Hunger in America signals a broken political system

Contrary to what many people believe, living in the United States does not guarantee access to safe, healthy and nutritious food to meet the required dietary needs for an active and healthy lifestyle. There are millions who are hungry in this land of abundance.

Kristi Jacobson and Lori Siverbush’s 2012 documentary film, “A Place at the Table,” shows that hunger in America is a result of an inefficient political system that works in consonance with the interests of corporate greedy investors.

“A Place at the Table” shows the ongoing problem of hunger and follows three stories of low-income Americans who cannot put safe, healthy and nutritious foods on their table. The three stories reveal that these people, who eat cheap and unhealthy foods that are low in nutrients, eventually end up with a lot of health problems.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, around 50 million Americans struggle with finding enough to eat and live with fear of starvation on a daily basis.

The U.S. is producing enough food that could adequately feed and nourish everyone. The main problem is affordability. Additionally, unemployment and high cost of living decreases affordability, causing many to fall prey to hunger and malnutrition.

The government favors companies and rich land owners that process food in high quantities at lower prices, allowing them subsidies. This leaves healthful food producers with no subsidies and causes producers to increase costs, making nutritious food unaffordable for low-income families.

The prices of processed foods, such as grains and corn, have been falling at a rate of 40 percent in the last decade, substantially raising companies’ profits.

On the other hand, the cost of healthy and nutritious food, such as fruit and vegetables, has risen. Since the small family farms that produce this food do not receive subsidies, they are forced to raise prices for consumers.

When families have a limited amount of money, they tend to buy and eat processed food, which is inexpensive but also less nutritious. Therefore, low-income families only have the option of choosing cheap, fattening and addictive junk food that eventually will cause them health problems.

The government frequently overlooks these facts. For example, the documentary shows that in 2010, after activists requested help to address the problem of hunger in schools, Congress came up with a temporary solution.

Congress funded “The Healthy, Hungry Free Kids Act” with money taken from the food stamp program, leaving fewer resources to provide food assistance to other citizens. They rejected the original proposal of taking such funds from subsidies granted to rich land owners.

“A Place at the Table” shows just a sample of how a broken political system manipulates laws and policies to benefit big businesses and corporations.

The solution for hunger in America is not creating more food banks or charity organizations that distribute cheap processed food that contributes to the always growing problem of obesity and malnutrition.

The government is the only organization responsible for addressing the issue by facilitating equal and fair access to food resources.

The government needs to reconsider the economic interests and practices of big corporations who pursue profits over people. It needs to implement an efficient trading system and stable market distribution that provides the affordability of healthy and nutritious food for all Americans.

Addressing hunger in America is a matter of survival. A civilization that does not feed and nourish its citizens is bound to disappear or at least diminish its power in the world.