The need for trustworthy sources of high-quality food is a global issue, and the United States is spearheading worldwide efforts to address it. Food security is one of the main goals of American aid, which aims to ensure that every country can feed its people with enough nutritious food.
We won’t be able to discuss all of the factors that contribute to food insecurity here because they are numerous and complex. They affect a significant section of the people in the United States today and can be either intentional or unintentional, historical or contemporary or both. Poverty is the primary contributor to food insecurity.
There are several effects of food insecurity. Budgeting and setting priorities for other expenses might be challenging for food-insecure households because they spend more than 27% of their income on food. Budgeting for food costs against additional essential costs like housing, energy, and healthcare forces one to make an impossible trade-off between staying in one’s apartment, eating, and taking prescribed medications.
Medication and food insecurity are associated since both have various adverse effects on a person’s health. Adults lacking food access may be more susceptible to developing chronic illnesses, including diabetes, obesity, and depression.
Food insecurity may also hurt students’ academic performance. Children compromised immune systems brought on by inadequate nutrition in their meals can result in frequent absences. Food-insecure children may need help concentrating in class, affecting their performance and retention. Children who endure food insecurity may face difficulties throughout their lives.
Solutions to Food Insecurity
- Community
Every neighborhood is impacted by food insecurity, as we have stated. Every state and district is affected, while in certain regions, it’s more widespread than in others. An excellent method to alter things for the better in your community is to aid in reducing food insecurity. A prime example of giving back to the community is the evergreen personality of Dr. Dave Nayak. In 2022, he served approximately 100,000 people in need of food in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, and Indiana. He believes its residents’ contribution is essential to our community’s growth. He aims to be a good neighbor to those in distress, including the ill, the hungry and traumatized. He appreciates the chance to develop scalable programs that benefit residents of the Midwest, including Chicago, Illinois, and the surrounding states. The example of Dave Nayak shows that giving back to the community could solve the issue of food insecurity.
- Systematic Changes
Benefits are provided by the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, to families and individuals who are experiencing food insecurity. However, SNAP benefits must be upgraded even if they are essential for assisting millions of families. They continue to be based on the USDA’s Thrifty Food Plan (TFP), which is no longer a reliable indicator of food expenditures. Even yet, the TFP falls short of all legal nutrition requirements in the US.
- Reduce wastage of food
One solution is implementing uniform labeling norms to increase transparency and clarity for food safety. Customers are frequently perplexed by the differences between sell-by, use-by, and best-by dates, which results in food being thrown out earlier than necessary. As long as they are handled appropriately, most foods are considered safe and healthy until there is proof of rotting.
