Food insecurity is an important issue because children cannot develop properly. When a child does not receive adequate food and nutrients, their school performance is reduced and the lack of nutrients can cause—long-term health effects. Food insecurity can lead to chronic diseases that affect children throughout their lives.
“Higher earnings among more educated individuals mean more resources to buy food, better access to nutritious foods, and more options to cope with price shocks and food shortages.”
“Kids at risk of hunger may be less equipped to reach their full potential as they engage with the world around them. Studies show that children from homes that lack consistent access to food are more likely to experience developmental impairments in areas like language, motor skills, and behavior.”( feedingamerica.org)
“The food insecure proportion of the US population increased from 11.1% to almost 14.6% between 2007 and 2008.5 The prevalence of very low food security (the food intake of one or more adults was reduced and eating patterns disrupted because of insufficient resources) increased from 4.1% to 5.7%. These proportions were the highest recorded prevalence of food insecurity since the US Food and Drug Administration began its annual survey in 1995.”
Greenberg, Michael et al. “Food pantries, poverty, and social justice.” American journal of public health vol. 100,11 (2010): 2021-2. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2010.201848
Nonprofits and faith-based organizations play a crucial role in combating food insecurity because they reach the community directly and know who is most in need. We can see how these organizations and churches fight to fight hunger in their communities.
The government has to create laws and regulations that do not allow its citizens to have food insecurity, such as how poorly paid farm workers are; the government should not let the salary be so low for them and workers in many industries.
“When you talk about food, you’re talking about agriculture – you’re also talking about security. Whether it’s food security of national security. You’re also talking about poverty. You’re also talking about health. You’re also talking about racism and power. That’s the intersection of food and agriculture.” — Pakou Hang (Hmong American Farmers Association)
Schintler Molly, “Food justice: an intersectional approach to farm to school.” Foodcorps.org,2017
“Readers of the Journal know that food insecurity is only one part of poverty.1–4 Inadequate nutrition all too often is associated with inadequate shelter, lack of health care, and bad education, and poverty is at the core of all. As we found in a survey of the food pantry's clients, many had personal and family issues such as mental disorders, substance abuse, and domestic conflicts. Some are homeless, many more fear eviction, and some are illiterate or functionally illiterate, making it impossible for them to find safety systems through print or computers.”
Greenberg, Michael et al. “Food pantries, poverty, and social justice.” American journal of public health vol. 100,11 (2010): 2021-2. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2010.201848
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