Why The U.S. Can’t Solve Hunger

00:12:38
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfTMARbcYaU

概要

TLDRThe United States faces a notable challenge of food insecurity despite its wealth, being 22nd among developed countries in terms of food security. Contributing factors include rising food prices, income disparities, food deserts, and inadequate social safety nets. Programs like SNAP provide essential support but still leave many struggling as eligibility criteria exclude numerous families in need. Disability status, race, and income level heavily influence food availability, while food prices are a greater concern than access itself. The economic burden of food insecurity extends beyond direct food costs, impacting productivity and health, contributing to high national expenses related to chronic diseases and education deficits. Efforts to alleviate this problem include increasing SNAP benefits, pledging significant federal funds, and seeking holistic solutions addressing broader income and accessibility issues, aiming to eradicate the hunger crisis by 2030. Strategies highlight strengthening public nutrition programs, providing economic support such as better wages, affordable childcare, and housing, alongside federal interventions.

収穫

  • 🌎 The U.S., a wealthy nation, is ranked 22nd in food security among developed countries.
  • 📈 Rising food prices and income inequality are major causes of food insecurity.
  • ❌ Food deserts and effective access to nutritious foods exacerbate the issue.
  • 🍽️ SNAP is beneficial but not comprehensive, leaving gaps in food assistance.
  • 🔍 Food prices, rather than access, significantly impact food insecurity.
  • 💡 Disability status and racial disparities predict higher food insecurity rates.
  • 🏢 Lost productivity due to hunger costs the U.S. billions annually.
  • 📚 Hunger impacts education and development, leading to long-term societal issues.
  • 💰 Addressing core income issues is critical to solving food insecurity.
  • 🎯 Pledges aim to end hunger by 2030, focusing on systemic interventions.

タイムライン

  • 00:00:00 - 00:05:00

    The U.S., a wealthy nation, ranks poorly in food security, facing a hunger crisis despite high GDP. Many Americans strive daily to feed their families, as 33.8 million lacked adequate food access in 2021. Food assistance spending reached a record $182.5 billion, yet food insecurity has barely improved since 2001, impacting productivity. Rising food prices further strain households; low income is a major cause. Significant spending disparities exist between low and high-income households. Food insecurity also heavily affects people with disabilities and communities of color, driven by income inequality and food deserts.

  • 00:05:00 - 00:12:38

    Experts claim that food prices impact food security more than access. Economic factors and income are major drivers, with significant productivity losses due to hunger. The U.S. faces health costs from hunger-induced chronic diseases. The USDA's major nutrition programs and SNAP aim to alleviate hunger but face eligibility and sufficiency challenges, though SNAP benefits were increased by 20% in 2021. Advocates push for further programs to aid vulnerable groups and schools. The Biden-Harris administration has pledged $8 billion to end hunger by 2030, focusing on solving underlying economic issues beyond just food distribution.

マインドマップ

Mind Map

よくある質問

  • Why does the U.S. have a hunger crisis despite its wealth?

    The U.S. struggles with food insecurity due to rising food prices, income inequity, and structural issues like food deserts.

  • What is the main cause of food insecurity in America?

    Income inequality and affordability issues are the primary causes of food insecurity in the U.S.

  • What challenges do low-income households face regarding food?

    Low-income households spend a higher portion of their income on food, often making trade-offs with other essentials like utility bills and childcare.

  • How does food insecurity impact productivity?

    Food insecurity leads to loss of productivity, costing the U.S. economy billions due to hunger-related issues.

  • What are food deserts?

    Food deserts are areas with minimal access to grocery stores, making it harder for residents to obtain nutritious food.

  • How effective is SNAP in reducing food insecurity?

    SNAP reduces the prevalence of food insecurity by up to 30%, but many families still fall through the gaps due to eligibility criteria.

  • Why do people still need food pantries despite receiving SNAP benefits?

    Many households find SNAP benefits insufficient to cover their nutritional needs, often visiting food pantries to supplement.

  • What is the relationship between food access and food prices?

    Experts argue that food prices, more than food access, significantly affect food insecurity levels.

  • What are the health impacts of food insecurity?

    Food insecurity is associated with negative health outcomes, including chronic illnesses and developmental issues in children.

  • What efforts have been pledged to address hunger in the U.S.?

    The Biden-Harris administration pledged over $8 billion to end hunger by 2030, focusing on addressing core causes.

