On Food Insecurity and Productivity

Abstract

            More than 50 million Americans suffer from food insecurity, an issue arising from the growing economic chasm between rich and poor. Food insecurity can ultimately result in many disadvantages for children, men, and women in education, developing their habits, food preferences, and even sleep. Therefore, the ability of Americans to acquire sustainable, healthy food indicates the differences between the wealthy and poor in a variety of ways. Thus, I write to share the profound impacts of food insecurity, the differences between the rich and poor that it represents, and how Americans should interpret this information.

On Food Insecurity and Productivity

Sitting on the carpet of an apartment in a poverty-ridden neighborhood in the Bronx, a child in a family of six sits, stares at the pantry, walks over to it with his stomach growling, and opens the door. Inside lay five empty shelves with nothing more than a bag half-full of stale chips that expired three years prior and a can of green beans. The child, like many others in the neighborhood, does not know when the next meal could arrive or what it might look like. Sadly, nearly 15 million more children in the United States live in this same condition: inadequate nourishment.

Food insecurity, similar to malnourishment in the United States has become an increasingly pressing issue as women, men, and children across the country are suffering from the increasing disparity of income between America’s rich and poor. This gap provokes many negative outcomes regarding food insecurity. Thus, denoting a correlation, food insecurity often indicates a disparity between rich and poor, regarding socioeconomic status, differing food preferences, education levels, and habit choices.

The lack of food security in many households has indicated a polar shift in economic resources between those who are and are not food secure. One study from the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion illustrates this very well. Households facing unemployment or low income bear the load of food insecurity as an effect of not being able to have access to readily available foods. 31.6 % of households with low income levels were food insecure, while the nation’s food insecurity levels were substantially less (Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, n.d., para. 3). This indicates that a negative correlation exists between income and food insecurity levels, denoting that as income levels decrease, food insecurity levels increase and vice versa.

In addition to an economic disparity being indicated from food insecurity, rich and poor Americans also have very different food preferences as an additional result. Anna Vlasits (2016) claims that low income families eat very poorly, while high income families eat very healthy. Over the past two decades, neither rich nor poor have increased the amount of vegetables they eat in America; however, wealthy Americans have already and continue to eat more healthy vegetables than poorer families. In the fruit category, the lower end of the income spectrum did not improve within the period between 1999 and 2012, while the wealthy improved significantly, consuming more real fruits and replacing sugary fruit juices. Both groups increased their consumption of whole grains; however, the gap still remains with wealthier citizens eating more whole grains than lower income citizens. In contrast, only wealthy Americans increased their consumption of nuts and seeds. Yet, poor Americans consumed nearly twice as many soft drinks as their economic counterparts (para. 11). In addition to this, media has been targeting poor Americans as victims of food insecurity and relentlessly cheaper, unhealthier foods as viable options of consumption, provoking them to waste more money on less, non-nutritionally valuable food. This media, in an additional fight, urges consumers to believe the false notion that healthier products ultimately cost more when, most times, they do not, furthering the differences in food preferences between Americans.

The inability to acquire food has also spawned very different education levels between America’s poor and rich. Deeds (2015) writes that mental health problems, hospitalizations, and a poorer quality of life are prevalent with the food insecure. Not only do these ailments take time away from school, but they also can heavily weaken immunity to future diseases, viruses, and infections, taking more time from the education of the malnourished. Moreover, children in food insecure homes are more likely to flunk, not show up to school, and show less significant progress in math and reading (Deeds). Therefore, because of the lack of nutrition and daily vitamins and minerals that food insecure families are not obtaining, they are at a severe disadvantage in school. Also, school provides the primary building blocks necessary to succeed in the labor force. Thus, if 50 million food insecure Americans are lacking these building blocks, then success in the work force is also unlikely.

A lack of nutritionally valuable food also leads to harmful biological, psychological, and physical effects. When deprived of necessary nutrients, the body harmfully feeds off of its own bi-products including glucose, fat, and protein. Subsequently, hunger, a lack of focus, and fatigue set in. Because of these psychological effects, food insecure Americans, who are in school, lie at a major disadvantage in retaining educational curriculum. Not only this, but they also become easily exhausted from assignments, fall asleep during classes, and do not follow valuable instructions. Consequently, many food insecure students receive below passing grades, fail classes, or even fail to find a purpose for showing up to class simply because of a lack of food.

