Why The U.S. Can’t Solve Hunger

33.8 million Americans didn’t have adequate access to food, according to the latest report from the USDA. That’s despite the fact that U.S. is one of the wealthiest nations in the world based on almost every metric. In response, spending on food assistance programs like SNAP has grown exponentially, reaching a record of $182.5 billion in 2021. But food insecurity has remained relatively the same as it was in 2001. So why are so many Americans still hungry and what can be done to solve it?

Chapters:
00:00 — Introduction
01:51 — Financial pressure
05:40 — Effect on the economy
07:51 — Solving hunger

Produced by: Juhohn Lee
Edited by: Nora Rappaport
Animation: Jason Reginato
Supervising Producer: Lindsey Jacobson
Additional Footage: Getty Images, Food Bank for New York City
Special Thanks: Food Bank for New York City

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Why The U.S. Can’t Solve Hunger

[souljapolo]

I used to work for restaurants and it’s insane how much viable food these companies throw away. Enough to feed multiple families every night. It was painful to watch knowing the food shortage is just as high as the food waste.

[madiedamonsta]

I lost my job for 6 months and I visited food banks. I qualified for SNAP and I cannot begin to articulate how much my quality of life has improved since getting that help every month. I have been able to afford to go to the doctor, I have paid off some debts, I have moved to a nicer neighborhood, my quality of life has improved 10-fold. If you have any reservations about how this money is used, I'm in college again getting my degree and working full time. They're right, it starts with food.

[robertrussell]

It's not a question of can be done, a question of having the desire to make it happen.

[Silver_Rayn]

I am a veteran who is on disability & lives in low income housing. I don't qualify for SNAP. I don't even qualify for state medical. I rely on the VA for medical, which is 3 hours away. I no longer have a car, so I have to depend on others to get there. Because of this, a lot of medical issues are ignored until they become emergencies. There are so many veterans out there that have it worse off.

[noseefood]

I worked at Whole Foods and it was criminal how much food were thrown out 150-200 lbs of meat, bread and produce a day

[TruthSeeker]

The bow-tie man broke my heart. It should not be like this. It’s the lower class that suffers the most but lately my high paid friends are experiencing the same. It’s heartbreaking.

[longbeach]

America is a driven profit country. So if solving hunger does not line up investors and CEO pockets then it will never be solved. In most cases it will just get worse. The other issue is too many grocery stores are merging together to create a monopoly which means they will raise prices because lack of competition.

[MilePost]

You should do a video on food wasted in this country! It’s insane! Hunger can easily be solved in 3 words! Quit wasting food! These restaurants and grocery stores throw tons of food away each day. I was in the military and worked in the kitchen and the food they threw away each day was mind boggling. I remember when they made way to much tuna casserole we filled 3 garbage cans full and went to a farmer who picked it up and fed to his hogs. There is so much food waste in this country.

[edilee]

If I learned anything about the US after living here for 13 yrs, this will not be addressed until working people drop dead from malnutrition and start affecting companies' profits.

[djpuplex]

The problem isn't food it's housing and health care cost that swallow up people's budget.

[tres]

I worked in hotels in NYC and was shocked the amount of food thrown away. The reason why was legal and being sued if someone got sick. The problem is corporate greed

[Silver_Rayn]

I grew up with a single mother who didn't always have a stable job. We didn't always get school lunches & we frequently had to skip meals. At home, we had poor food choices that had to be stretched out. We usually moved once a year & rarely saw a doctor. My sister & I both have multiple severe health problems. I have a half-sister who grew up in a 2 parent home with all the advantages we didn't have. She has no health problems. I can't get my dad to see the correlation. He still thinks poor people just need to work harder.

[liquididentity]

a) its not profitable. b) they dont want to.

[oldsoul]

The gap between the rich and the poor is increasing. There is a lack of political will to solve hunger in the US. Many politicians are more interested in protecting the interests of corporations and the wealthy than in helping people who are hungry. The US has a culture of individualism, which means that people are often expected to solve their own problems. This can make it difficult for people who are hungry to get help, as they may be seen as being lazy or irresponsible.

[jennjones]

As a food service director, I will ALWAYS feed the kids. I would rather have my department go into the red and have to answer to the school board, then let a kid (no matter age) go hungry!

[maliyahrenee]

Middle class child here. My mom always made about 60k a year. She was a single parent of 4 kids and we never qualified for SNAP. But we didn’t always have food!! 60k a year 4 kids is seriously not enough I am a witness.

[jeanlundi]

Tackling issues like these requires empathy. As much as people like to b*tch about governments and corporations, the truth is the masses lack empathy. That's why we end up getting hung up on details around important issues. When there are strong enough arguments to convince people something basic and humane is not important enough or doable...it doesn't get done.

[ernststravoblofeld]

Weird how corporate consolidation tracks with food prices.

[MrObsvenchilde]

It makes it worse when you learn about the level of food that is thrown away everyday.

[opkimo]

I remember that US obesity/ overweight rate is highest in developed countries. How could it possibly happen that there are plenty people who are starving in US.