Ethical Eating

Food matters for personal, public, and planetary well-being

Domestic Food Security

"Food deserts can be described as geographic areas where residents’ access to affordable, healthy food options (especially fresh fruits and vegetables) is restricted or nonexistent due to the absence of grocery stores within convenient travelling distance. For instance, according to a (2009) report prepared for Congress by the Economic Research Service of the US Department of Agriculture, about 2.3 million people (or 2.2 percent of all US households) live more than one mile away from a supermarket and do not own a car...Studies have found that wealthy districts have three times as many supermarkets as poor ones do, [and] that white neighborhoods contain an average of four times as many supermarkets as predominantly black ones do..."

~ Loren Ornelas, Founder, Food Empowerment Project.

In 2008, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that 49.1 million Americans lived in households considered to be food-insecure, that is, living with serious hunger or fear of starvation. Of these people, 16.7 million were children. This is up 11.1% from the year before and is the highest recorded rate of food insecurity in this country since the survey was first conducted.

Black and Hispanic households experienced food-insecurity at far higher rates than the national average: 27.5% and 26.9%, respectively. The problem persists on many Indian reservations as well.

In addition to not having enough food, often the food available is of sub-standard nutritional quality. This is particularly true in urban areas often termed “food deserts” in response to the lack of fresh food markets. In most of America’s cities there are neighborhoods defined by the lack of grocery stores but lined with fast food, quick marts, and liquor stores making processed food the only option for many families.

As a result, diabetes and heart disease are on the rise and today’s children have a shorter life expectancy than their parents. Experts estimate one-third of American children are currently overweight, and these rates have tripled among children ages 12 to 19 since 1980. Nearly 10% of medical spending in 2009 was on obesity related treatment totaling about $150 billion.

31 million American children eat lunch in school each day. Of them, 18 million are federally subsidized, but the food our nation provides is highly processed largely due to lack of funds. There is a total of $1 allocated per child per meal each day, leading to high fat, high sodium, and low nutrition meals.

Questions for Individual/Group Reflection

How many children in our local schools are eligible for and receive a free breakfast?
How many families are eligible for food stamps? for WIC programs?
What are food kitchens and food pantries saying about the number of patrons in our area? Is it rising or falling?
What are the food needs of the elderly in our community? What services help senior citizens?
Are there community gardens in our area? If so, what is the fee to join? Are they accessible by mass transit?
(For people of faith) If someone comes to our congregation seeking food, do we know what organizations are available to serve them? Does our congregation contribute to them? Why or why not?

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED RESOURCES

Why Hunger: Food Security Learning Center A network of activists working toward a just food system and world in the process of developing shared language and facilitating a common understanding of historical roots of racism in the United States in order to effectively implement strategies for change. This is a critical path toward transforming organizational structures that can end hunger and poverty through the development of sustainable and just food systems in our communities.

Roberts, Paul. The End of Food. Mariner Books. 2009.In this carefully researched account, Roberts indentifies the forces that are undermining our capacity to produce food that is safe, nourishing, or adequate to meet the appetites of a rapidly growing population. In The End of Food, readers will see not only how our food systems are breaking down, but how they can be put back on a sustainable course.

RECOMMENDED SUPPORTING RESOURCES

U.S. Women’s, Infant’s and Children’s Nutrition Program (WIC)

Pollin, Michael, “Dear Mr. Next President -- Food, Food, Food,” The New York Times October 14, 2008. This article talks about the inequities of food production and distribution in the U.S. today.

Gleaning Network: Society of St. Andrew. Gleanig means gathering vegetables that remain on fields after the official harvest, so that they not go to waste. Food is donated to the hungry. Connect with organized gleaning in your area or start your own program.

Better School Food is a national organization seeking to raise awareness of the connection between food and children’s health, behavior and learning. Founded by Dr. Susan Rubin, who is the focus of the documentary "Two Angry Moms" (www.twoangrymoms.org) which documents the journey of two mothers trying to transform their school cafeteria.