The Face of Hunger
By: Robbie Schwartz - Staples High School - 23
Words - 750
The global food system is broken. Elites control distribution and support the profitable, leaving the poor suffering. The recent increase in food poverty, poverty in general, is massively due to multi-million dollar corporations and government decisions, and COVID and many other external factors. Additionally, the impoverished are scarce on healthy food options, which has led to an unstable intergenerational diet and health issues. In order to ensure all Americans are fed, we must work towards a more stable food production and distribution system, making sure everyone in need is taken care of.
The outbreak of COVID-19 is a leading factor in the increase in food poverty. With everyone unsure about their futures, came many vacant jobs. This shortage of workers led to an array of issues: getting food to someone's table takes more than just production. The pandemic, which kept us inside for months on end, caused 22 million jobs to disappear into thin air (GILCHRIST) and hundreds of millions to fall below the poverty line. Before COVID, a“food bank’s clientele [was] largely employed people who needed extra help to make ends meet” but now, just months into COVID ⅓ of them had never needed assistance before (STROCHLIC). With a new portion of the population becoming food insecure, relief organizations got overwhelming crowds. In October, the nation's largest domestic hunger-relief system “distributed 548 million meals, up 52 percent from an average month before the pandemic” (STROCHLIC). This demand in food caused many companies to change focus, producing massive amounts of highly demanded foods. This ultimately led to stimulus check distribution, inflated tax prices, and many upset citizens.
Food insecurity in America has been overseen for many years (and it's worse than you think). Systemic oppression has kept millions impoverished. Currently, about 14% of the U.S. population sits below the poverty line (Children in Poverty). This prominent issue threatens today's society, excluding the poor from proper nutrition. The obesity rate of people below the federal poverty line is about 40%, a massive portion of the population; food swamps are the biggest driving factor (Haspel). Having little to no nutritious foods within a neighborhood can be detrimental to the people, especially if they’re immobile. Since the mid 1900s, impoverished communities have been a target for low nutrition pastas sold for cheap, such as ramen. This unhealthy meal that contains about 4 days' worth of sodium can greatly increase the risk of diabetes and high blood pressure. Many issues follow food swamps “damage children's pallets as they're being exposed to certain foods they're accustomed to which are not healthy” (Starved). Food swamps occur when nutritional food sources leave communities due to little income and no foreseeable future. Though companies benefit from this, the people they leave behind are suffering. While the government does provide generous amounts of money to food banks, it needs to be distributed differently, people need more help.
Contrary to the U.S, countries such as Finland have done an amazing job at combating food insecurity within their country. The nation's focus has been on environmental sustainability, and food aid practices to keep its citizens well-nourished. A 2018 report states that Finland's hunger statistics were at a low 2.5%, steady with the previous years (TIKKA). Since then, the Finnish government has implemented laws allowing retail industries to donate food to those in need easily and efficiently. This new food waste redistribution project was part of social innovation efforts to reduce food insecurity and ecological waste (THELWELL). Similarly, in America, retail companies also donate food, but there is a massive food waste problem in America. Though about 36% retailers donate 100,000 lbs/year, this is 50 people, there needs to be more participation (Feeding America). Additionally, the U.S. government provides stimulus checks to support the ones with little income, but this has a great impact on the economy, causing a 5% increased inflation rate in 2022 alone. There’s no reason for communities to be living in distress, waiting for that meal that may never come. The world produces more food than consumed, with ⅓ of it being wasted every year (The Truth about Food Insecurity). The world produces massive amounts of food that ends up wasted and that needs to be changed. The problem is solved within the people, we need to reevaluate the way we function and our focus to provide for each other in our communities. We need support from governments and organizations across the world in order to tackle food insecurity as a whole. We need unity.