main reason, they point out that this period has led to a drop in income (for 44% of those questioned), or an increase in expenses (50%).

However, the effects do not stop at the economic dimension alone.

Respondents also cite: the deterioration of mental (50%) and physical (31%) health.

But also more difficult access to food (30%) and healthcare (26%)

Students particularly affected

The endless queues of students waiting to get food aid marked public opinion during the confinements.

And for good reason, this population has been much more impacted by the health crisis.

83% of applicants explain that they turned to food aid after March 2020, the start date of the first confinement.

A quarter of them explain this approach directly because of the crisis.

This is more than double what is observed in the rest of the population receiving the benefit.

Read alsoRecourse to food aid jumped in France in 2020

According to INSEE, two factors explain this gap.

On the one hand, the impossibility of having a side job during the crisis (in the hotel and catering industry or private lessons, etc.) On the other hand, travel restrictions, which have prevented some from taking advantage of extra help (return to parents…) Foreigners, who are particularly sensitive, find themselves over-represented.

INSEE estimates that they represent 80% of beneficiaries.

Difficult to estimate the number of beneficiaries

This study also makes it possible to realize the variety of food aid systems and the heterogeneous profiles that benefit from them.

This may involve distributing meals directly on site.

Operation mainly used by men (77%), often alone, without children and who do not have personal accommodation (68%), or even no accommodation at all for almost a quarter of them (23%) .

Conversely, the distribution of parcels or packed lunches by associations mainly attracts women (72%), nearly 40% of whom raise one or more children alone.

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"

If the profiles are known, the exact number of beneficiaries remains a question mark.

Estimates range from simple to double.

INSEE gives a range “

”.

In question, the registrations with several associations which inflate the figures on the one hand, and the reluctance of certain households to declare recourse to food aid which on the contrary decreases them, on the other.

One thing is certain, the requests have increased.

A previous study by Insee and Drees, the statistics institute of the Ministry of Health, estimated that in the spring of 2020: the centers responsible for dispensing food aid indeed recorded an increase of 10.6% distributed volumes.