Who is "hungry" or the "food-insecure" in America?
The number of citizens experiencing food insecurity in America is surprising. While many would consider families who are homeless or living in poverty the only population with food insecurity, the actual statistics provide a much more diverse community of people. According to Feeding America, a major domestic hunger relief organization, food insecurity is defined as “all people in a household having enough food for an active healthy lifestyle at all times” (Weinfeld, et al., 2014). By this definition the Hunger In America 2014 National Report states that 1 in 7 Americans is food insecure (Weinfeld, et al., 2014). That amounts to over 46 million Americans which is an astounding and disheartening number. This figure includes 12 million children and 7 million senior citizens who may not have access to, or must go hungry or skip meals on a regular basis (Weinfeld, et al., 2014). The HIA 2014 report explains the increase of food insecurity due to the inability of many families to recover from the 2008 recession. “The …show more content…
People who live in food deserts more than likely cannot access the foods necessary for a healthy, balanced diet and they must make choices to feed their families by reasonable means. This might mean shopping for food in a convenience store or buying cheaper less healthy foods in order to meet their financial needs. The Hunger in America 2014 National Report found that 79% of the population that needed services had to choose cheaper, less healthy food in order to ensure their families would not go hungry (Weinfeld, et al., 2014). The correlation between the percentage of Americans who must purchase less expensive food and the added fats and sugars in that food directly impacts the obesity percentage in the US. When given the choice to feed your family inexpensive unhealthy food or nothing at all, the choice seems fairly
The number of citizens experiencing food insecurity in America is surprising. While many would consider families who are homeless or living in poverty the only population with food insecurity, the actual statistics provide a much more diverse community of people. According to Feeding America, a major domestic hunger relief organization, food insecurity is defined as “all people in a household having enough food for an active healthy lifestyle at all times” (Weinfeld, et al., 2014). By this definition the Hunger In America 2014 National Report states that 1 in 7 Americans is food insecure (Weinfeld, et al., 2014). That amounts to over 46 million Americans which is an astounding and disheartening number. This figure includes 12 million children and 7 million senior citizens who may not have access to, or must go hungry or skip meals on a regular basis (Weinfeld, et al., 2014). The HIA 2014 report explains the increase of food insecurity due to the inability of many families to recover from the 2008 recession. “The …show more content…
People who live in food deserts more than likely cannot access the foods necessary for a healthy, balanced diet and they must make choices to feed their families by reasonable means. This might mean shopping for food in a convenience store or buying cheaper less healthy foods in order to meet their financial needs. The Hunger in America 2014 National Report found that 79% of the population that needed services had to choose cheaper, less healthy food in order to ensure their families would not go hungry (Weinfeld, et al., 2014). The correlation between the percentage of Americans who must purchase less expensive food and the added fats and sugars in that food directly impacts the obesity percentage in the US. When given the choice to feed your family inexpensive unhealthy food or nothing at all, the choice seems fairly