Subproject 1

Precarization and (un)secure food itineraries in later life

Further information about Eating Matters’ Subproject 1: “Precarization and (un)secure food itineraries in later life” developed by Universitat Rovira i Virgili here.  

Subproject 2

Environmental risks and dietary uncertainties in later life

This subproject, developed by Universitat de Barcelona, will examine those aspects of food itineraries that condition and/or determine whether the diet of older people is more or less healthy and environmentally sustainable, taking into account their diversity in terms of gender, social class, family structure and place of residence (rural/urban).

The sustainability of diets, according to the 2030 Agenda SDGs, goes beyond ensuring the nutritional or biological safety of food, requiring that economic and socio-cultural aspects of food are improved in order to bring about a new food transition. In this regard, the aim is to analyse food practices that put the health of the elderly at risk when they don’t have access to safe food, in harmless conditions both nutritionally and environmentally.

The project will also explore whether the absence of establishments with a diversity of affordable and healthy food in the living environment of the elderly increases these forms of food insecurity. Similarly, the aim is to analyse how the food risk and the uncertainties of the exposure to persistent toxic substances are perceived, to the extent that the elderly are more vulnerable to possible harmful effects, compromising their chances to grow old in a healthy way. It will also examine social initiatives of citizen participation that promote healthier and more sustainable food practices, as well as alternative proposals to achieve food security alongside or independently of the agribusiness models. It will also compare how laypersons and experts perceive nutritional and environmental risks and uncertainties, looking at factors such as trust/distrust, attitudes towards and familiarity with food systems, while also exploring different forms of communicating and educating about food risks.