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  • 00:00:00
    The U.S. is one of the wealthiest nations in the
  • 00:00:02
    world. It ranks first based on total GDP and
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    seventh based on GDP per capita.
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    Yet when it comes to food security, America ranks
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    22nd among developed countries.
  • 00:00:13
    People are working hard every day in this country
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    to bring food home for theirselves and their
  • 00:00:17
    families. But right now, in the United States, we
  • 00:00:20
    are facing a hunger crisis.
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    33.8 million Americans didn't have adequate
  • 00:00:25
    access to food, according to the latest report from
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    the USDA. That's 13.5 million or 10.2% of all
  • 00:00:33
    U.S. households in 2021.
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    I literally stand on Second Avenue at 4:00 in
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    the morning. I'd get off the subway and go around
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    behind the restaurants and wait for the bakeries
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    to deliver bread.
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    When you're that hungry to steal bread from the
  • 00:00:49
    restaurants behind the stores, you're hungry.
  • 00:00:51
    Spending on food assistance programs has
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    grown exponentially, reaching a record of
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    $182.5 billion in 2021.
  • 00:01:00
    But food insecurity has only improved slightly
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    since 2001.
  • 00:01:05
    While the number of people experiencing very
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    low food security grew slightly during the same
  • 00:01:10
    period.
  • 00:01:10
    We see times when the economy is doing better,
  • 00:01:12
    it improves. But we haven't seen major
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    movements on the metric, I would say.
  • 00:01:16
    The latest research from the Bread Institute in
  • 00:01:19
    2014 says the U.S.
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    has lost almost $5.5 billion due to lost
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    productivity caused by hunger.
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    It's much less expensive to feed you than it is
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    many other of our societal challenges.
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    Let's start with food, because the impact on the
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    system is incredibly expensive and will live on
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    for generations.
  • 00:01:43
    So why are so many Americans still hungry and
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    what can be done to solve it?
  • 00:01:50
    Food prices soared to record heights in 2022,
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    pressuring households already in a pinch.
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    Annual food at home prices climbed by 11.4% in
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    2022 compared to the year prior.
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    Food inflation, as we've seen during the pandemic,
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    has gone up, driven in large part by supply chain
  • 00:02:07
    disruptions and shortages of food supply during the
  • 00:02:10
    pandemic.
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    Several experts point to income as the major cause
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    behind food insecurity in America.
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    Issues of affordability and equity are the two
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    driving forces across the United States.
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    You can be working, yet you still need help.
  • 00:02:27
    And so the wages are not carrying Americans far
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    enough.
  • 00:02:31
    The resources they have are so strange that paying
  • 00:02:34
    the light bill, paying for child care, gas to get
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    to work is trading off against food.
  • 00:02:40
    The financial pressure from buying food gets
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    higher, the less you make .
  • 00:02:44
    In 2021, the bottom 20% of households with the lowest
  • 00:02:47
    income spent 30.6% of what they made on food,
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    compared to just 7.6% for households in the highest
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    income quintile.
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    It's a problem that Gregory Bruce, a bow tie
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    maker in Harlem, experiences every day.
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    I have actually $0.88 in my bank account right now.
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    June was not a good bow tie month.
  • 00:03:07
    I'm not crying, but I still come here every
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    afternoon and get my dinner, which I don't eat
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    until 7:00.
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    The food bank is open five days a week,
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    generally. Saturday and Sunday, there's no food
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    available. And that's when it hits you.
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    Meanwhile, nearly a quarter of households that
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    include a working adult with a disability were
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    food insecure, compared to just 7% of households
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    without disabilities.
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    The leading predictor of food insecurity in United
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    States is disability status by far, especially
  • 00:03:37
    mental health challenges.
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    Socially disadvantaged individuals are the ones
  • 00:03:41
    most heavily impacted by food insecurity.
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    Take communities of color, for example.
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    Nearly 1 in 5 Black households and 16.2% of
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    Hispanic households suffered from food
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    insecurity in 2021, compared to just 10.2% of
