Understanding how to define the global food crisis or even trying to understand when it began is challenging for a number of reasons. Several years of drought, poor harvest, increased use of biofuels and depleting biofuel supplies, and reduced world food stores are all implicated in the increased cost of food that have lead to food shortages in a number of countries. Globally, the hunger numbers have reached an all-time high of 963 million (14 percent); this number is the equivalent of one of every seven people.1 Stefan Steinberg reported that “since the start of 2006, the average world price for rice has risen by 217 percent, wheat by 136 percent, corn by 125 percent and soybeans by 107 percent.”2 On April 18, 2008, the New York Times reported that food fights broke out in Haiti, Egypt, and Burkina Faso and other sub-Saharan African countries due to food shortages. In the United States, the annual “hunger” numbers, released every year in October/November by the USDA, have hovered around 11 – 12 percent, but there are indications that the 2008 numbers might be much higher.3 A new book by Sasha Abramsky, Breadline USA: The Hidden Scandal of American Hunger and How to Fix It, uses hunger as a lens to explore the issue of poverty in America. With hunger and food shortage levels so high, why is obesity on the rise? Understanding the continuing paradox between hunger, food shortage, and obesity is simple and not simple; check out the Stop the Hunger Web site to see the numbers.
In addition to hunger due to poverty, the issue of food safety has hit the front page. On May 10, 2009, the New York Times reported that although our food supply is safer than ever, there have been a record number of food born outbreaks, from salmonella to E. coli. At last year’s APHA Annual Meeting, our Section talked about convening a new joint Food Security/Food Safety Committee to address issues of our food supply. Our effort will help guide APHA to advocate for maintaining the nation’s safety net and how to improve issues of food safety.
The last five years have been filled with books on the bestseller list focused on the ills of the U.S. food supply such as Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser, Food Fight by Kelly Brownell, The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan, Poison on Our Plates: The Real Food Safety Problem in the United State by Michele Morrone, and just this past month The End of Overeating by David Kessler. All of these books point out the concern of the U.S. food supply producing high fat, high sugar, highly processed and unsafe food. Together these books point to the concern that our children will suffer the consequences of our standing by and watching as the food industry drives the decreasing availability of healthy food options.
The good news is that in the midst of the global food crisis (that of food shortage, poor food availability, faltering food safety, availability of optimally nutritious food, and financial constraints), we have some burgeoning movements that are gaining traction. These include the whole foods movement and the sustainable agriculture and fair trade movement, as well as the locavore movement and increased availability of farmer’s markets. Also, encouraging words of a healthy food supply and optimally nutritious food are becoming more common. Will this have any affect on the food crisis? Best-selling books such as Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver; Slow Food Nation: Why Our Food Should Be Good, Clean, And Fair by Carlo Petrini; What to Eat by Marion Nestle; and In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan are inspiring.
Will these movements that are gaining awareness and popularity impact the global food crisis? Will these messages reach our most vulnerable populations? What are public health nutritionists to do? I think that we continue our efforts in the clinics, health departments, schools and communities. We reach out when we can, advocate when called upon to do so and strengthen the safety nets that we have. Consider joining a Food and Nutrition Section committee or being available when APHA needs a nutrition expert to help frame a nutrition-related policy issue, such as the one described in the following article.
1. http://www.bread.org/learn/hunger-basics/hunger-facts-international.html
2. http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=8794
3. http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/FoodSecurity/