The problem of “social exclusion” and the efficiency of food consumption: theoretical and methodological aspects

Abstract

Abstract. In the context of a steadily changing macroeconomic and geopolitical situation and the formation of a new social reality, the issues of the efficiency of food supply and consumption are coming to the fore in the policy of any state. In this regard, the object of this study is to analyze and evaluate the phenomenon of social exclusion in food consumption and its role in the development of the food supply system for the population of our country in the context of macroeconomic instability and turbulence. The objectives of the study are: to identify the most important reasons that cause the persistence of the phenomenon of social exclusion in the field of food consumption in modern Russian society; assessment of the main factors and possible consequences of social exclusion in the socio-economic development of the country; analysis of the relationship between social exclusion, the efficiency of food consumption and the level of poverty in the sphere of food consumption of the population. Methods. To achieve the goal, inductive-deductive, program-target, structural-functional, expert-analytical and historical-retrospective methods were used. Scientific novelty consists in revealing the fundamental causes and main factors of maintaining social exclusion in the sphere of food consumption and determining ways to overcome it in the new social reality. Among the causes of social exclusion in the field of food consumption are endogenous and exogenous factors: the rudimentary preservation of the remnants of the past nomenclature system of catering and its revival in the face of growing bureaucracy; a relatively low share of imported high-quality food products and a high share of low-quality domestic food products; low level of transparency in the organization of food supply; weak legal control and a high level of irresponsibility of officials in the organization of various (especially special) food practices; comparatively high rates of inflation and growth in food prices compared to other groups of goods. The practical significance of the study lies in the development of theoretical and methodological aspects of this problem and the possibilities of its application in the food policy of the state.