Hunger: a growing problem
With all the focus on obesity and over-consumption of food, I think we forget sometimes that millions of people in this country are going hungry. This article from today's New York Times reports that 35.5 million Americans are food insecure, which means they sometimes lack enough to eat, and 10.1 million are often hungry.
This figure is only going to continue rising, given the economic trouble the country is experiencing. On top of rising rates of hunger, food banks and soup kitchens, are seeing donations slow.
Undernutrition and overnutrition are both major public health issues in this country, which require concerted effort to combat.
Comments
Great post. Additionally, with the crazy subsidies for corn, sugar and grain, the only food that is financially feasible for these individuals is void of any nutritional content. Could we please start subsidizing organic produce? Both to feed those who are hungry and to also benefit the health of our planet?
And then, we have a majority of the population who is overfed with crappy food that is "endorsed" by conventional medical associations who have no education in functional nutrition. Goodness, this topic gets me heated- I could rant for a while... I'll stop...
Posted by: Aimee | November 14, 2008 10:34 PM
This is interesting to note. A lot of people are focusing on obesity and overconsumption of food. Now one ever focuses on the other end of the spectrum, hunger. I like how you brought this up. I also think that the economy might also be a reason why food shelter business is slow.
Posted by: Sara | November 17, 2008 3:57 PM