The Food Poverty in Italy: A Qualitative Focus on the Caritas Centres in Tuscany

Despite the reduction of hunger on an international scale, particularly in areas traditionally characterized by malnutrition, recent years have seen an increase in problems relating to food access precisely in those countries which considered themselves immune from such problems.

During and after the pandemic, Italy recorded a considerable increase in people and families who requested food aid. The “point of view” of Caritas (people who use food aid services provided by the territorial Catholic Church structures) highlights this increase well, remarking a 13% growth in food aid interventions. This speech presents reflections on the theme of malnutrition based on studies conducted in Tuscany, aiming to produce a new cognitive framework that would give voice to the users of Caritas food support services and focusing on three areas of analysis: the main characteristics of food poverty; the impact of the pandemic emergency and the consequences on families with children; the role of the food support services system of Caritas.