Health Systems and Population Studies Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Fragments Magazine, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
BMJ Open. 2023 Aug 1;13(8):e067652. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-067652.
Our study explored the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the food environment from the perspective of the urban poor and food vendors.
This was a qualitative study conducted during September 2020 and February 2021.
The study was carried out in two purposively selected informal settlements of Dhaka City, Bangladesh.
We conducted 21 in-depth interviews with residents of informal settlements and 10 key informant interviews with food vendors and food aid workers.
The availability of staple foods was not disrupted during the pandemic but some perishables foods became more expensive due to supply chain disruptions and increased transportation costs. Limited market hours affected market access and mobility restrictions adversely affected local vendors. Cart vendors selling perishables incurred business losses they could ill afford. Demand for food reduced as employment disruption lead to reduced purchasing power and, therefore, reduction of quantity, quality and desirability of foods purchased. Respondents reported skipping meals and going hungry. The aid received was considered inadequate to meet needs.
The food environment of the urban poor was disrupted from both supply and demand sides and the organisational response (both government and non-government) was severely inadequate. The social safety net needs to be extended and redesigned to ensure food security and health for the urban working poor in the future.
本研究从城市贫困者和食品摊贩的角度探讨了 COVID-19 大流行对食品环境的影响。
这是一项在 2020 年 9 月至 2021 年 2 月期间进行的定性研究。
本研究在孟加拉国达卡市的两个有针对性选择的非正规住区进行。
我们对非正规住区的居民进行了 21 次深入访谈，并对食品摊贩和食品援助工作者进行了 10 次重点 informant 访谈。
大流行期间主食的供应并未中断，但由于供应链中断和运输成本增加，一些易腐食品变得更加昂贵。有限的市场时间影响了市场准入，流动限制对当地摊贩产生了不利影响。销售易腐食品的手推车摊贩遭受了他们难以承受的业务损失。由于就业中断导致购买力下降，因此购买的食品数量、质量和吸引力下降，导致对食品的需求减少。受访者报告说他们会不吃饭或挨饿。收到的援助被认为不足以满足需求。
城市贫困人口的食品环境受到供应和需求两方面的干扰，组织的反应（政府和非政府）严重不足。社会安全网需要扩大和重新设计，以确保未来城市贫困劳动者的食品安全和健康。
