Obesity, Hunger & Food Waste in the United States

There is a tough irony between obesity, hunger and food waste in the United States. One of the problems features people consuming too much food, or too much of what isn't good for them. While people are consuming excess food, there are some families that can’t put food on their own table. While both of these things are happening, 40 percent of food in the United States is never eaten. Take some time to explore all of it.

Obesity is a rather large problem amongst citizens in the United States. According to stateofobesity.org Factors related to obesity are also rated as communities' priority health issues, including nutrition and physical activity at 58 percent, heart disease and hypertension at 57 percent and diabetes at 44 percent. Individuals who are obese are at increased risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, some forms of cancer, dementia and a number of other health concerns. Children who are overweight or obese are at greater risk for high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and heart disease. And the longer children are overweight or obese, the more likely they are to remain so into adulthood. At a broader level, high obesity rates also have a significant impact on the larger community.

Across the United State, more than one and three adults, and one in six children from the ages of two to 19, are obese. More than 20 states have obesity rates higher than 40 percent. Rotund numbers to say the least.

There are financial implications related to obesity as well. Obesity causes the country more than $150 billion in healthcare annually. The extra weight becomes not only a burden for those carrying it, but for taxpayers as well. On an individual family level, obesity is said to affect low-income, rural communities and racial and ethnic groups including Blacks, Latinos and Native Americans.

Food that is more affordable is generally unaffordable for your body to consume. Fast, as well as processed foods do greater damage to a person’s body than produce. According to film called A Place At the Table, healthy food costs 40 percent more than it did in 1980. At the same time, processed food is 40 percent cheaper. Any type of living being consumes what is available to them. This stands the same for humans, and the junk food the food industry is selling them.

If there is a need for a fresh variety of produce, why aren’t farmers creating a product that meets that demand? Financially, it doesn't make sense for them. Throughout the early parts of American history, the government stayed away from farms. That changed during the 1920’s-30’s. Farm production had spiked in the 1920’s, as American farms ramped up to feed war-ravaged Europe. The resulting grain glut drove the price of food so low that it was basically worthless. Plus, thanks to the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl, so many Americans were out of work that they couldn’t afford even the dirt-cheap food available.

In response, the government told farmers to leave land unplanted, and paid them for what they expected to make from crop they would have planted. What was supposed to be a temporary fix, became an unbelievable problem. By 2014, the U.S. was on target to spend $972.9 billion on food and farm programs over the next decade. A majority of that money goes to nutritional programs, while the rest goes to the farmers wallet. It is because of this, farmers create the same foods year after year. A lot of what they produce makes its way into processed food. The same processed foods that are killing Americans.

On the other end of the spectrum, there is a problem. According to DoSomething.com, one in six people in America face hunger. As mentioned before, any type of living being consumes what is available to them. This is a problem of food availability that leads to food insecurity. The USDA defines "food insecurity" as the lack of access, at times, to enough food for all household members. In 2011, households with children reported a significantly higher food insecurity rate than households without children: 20.6% vs. 12.2%.  In 2013, 17.5 million households were food insecure.

The hunger problems in the United States are a result of poverty, rather than lack of food. We observed the radical changes in the costs of healthy food and not so healthy food. More than one in five children is at risk of hunger. Among African-Americans and Latinos, it’s one in three. Through this, we see a complicated dynamic between obesity, hunger and poverty among minorities in the United States.

As an observer, you can point towards the way the food industry and complications surrounding that lead to problems for many. Many people, smarter than I have sought out solutions for the problem. I’d like to explore some of those solutions as well. Because there are connections between the two, I want to know what can be done to solve hunger, or obesity in the United States.

Since we’re dealing with this problem in the United States, we are working under the umbrella of capitalism. The answer could be found in your garbage. According to NRDC.org, up to 40 percent of the food in the United States has never been eaten. And there is still a hunger problem in the country. It’s absurd.

Some of this takes place when people clean out their kitchen or fridge. The NRDC believes that consumers are being lied to by labels on food that tell you when it is best by. A 2013 report we published with Harvard Law School, “The Dating Game: How Confusing Food Date Labels Lead to Food Waste in America,” revealed the enormous amount of food going to waste due to confusion about date labels. Under the current labeling system, consumers often misinterpret the dates to mean that food must be discarded after the date for safety reasons, when in fact the dates are only suggestions by the manufacturer for when the food is at its freshest or peak quality. Ultimately, there is more longevity in what is in your fridge than you are told.

Keeping fresh food available to you and your household id easier than you might think. I’d be pretty upset to learn that a 4-person family loses $1500 a year on food waste. I could have a lot of fun with an extra $1500. There are several recipe’s online to help families conserve leftovers. Produce can be saved longer, by learning how to store that food. Check out the video below to learn more about it.

Ultimately, I believe for hunger to be solved in the United State, a trend needs to swing in favor of food. Trends appear all around us. With the invention of microwave dinners, as well as the luxury of fast food, consumption has been taken for granted. People have the ability to create their own food. If given the opportunity, they tend to enjoy it. Through the vehicle of education, a trend could change where people are taking pride in what they consume. Not in an arrogant way, but in a truly healthy way. People having their own gardens, actively composting food, and reducing waste that is harmful, and more importantly, wasteful to the planet.

Issues such as obesity and hunger may be too massive for one person to solve. However, limiting food waste can chip away at them. With added respect for the planet, and a person's own body, food issues can begin to become more clear.

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