Different food habits are also a highly significant effect of food security and insecurity. Having witnessed the differences between rich and poor American’s eating habits due to a varying level of food security, many of these habits have grown to encompass wealthy citizens eating with several sets of cutlery, while poor Americans often eat food with simply a single utensil or their hands. In addition, wealthy citizens are more likely to possess a variety of food for consumption. Take for instance the previously mentioned child in the Bronx. Although he might have only a bag of chips and a can of vegetables, a child in upstate Manhattan might have 100 times the variety of food. Therefore, economic differences, spurring different levels of food security, can equally alter the habits Americans take part in in the presence of food.

Food insecurity leads to overeating when the opportunity arises. Poor children, who go to school, ask for food from other students, making up for a deficit in their diet of meager portions. When food insecure Americans go to food gatherings in the community or at local churches, they take as much as possible, leaving their hunger idle until the servings run out.

On the opposite side of the spectrum however, rich citizens do not have to worry where or when their next meal will come from. Moreover, having a wider variety of food allows them to develop their taste, ultimately expanding their pallet. This diversity in the pantry allows them to cook and experiment with a greater variety of not only tastes, but nutrition as well. The food secure, wealthy Americans are able to have greater freedom regarding what they eat, how they eat, and how they can make their food work in their favor. In addition, the upper-class citizenry has the funds capable of purchasing the higher quality, more expensive, and, mostly, healthier food options, allowing this group to maintain its mental, emotional, and physical well-being.

Moreover, upper-class Americans are able to buy in bulk for natural disasters, food shortages, and even leisure. Because of this, they never worry about their next meal, allowing themselves to be able to think about their dreams and aspirations. Their ability to buy more food at once reduces their anxiety about future meals, travel time and money commuting back and forth to the grocery store, and the cost per item on which they spend. As a result, modern day aristocrats have their mind at ease when regarding food.

This ease can also turn into wastefulness though. In contrast to many lower-class Americans, the rich waste substantially more food than the poor. The poor, who have to save every crumb they buy, cannot afford (monetarily nor biologically) to waste food. In contrast, the wealthy have food to spare, so throwing away the extras they do not eat will not hurt them.

Another disparity also exists within the realm of sleep. Sleeping while on an empty stomach can contribute to a host of problems that many economically sound individuals do not have to worry about. For instance, sleeping while hungry can cause sleep deprivation and disturb natural sleep cycles, making for a bad night’s rest. Additionally, a lack of sleep can fail to allow muscle proteins to consolidate. When sleep lacks, immunity against diseases and illnesses can wane as well. Furthermore, when sleep lacks due to hunger, the metabolism of Americans with food insecurity can be lowered. Not only can metabolism be lowered, but immunity for diseases including diabetes and obesity, due to the loss in metabolism, can also be hindered greatly. Hunger pains can also keep brain activity on high alert. This indicates yet another disparity that arises concerning food insecurity: sleep. When a food shortage arises, sleep can lack. However, when a surplus of food exists, sleep and memory consolidation thrive.

Malnourishment and food insecurity can cause great disadvantages to American citizens who cannot acquire enough food for their families, leaving men, women, and the child in the Bronx to starve, further prohibiting them from educating themselves, developing their socioeconomic status and their habit choices, and accentuating their food preferences. In effect, 50 million Americans are being left to suffer in school, in the choices they make, and in the variety of food they provide themselves with…all as a result of food insecurity.

References

Deeds, C. (2015, August 24). Food for thought: how food insecurity affects a child’s education [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.aypf.org/blog/food-for-thought-how-food-insecurity-affects-a-childs-education/

Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. (n.d.). Food insecurity. Washington DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Taste of Home. (n.d.). Food. Print Advertisement. Retrieved from https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/barbecued-burgers/ 

Vlasits, A. (2016, June 21). The growing diet divide between rich and poor in America. Statnews.com. Retrieved November 22, 2019, from https://www.statnews.com/2016/06/21/growing-diet-divide/