Needs for food security from the standpoint of Canadian households participating and not participating in community food programmes

In a context where food assistance continues to dominate talks on food security, this study was undertaken to refocus the debate on households' needs. Our objective was to examine the food security experience and needs of food-insecure households from the standpoint of those participating in community programmes for food security as well as those not doing so. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 55 food-insecure households in Quebec City, Canada. Transcriptions were subjected to content analysis. The results revealed distinct food insecurity situations. The interviewees' accounts show that households participating in community food security programmes and non-participating households did not have the same profile of food insecurity risks and capacity to cope with those risks. Nevertheless, three main categories of needs emerged from all the households: needs specific to food security (particularly good quality diet), needs regarding the conditions necessary for achieving food security (especially financial access to food) and related needs. Food insecurity was seen as involving a cluster of problems. The results reinforce the necessity for responses that are not uniform but rather situation-specific. Clearly, households are demanding more than food for survival: they need a set of conditions that will ensure them regular and sustainable access to a good quality diet.