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    non-Hispanic minority households and 7% of white
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    households.
  • 00:04:01
    Income is important, but the more important thing
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    is the constraints that, especially those who are
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    most vulnerable amongst us are facing.
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    If economic opportunity isn't equally shared,
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    which it isn't yet in our country, that means that
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    it's going to have the same impact on food
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    insecurity, and it's a problem we need to
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    address.
  • 00:04:18
    Food deserts have also been widely blamed as
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    another main cause of hunger.
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    USDA estimates that about 53.6 million people, or
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    17.4% of the population in the U.S.
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    live in areas considered low income and low access,
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    meaning the nearest supermarket is more than
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    one half mile or 10 miles away.
  • 00:04:38
    Food deserts are something that plague us.
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    It's part of the systematic failure that we
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    have in America.
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    If you don't have access to food, you are just
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    increasing your chances of greater food
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    insecurity.
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    But some experts argue that access isn't the
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    issue. A 2018 study from the National Bureau of
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    Economic Research concluded that exposing
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    low-income households to the same products and
  • 00:05:02
    prices as high-income households had no
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    meaningful effects on eating habits.
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    All of us in the food insecurity space know that
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    they're completely irrelevant. I'd much
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    rather have somebody have, say, a Walmart
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    within 1.5 miles than a poorly stocked food store
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    within two blocks.
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    In other words, it's food prices that matter, not
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    food access.
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    I think part of this is how problems compound
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    problems. If you are someone who's living in
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    poverty, has very low income, you might be
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    living in a neighborhood that doesn't have great
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    access to high quality grocery stores.
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    So they are a little bit mutually reinforcing.
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    But to me it is the economics and the income
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    are the biggest drivers.
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    Food insecurity is an expensive burden to the
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    U.S. economy as a whole.
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    Food security should be a business imperative.
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    It relates to productivity. It relates
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    to a team that can come in every day and work and
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    create a product.
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    If your workers are hungry, they're going to
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    struggle with work.
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    The latest research from the Bread Institute says
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    the U.S. has lost over $5 billion due to lost
  • 00:06:03
    productivity caused by hunger as of 2014.
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    If a child is hungry, you cannot teach them.
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    It's not going to happen.
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    And if that brain doesn't develop properly, then
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    there is going to be all kinds of societal problems
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    carried on for generations.
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    Bread Institute also estimates the cost of
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    special education caused by hunger to be over $5.9
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    billion in 2014, while nearly $13 billion are
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    lost due to dropouts attributed to food
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    insecurity in the United States that same year.
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    It frustrates me that our political system and
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    politicians don't grab something so easy.
  • 00:06:42
    It's much less expensive to feed you than it is
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    many other of our societal challenges.
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    Let's start with food, because the impact on the
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    system is incredibly expensive and again, will
  • 00:06:57
    live on for generations.
  • 00:06:59
    The latest data from Feeding America estimates
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    that food insecurity costs the U.S.
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    $52.9 billion in health-care costs back in
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    2016.
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    There's so many negative health consequences
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    associated with food insecurity.
  • 00:07:13
    A 2022 analysis from the American Action Forum
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    estimates that just four nutrition related chronic
  • 00:07:19
    diseases among 18 to 64 year olds cost the U.S.
