Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Food insecurity is not hunger

"According to the USDA's annual poll, 17 million U.S. households reported some degree of food insecurity in 2008, up from 13 million households in 2007," writes Scott Kilman in yesterday's WSJ. I'm not sure when "food insecurity" became the term du jour, but it means at some point during 2008 someone in the family worried about not having enough food or their "normal eating patterns were disrupted." So that's what hunger has become to the USDA--worrying about food while HHS is wringing is bureaucratic hands over obesity. Even when unemployment was at 4.5%, journalists were writing food pantry and food insecurity stories, especially during the holiday season when many charities are making appeals. Now because of unemployment at 10.2%, people who used to contribute or volunteer at food pantries now are recipients, so the stories have expanded. In 2009 they are not directed at the president's policies, as they were four or five years ago. Even in food insecurity, Obama is untouchable.

And really, no modern day president can be blamed for hunger in the U.S., because it has been the policy of the government for the last 60 years to expand its largest welfare program to . . . farmers. And what used to be using up post-war surplus by giving it to the poor (blocks of cheese, butter, and boxes of dry milk back in the 60s and 70s) is now growing subsidized food to be given to the poor through schools (breakfast, lunch, afterschool and summertime snacks), churches (they usually run the summer programs), non-profits (they provide grants from donors and the government to buy the food), and federal and state "partnerships (redistribution of USDA money to many programs, rural and metropolitan)."

This at a time when there are entire households of adults and children where no one knows how to purchase or prepare food. I needed to buy 2 large containers of applesauce to donate to Faith Mission this week, so while I was going through the store, I jotted down some basic, non-prepared food items with prices.

Fresh items: 3 lb bananas, 8 lb. potatoes, 1 lb. carrots, 3 lb. apples, 8 lb oranges, 2 lb cabbage (total $11.18); main meal items: l lb pinto beans, l lb. black beans, 2 lb rice, 2 lb macaroni, 15 oz spaghetti, 26 oz spaghetti sauce (total $8.56); refrigerator case: 1 doz eggs, 1 gal milk, 1 lb butter, 2 lb cheddar cheese (total $7.45); beverage: 11.5 oz coffee to brew ($2.50). That came to $29.69, and for another $5.00 I could have had 2 loaves of bread and 16 oz. of natural peanut butter. For another $5.00 I could buy a 16 lb. turkey because they are on special right now. So for $40, that's a lot of food on the shelves, but someone has to buy it and someone has to prepare it who knows that beans with rice and potatoes combined with milk are almost nutritionally perfect.

But you can blow your way through $40 pretty fast buying soft drinks, potato chips, prepared individual meals at $3.00 each, crackers, cookies, etc. And it's not just poor people. On my afternoon walk yesterday I walked in a neighborhood that has a Tuesday trash pick up and at one home which I would estimate at $800,000, there were 6 plastic containers at the curb, all filled with flattened boxes and containers for processed food, many for the single server type. Her children probably don't qualify for school lunches, but they might be better off if they did.

See also my blog from April 2009 on What ever happened to food stamps.

5 comments:

Susan said...

I've had "food insecure "people call a community I&R for food baskets only to put me on hold to answer their other phone call because they have "call waiting".

Norma said...

Nice to hear from you--you've been missed in the blogosphere of conservative librarians (a rare breed indeed).

mdoneil said...

About two years ago I stopped doing the bulk of my shopping at my regular chain supermarket (Publix). Now I go to the produce market, the butcher shop, Aldi and a restaurant supply store -GFS.

I buy things in bulk that will keep -50 pound sacks of flour. 1 pound packages of yeast. 1 gallon of vegetable oil.

I started making my own food and not buying frozen prepared meals. No more TV dinners.

I've started baking my own bread, baking banana bread (of which my mother always asks me to make a loaf for her too) .

Tonight I baked pork chops, baked potato, sliced tomato, and milk. I made garlic toast with some of the bread I made Sunday.

I have enough left overs for tomorrow.

My food bill is down by a third at least and I am eating better.

I've also stopped going to fast food restaurants.

Anonymous said...

Food stamps/link cards/whatever they are now called are still out there,at least here. But I have taken information on food pantry people and they sign up only to be denied because they have too high monthly incomes some by as little as $15.00. Being very careful that might last one person 10-12 days but not a month,so it isn't that they arent' still around it may mean the ends have been moved.I've helped some very smart food pantry users and some not so smart. I never felt I was a smart shopper but I have learned that I am better than I thought and hope I have helped some folks make better choices. I have never been hungry. That is quite a thought a week before Thanksgiving.

Anonymous said...

That's a problem when the government instead of churches run the food pantries (through the church plant). I'm sure there are people who would scam the sytem if there were not cross checking with other agencies, but it is supposed to be emergency--3 days, (or even 1 day at ours if the person has no ID), and was never intended to be anything else. The poor are very resourceful and know how to factor that in their budget which then can be for 27 days instead of 30.