13.3% of households in Spain, which is equivalent to more than 6.2 million people, experience food insecurity. Which means, according to the United Nations definition, “that they lack regular access to sufficient safe and nutritious food for normal growth and development and for leading an active and healthy life. This can be due to a lack of food availability and/or a lack of resources to obtain them.”
The data, which is part of the II Ecosocial Report on Quality of Life in Spain, prepared by Fuhem, reflects the difficulties of access to adequate food that affect a significant part of the population. The situation, they comment, also occurs in a context in which at least one third of the Spanish population does not follow healthy eating guidelines, despite the strong cultural tradition associated with the Mediterranean diet.
The study analyzes the relationship between the food system, the agricultural production model, and the social conditions that affect the well-being of the population and identifies youth as the most vulnerable social group in relation to problems linked to food.
Structural crisis of the agrarian system
The authors point out that the Spanish agrarian system is going through a structural crisis marked by the progressive disappearance of family farms in favor of companies and corporations. In the last three decades, they add, the sector has lost almost 50% of its employed, while 40% of farm holders are over 65 years old, which evidences a serious problem of generational replacement.
In addition, a minority of companies concentrates 42% of the value of agricultural production and receives 37.43% of the aid from the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). At the same time, intermediate costs absorb almost half of agricultural income, which hinders the viability of many farms, explain the experts from Fuhem.
Environmental and public health impact of the productive model
The report also warns of the environmental impacts associated with the current agricultural model. Among them, they highlight “the overexploitation of aquifers, soil degradation and contamination by pesticides and fertilizers”. To which they add “the externalization of environmental impacts towards other countries to import feed, which implies deforestation processes and a high consumption of water resources”.
The study estimates that “the agricultural sector consumes up to 80% of the water extracted and generates 12% of national greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Furthermore, more than half of the emissions associated with Spanish food consumption occur in third countries.”
In addition, “net imports of cultivated land exceed 6 million hectares, while one third of the irrigation water consumed comes from imports of unsustainable origin”, they highlight.
The analysis also gathers the impact of the food system on public health. In foods sold in Spain, more than 100 pesticides have been detected, of which 59 are hormone disruptors and 32 are pesticides not authorized in the European Union.
Furthermore, 30% of the surface water monitoring stations exceed the legal limits for pesticides, while the maximum residue limits (MRL) do not consider the possible combined effect between different residues.
Social inequalities and food
In parallel, Spain ranks as the third European country with the highest prevalence of overweight and the fourth in obesity. In the case of the child population, the obesity rate reaches 29%, which is double the European average.
The report by Fuhem highlights that social inequalities influence dietary habits. Despite there being a cultural basis favorable to the Mediterranean diet, at least one third of the Spanish population does not follow healthy eating patterns.
Likewise, a significant gender inequality persists in tasks related to food, such as shopping and food preparation, although slight advances in co-responsibility are observed.