International survey

Research objectives

Food aid is becoming increasingly important throughout Europe to help people in need. The COVID-19 crisis has intensified this development. The crisis affects the society as a whole as well as individuals: Way beyond the public health crisis, many people are also affected economically and socially. Furthermore, the ways in which support of people in need is provided faces new challenges. Food aid organisations/ food distribution points are at the forefront of this development. This survey wants to make the situation visible. It aims to gather information on food aid in different European countries. The questions relate, on the one hand, to the period before the COVID-19 crisis and, on the other hand, to changes due to the COVID-19 crisis.

The survey is the first international survey on food aid in Europe and will not only shed light on the current situation during the COVID-19 crisis, but also onto food aid in Europe in general. It has been developed through an international collaboration between researchers from different universities, research centres and NGO’s within Europe and is coordinated by the University of Antwerp (Belgium) and the TU Dortmund University (Germany). The survey will run in Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal and Spain.

Food aid in Europe in times of the COVID-19 crisis – An international research collaboration