Based on the survey results, it is estimated that 4.1 million people out of 7.1 million (57%) in the English-speaking Caribbean are food insecure. This is a dramatic increase of 1.3 million since February 2022.

Food consumption and diets have deteriorated, with 72% of respondents skipping meals/eating less, eating less preferred foods, or going an entire day without eating in the week leading up to the survey. Among the most impacted groups are Spanish- speakers (largely migrants) living in Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and Belize.

More respondents than ever (97%) are reporting higher than usual food prices. Respondents also observed significant changes in the costs of gas (64%), other fuels (52%), transport
(42%) and housing (40%).

People are increasingly buying less healthy and diversified foods. Nearly a third of respondents reported having no food stocks at home.

The COVID-19 pandemic, now coupled with the cost of living crisis, continues to impact people’s livelihoods. More than half of respondents have faced job loss or reduced income in their households, with little change from February 2022. A similar number experienced disruption to their livelihoods in the two weeks prior to the survey, mainly due to the unaffordability of livelihood inputs.

Respondents are compromising their future livelihoods by selling productive assets (43%) or spending savings (83%) to meet their food needs. Two-thirds of respondents predict at least moderate impacts to their livelihoods in the future.

The survey inquired on people’s main worries. For the first time in five surveys over two years, inability to meet food needs is the top concern (48%), followed by meeting essential needs (48%) and unemployment (36%). Compared to previous survey rounds, fear of illness and movement restrictions have shifted to more minor preoccupations.

Half of respondents reported challenges accessing markets in the week prior to the survey, which also represents the greatest deterioration since April 2020. Lack of financial means continues to be overwhelmingly reported as the main reason for limited market access, cited by 91% of those unable to access markets.

One in five respondents have received some form of government support. Cash transfers, income support and social security were most common and more widely reported compared to February 2022. However, very few (2%) were receiving assistance at the time of the survey.

The new challenges unleashed by the cost of living crisis will mirror much of those encountered in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Governments can reinvigorate their current efforts and engage in new solutions to address the needs of those living in poverty and facing vulnerability.

While the survey contributes to a better overview of impacts of the compound crisis, the data is not representative, and the use of an online questionnaire limits inputs from people without
internet connectivity.