In a time where the main health focus of our society is fixing the obesity epidemic, many forget about the millions of Americans who go hungry each year. In 2010, the Food Research and Action Center found that “more than 48 million Americans rely on…SNAP: the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program” (McMillan). Even with this government assistance, millions of Americans are still going hungry and relying mostly on cheap, processed foods from food banks and grocery stores. Especially in communities suffering from food deserts, supermarkets themselves are hard to find and even harder to get to for impoverished Americans. As a result, the number of hungry people in America has increased by 57 percent since the late 1990s and has continued to grow due to the cutbacks of government assistance programs, the decrease in wages, and the increasing supermarket prices (McMillan). In order to solve this massive hunger issue in America, we will need updated and reformed policies set by the national government that help put more nutritious foods on the tables of American families who need it the most.
There are many distinguishable terms that describe hunger in America, such as “food insecurity,” “malnutrition,” and “hunger” (Nestle 387). A large portion of Americans are considered “food insecure” because their only means of acquiring food are through robbing, stealing, drug-dealing, and prostitution (Nestle 387). Food insecurity often causes people to do socially unacceptable things for survival, while hunger is the feeling or “unpleasant sensation” that forms when there is a lack of sufficient food (Nestle 387). Malnutrition occurs as a result of deep-rooted hunger, and it is described as “the long-term physiological or cognitive consequence of insufficient food intake” (Nestle 387). Today, one-sixth of Americans are struggling with these severe hunger issues (McMillan).
Hunger is seen in all parts of the United States, not just where you would expect it the most. In urban neighborhoods, rural communities, and large cities, there are millions of working Americans who can barely afford their next meal, much less a meal for their entire family. Times have changed enormously from when hunger looked like barren, starving children and families with very little clothes, to today, where hunger is often masked by cars, clothing, and even being slightly overweight (McMillan). The suburbs of northwest Houston demonstrate this “new face of hunger” to a tee with “one of the highest percentages of households receiving SNAP assistance when at least one family member holds down a job” (McMillan). The working poor in this area are not easily distinguishable from the rest of the middle class because they often have cars, decent clothes, and consumer electronics that “can be bought on installment plans” (McMillan). Survival would not be possible for many of these families without a car, making it a major necessity (McMillan). In addition, their clothing is generally bought from discount or thrift stores, and their few electronics are often shared (McMillan). The changing look on what it means to be hungry has revolutionized to appear as typical middle-class families, when in reality, they don’t always know where their next meal will come from (McMillan).
The abundance of processed foods and fast-food chains spread throughout the United States has provided cheap and accessible meals for impoverished Americans, however, it has also greatly contributed to the rising overweight rate and increased the risk of various diseases.
Low income parents are continuously having to sacrifice the health of their family in order to put food on the table. A typical dinner often constitutes of macaroni-and-cheese mixes with powdered cheese and other processed foods such as frozen corndogs, chicken nuggets, or pizzas from food banks (McMillan). While it is possible for families to eat healthily on such a tight budget, “most of the working poor don’t have the time or know-how required to eat well on little” (McMillan). Fruits and vegetables are also much more expensive than processed foods, and become rotten much quicker. Sometimes, families will have fruits and vegetables for the few first days after the SNAP payment arrives, however, the monthly checks are not enough to support continuous fruit and vegetable consumption, especially with the rising prices of fresh produce (McMillan). Particularly in a food desert, supermarkets can be miles away and public transportation may not always be accessible (McMillan). For the many families nationwide who do not have cars, their main means of consumption come from small markets and fast-food restaurants within walking distance (McMillan). The affordability and ease that processed foods provide have not only made food more accessible nationwide, but they have also contributed to the declining health of Americans. The many families who receive food assistance are therefore forced to trade their health for survival.
Despite the United States being the richest nation in the world, our citizens are suffering from hunger issues far more than our European counterpart’s due to how low our wages for the working class have become (McMillan). Since the 1960s, the number of people going hungry has grown by fivefold (McMillan). This statistic is alarming and worrisome because the addition of processed foods and prevalence of fast-food restaurants throughout the last few decades have only made food cheaper; yet somehow, more and more people are going hungry. Janet Poppendieck, a sociologist at the City University of New York, states that “[t]oday, more working people and their families are hungry because wages have declined” (McMillan). More than half of households considered “food insecure” in the United States are white, and two-thirds of these households with children have at least one adult with a full-time job (McMillan). Even with a full-time job at or above the minimum wage, it is not nearly enough to provide for an entire family. This leaves “pocketing food from work and skipping meals” a normal and frequent act for many working Americans (McMillan). The national and state governments have the ability to raise the minimum wage which will allow millions of working Americans to better provide for their families.
As government assistance programs are increasingly lessening benefits, millions of working Americans find themselves paying the price. While the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program has helped an enormous portion of impoverished Americans survive, “the average monthly benefit was $133.07 a person, less than $1.50 a meal” (McMillan). It is absurd to expect anybody to be able to live with only $1.50 per meal, especially those struggling to feed entire families. In addition, a family of four would only qualify to receive SNAP assistance if their annual gross income is less than $31,005 a year (McMillan). Even with $40,000-50,000 of annual income, it is still extremely difficult to live comfortably and provide for a family of four. It is time for our government to devote more effort and money towards welfare and food assistance programs, despite the concerns about creating a “safety net for the poor” (Nestle). It will be an enormous challenge, however, “an [effective] antihunger policy must first address the reasons why people are poor and . . . solve problems related to the lack of employment, . . . housing, education, health care, transportation,” etc. (Nestle). Our national government has the funds to create an effective policy, however, it is simply an issue of political priority (Nestle).
It is alarming that our national government has not done more to help the one-sixth of Americans who do not have enough food to eat (McMillan). Simply making processed foods cheaper and more accessible is not enough, especially considering the number of different diseases and health risks that come from consuming the extreme amount of salt, sugar, and fat that dominates the products provided in food banks (McMillan). While the United States government advises that fruits and vegetables should make up half of our plates, they are only spending a tenth of how much money they spend subsidizing corn and soybeans on fresh fruits and vegetables (McMillan). Because of this, the prices of fruits and vegetables in supermarkets and grocery stores are steadily increasing while the prices of processed foods that come from corn and soybeans are decreasing (McMillan). Our society continuously preaches about the importance of eating fruits and vegetables, but the reality for many Americans is that this ideal is simply unattainable and impossible. It does not always have to be this way, however. With new and updated policies set by our national government, we can decrease the rates of hunger and food insecurity in our nation. Although it is a long and extraneous process, Michelle Obama proves through her Let’s Move Campaign that it only takes a few politically powerful leaders to step up and take action to benefit the ones suffering most in our society.