Food Security Through the COVID-19 Crisis and Beyond – Poland: A Case Study

Applying mitigation measures during the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in ‘locking down’ of economies, and disrupted agri-food markets worldwide. Income losses and food price increases negatively affected food security. The ‘stay-at-home’ policy led some households towards a positive shift in eating habits and maintaining these changes could contribute to better nutrition. The Russia–Ukraine war and soaring energy and food prices contributes further to the pressure on the global food system and urgency to consider longer term resilience capacities of national food systems.

Purpose of the Chapter

The aim of the chapter is to identify and review food security challenges that governments and societies have faced during the COVID-19 crisis and beyond, with specific emphasis on Poland.

Methodology

The methodological approach was to undertake a narrative literature review and to analyse a number of indicators relating to food security at the national level. These were quantified using data from Economist Impact, the World Bank, the European Commission, FAOSTAT and Statistics Poland.

Findings

The 2019–2022 Global Food Security Index for Poland remained quite stable, but the number of food insecure people increased significantly. Hence, urgent government measures are needed to ensure food security for all. Since 2021, high food inflation has reduced food affordability and is expected to remain high due to the Russia-Ukraine war, market pressures on energy prices and climate-related weather conditions. Greater food self-sufficiency in Poland is a key strategy to build up the resilience of the national food system.

Keywords

Citation

Kowalska, A., Lingham, S., Maye, D. and Manning, L. (2023), "Food Security Through the COVID-19 Crisis and Beyond – Poland: A Case Study", Bukalska, E., Kijek, T. and Sergi, B.S. (Ed.) Modeling Economic Growth in Contemporary Poland (Entrepreneurship and Global Economic Growth), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 89-108. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83753-654-220231006

Publisher

Emerald Publishing Limited