Food Insecurity In America

Hunger has become a world problem and affects a large number of people. the United States is also not immune from the influence of hunger. On the website of Feeding America, I select Arizona and North Dakota to study the food insecurity rate. In 2014, the food insecurity rate in Arizona was 17.1% and it involved more than one million people; the food insecurity rate in North Dakota was 8% and it involved about 60 thousand people (Feeding America). The map shows that the food insecurity rate in the United States in 2014 was 15.4%. The food insecurity in Arizona is a little higher than the national average and that in North Dakota is much lower than the national average. The average cost of a meal in the United States is $2.89 and the money required

to address the food insecurity is about $24.56 billion. On the basis of the data, we can calculate that the meal gap for the United States in 2014 was 8.5 billion. It means that Americans suffering from food insecurity fall short of a sufficient diet by 8.5 billion per year. The meal gap in 2012 was 8.58 billion and the gap in 2013 was 8.69 billion. The meal gap has improved but slightly and the improvement is not consistent. The worrying food insecurity is caused by economic and political reasons and it can be resolved at the governmental and individual level.
The United States is a superpower in the world without abundant natural resources and advanced technologies.

However, the inequality gap in the United States is large. In recent decades, one of the economic trends in the United States is the growth in the centralization of economic power. According to the textbook, the bottom 90% of stock owners owned only 19% of all stock value and the real control of the American economy belongs to a small amount of people (Harper and Leicht 106). In addition, the economies have changed a lot and the number of labor-intensive companies is decreasing the the number of technology-intensive companies is increasing. Therefore, many people lose their jobs. The unemployment deprives people of the ability to buy enough food. The decreasing salary also makes it difficult for residents to buy adequate food. According to the documentary Inequality for All, the typical male work was making about $48,000 a year in 1978, but he earned less in 2010. The living cost is increasing, but the income of the workers is decreasing. It becomes more difficult for people to make ends

meet.
Political reasons also contribute to the food insecurity. In fact, there is enough food to feed all people in the world and the main cause of the food insecurity and hunger is the unequal distribution (Harper and Leicht 338). Although the world produces enough food, many poor people do not have money or access to adequate food. The tax system in the United States lows taxes on the wealthy but maintains or raises taxes on the middle class (Harper and Leicht 124). With the current tax system, the wealthy people may become wealthier while the poor people become poorer. Considering the increasing living cost, many people have to lower their living standards and reduce the meals. The access of food is also insufficient. For example, in rural or remote areas, the transportation is a barrier to enough food. Long-distance transportation also increases the cost of meals.
In order to resolve the problem of food insecurity, the government and individuals can all make a contribution. In the governmental level, the government can increase the investment in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The government can also examine the food stamp recipients’ eligibility to ensure that the food stamps goes to residents in need. In addition, the government needs to raise the minimum wage. Considering the increasing housing price and the increasing expense on health care and children care, raising the minimum wage can lighten the burden of many people, especially those holding low-end jobs. Then the government can also build more food stores in rural and remote areas to increase the access to healthy food. The measures can promote the redistribution of wealth and food in the United States. On the individual level, we can donate money to charity organizations or local banks. If we can donate $3, we can help provide a meal for people experiencing food insecurity. We can also donate food to food banks and then the food can be transported and distributed to people in need. We can also organize some activities to attract more public attention on the issue of food insecurity and lobby the government to implement urgent measures.
Although the United States is an affluent nation, food insecurity still exists and affects tens of millions of residents.

The causes of food insecurity include unemployment, high living cost, low wages, increasing taxes and inequality, as well as the lack of access to foods and SNAP. In spite of some efforts, the meal gap does not improve apparently in recent years. The food insecurity is an economic and political issue and the government and individuals can take some actions to address the problem. For example, the government can increase the investment in SNAP and raise the minimum wage. Individuals can donate money and food to local food

banks.