The Dynamics of Household Food Insecurity in Turkey

Fundamental needs such as adequate food, clothing, and shelter are the foundation of social well-being. With the increasing world population, the number of undernourished people is also gradually increasing. This situation triggers increased concern that groups with different socioeconomic characteristics in developing countries will not have sufficient access to the food necessary for a healthy life. Consequently, the food insecurity issue has become a global topic of interest. Identifying the determinants of household food insecurity is important to develop policies to eliminate or reduce the significant inequalities in households' access to food. This study seeks to identify the dynamics of households' food insecurity in Turkey through Income and Living Conditions Longitudinal Microdata applying the random effects logit model. We found that as education level, health status, and income increase, the likelihood of food insecurity significantly decreases. The probability of food insecurity for males is 4% higher than for females. Education and income are the most influential variables of food insecurity. We also measured the average increase in food insecurity over the years compared to the reference year of 2014. Food insecurity has increased by more than 1.5 over the years in Turkey.