Challenges to Household Food Security – Experiences from European Union Countries

Household food security in a self-sufficient and highly developed regions such as the European Union is a rare topic in the scientific literature. Recent crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and food market disruptions, have reignited discussions on food security in the EU. Therefore, the aim of this article was to review the latest available publications on household food security in the EU and to explore the challenges and issues that contribute to the persistence of household food insecurity in EU countries. The review was carried out using the PRISMA methodology and includes articles from the last 20 years. The results suggest under European conditions, lack of food security means that people affected by this problem cannot afford food of sufficient quality and quantity to stay healthy and participate in society. The review of existing literature confirmed the importance of education, gender, age, marital status, household composition and location, country-specific heterogeneity, employment status and income in preventing food insecurity in EU countries. The problem of food insecurity particularly affects women, unmarried individuals, less educated individuals, less skilled workers and lower income families, and is strongly linked to mental health.