  • 00:07:22
    $16 trillion between 2011 and 2020.
  • 00:07:27
    When you are hungry, your body takes your body away.
  • 00:07:32
    You are consumed by your inner self.
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    Your brain doesn't function right.
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    You don't think well.
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    Everything goes wrong.
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    And if you're a senior citizen, especially if you
  • 00:07:41
    have some problems with walking or you've got some
  • 00:07:44
    kind of intrinsic ailment or something like that,
  • 00:07:47
    that's going to get exacerbated beyond
  • 00:07:50
    control.
  • 00:07:51
    Food insecurity is absolutely a solvable
  • 00:07:54
    problem.
  • 00:07:54
    In a wealthy country like ours, that people are not
  • 00:07:58
    having enough food. This is a solvable problem.
  • 00:08:00
    The U.S. Department of Agriculture budgeted $163
  • 00:08:03
    billion for major nutrition assistance
  • 00:08:06
    programs in 2022.
  • 00:08:08
    Among them, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
  • 00:08:11
    Program, or SNAP, is the largest domestic food
  • 00:08:13
    assistance programs for low-income Americans.
  • 00:08:16
    Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimate
  • 00:08:19
    that SNAP reduces the overall prevalence of food
  • 00:08:22
    insecurity by as much as 30%.
  • 00:08:24
    SNAP or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
  • 00:08:27
    Program is what we have called food stamps for
  • 00:08:30
    many years. This electronic benefit is
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    available to Americans that qualify based on
  • 00:08:35
    their household size and their income.
  • 00:08:37
    You give individuals an EBT card which allows
  • 00:08:40
    people to shop alongside their neighbors and
  • 00:08:42
    friends in their local food stores.
  • 00:08:44
    SNAP is an amazing, amazing program.
  • 00:08:46
    It sets out to alleviate food insecurity and study
  • 00:08:49
    after study has demonstrated that it does.
  • 00:08:51
    But despite its effectiveness, many are
  • 00:08:53
    falling through the cracks. SNAP eligibility
  • 00:08:55
    is based on the poverty threshold, but the Union
  • 00:08:58
    of Concerned Scientists estimate that almost 1 in
  • 00:09:01
    5 households with incomes between 130% and 185% of
  • 00:09:06
    the poverty threshold do not qualify for SNAP, even
  • 00:09:09
    though they are considered food insecure.
  • 00:09:11
    We have heard concerns that SNAP isn't available
  • 00:09:15
    to enough families in need.
  • 00:09:16
    It is a program that is highly targeted to very
  • 00:09:19
    low-income families, and Congress sets the
  • 00:09:22
    eligibility criteria for SNAP, and they certainly
  • 00:09:26
    have the opportunity to review those rules and
  • 00:09:28
    take a look at whether the program could be
  • 00:09:30
    expanded.
  • 00:09:31
    A major complaint concerning SNAP also
  • 00:09:33
    revolved around its amount.
  • 00:09:34
    In 2021, 1 in 3 households that received
  • 00:09:37
    SNAP still had to visit the food pantry due to a
  • 00:09:40
    lack of budget.
  • 00:09:41
    6 out of 10 SNAP recipients also reported
  • 00:09:44
    that food prices prevented them from buying
  • 00:09:46
    nutritious food.
  • 00:09:47
    That was until a big change was made the same
  • 00:09:49
    year.
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    The Thrifty Food Plan was increased by 20%, which
  • 00:09:53
    means everybody's across the board, SNAP benefits
  • 00:09:55
    increased by 20%.
  • 00:09:56
    I mean, that was a big, big deal.
  • 00:09:58
    So in other words, yes, I think SNAP benefits should
  • 00:10:01
    be somewhat higher.
  • 00:10:02
    But on the other hand, a 20% increase in benefits
  • 00:10:05
    is great. I think we should increase them
  • 00:10:06
    further. 20% is great, though, and I don't want
  • 00:10:09
    to, I never want that to be diminished.
  • 00:10:11
    So we're really pleased with the benefit that the
  • 00:10:14
    program offers. We'll be able to do that
  • 00:10:16
    reevaluation every five years under federal law.
  • 00:10:20
    And we'll keep looking at whether the program is
  • 00:10:23
    accomplishing its goal, which is supporting
  • 00:10:25
    families with enough money to purchase a very
  • 00:10:28
    basic but healthy diet.
  • 00:10:30
    Aside from increasing SNAP, advocates suggest
  • 00:10:33
    additional programs that focus on feeding the most
  • 00:10:35
    vulnerable.
  • 00:10:36
    America doesn't seem to like us or think about us
  • 00:10:41
    in the way that they think about other things.
  • 00:10:44
    You know, this is not political. This is far
  • 00:10:46
    beyond politics.
  • 00:10:47
    We need to feed our elders. They've served.
  • 00:10:49
    We need to feed our veterans. They have
  • 00:10:52
    served. We can start with some simple things.
  • 00:10:54
    We just need to feed children. We need to make
  • 00:10:56
    sure there is good food in every school, every
  • 00:11:00
    public school in the United States.
  • 00:11:02
    Big task. But it would make a huge difference.
  • 00:11:05
    In 2022, the Biden-Harris administration pledged
  • 00:11:08
    more than $8 billion to end hunger by 2030.
  • 00:11:12
    We can do this, end hunger in this country by the
  • 00:11:15
    year 2030 and lower the toll.
  • 00:11:23
    Lower the toll that diet-related diseases
  • 00:11:26
    takes on for too many Americans.
  • 00:11:29
    This goal is within our reach.
  • 00:11:31
    Ultimately, the key to ending hunger lies in
  • 00:11:33
    solving the core issues that cause Americans to
  • 00:11:36
    struggle in the first place.
  • 00:11:38
    At the White House Conference on Hunger,
  • 00:11:40
    Nutrition and Health, the president called for an
  • 00:11:42
    all of government, all of society approach.
  • 00:11:45
    I think what's really different and special is,
  • 00:11:47
    in addition to saying we need to strengthen our
  • 00:11:50
    federal nutrition programs to tackle hunger,
  • 00:11:52
    the president is also saying we need
  • 00:11:54
    investments, again, further upstream in the
  • 00:11:57
    problem, whether it's better wages, affordable
  • 00:11:59
    child care, affordable housing, investments or
  • 00:12:02
    refundable tax credits.
  • 00:12:04
    Investments in those places will result in
  • 00:12:06
    fewer people needing food assistance.
  • 00:12:09
    And think it's really core to our approach in
  • 00:12:12
    addressing hunger.
  • 00:12:13
    I can assure you there is enough food in America.
  • 00:12:16
    I can assure you there's enough money in America.
  • 00:12:19
    The challenge is connecting those and
  • 00:12:22
    ensuring that people have enough money to get enough
  • 00:12:25
    food.
タグ
  • food insecurity
  • U.S. economy
  • income inequality
  • food deserts
  • SNAP
  • nutrition assistance
  • healthcare costs
  • Biden-Harris administration
  • chronic diseases
  • policy interventions