In France, 8.8 million people live below the poverty line, and nearly 4.7 million citizens relied on food aid distributed by Les Restos du cœur, the Red Cross, or one of the 5,400 associations and CCAS that source from Food Banks in 2018. On the occasion of their 35th anniversary, the Food Banks, the leading network nationwide, revealed a study on Wednesday about the profiles of their beneficiaries.
In 2018, more than 226 million meals were served to 2 million people by the partner associations of the Food Banks. Supermarkets represent nearly half of the sources of supply.
Women remain the main beneficiaries of food aid
The average age of the beneficiaries is 47 years, and the majority are isolated individuals. Specifically, 5% are under 25 years old, 55% are between 26 and 50 years, and 40% are over 50 years. Women remain the most affected by food insecurity and thus represent 69% of the beneficiaries.
Other faces of poverty in France include single-parent families, 85% of which are led by women, representing one-third of the beneficiaries. Precarity also does not spare the elderly, particularly women in rural areas receiving small pensions. In 2018, the category of retirees gained three points compared to the previous survey.
83% of beneficiaries are unemployed
For the first time in four years, the proportion of beneficiaries with a job has decreased, while that of the inactive has increased. Two years ago, the phenomenon of working poor seeking food aid concerned 23% of the beneficiaries, compared to 14% in 2018, according to the study. The study thus highlights that 83% of beneficiaries are unemployed, a third are jobless, 15% are retirees, 13% have disabilities or are sick, and 6% are undocumented or asylum seekers.
Moreover, reliance on the assistance of food banks is becoming more frequent, and the period of need is extending, with 52% of the beneficiaries having been coming for more than a year. For more than half of them, this assistance is also weekly.
