All language subtitles for Why The U.S. Can’t Solve Hunger [DownSub.com]

The U.S. is one of the
wealthiest nations in the

world. It ranks first
based on total GDP and

seventh based on GDP per
capita.

Yet when it comes to food
security, America ranks

22nd among developed
countries.

People are working hard
every day in this country

to bring food home for
theirselves and their

families. But right now,
in the United States, we

are facing a hunger
crisis.

33.8 million Americans
didn't have adequate

access to food, according
to the latest report from

the USDA. That's 13.5
million or 10.2% of all

U.S. households in 2021.

I literally stand on
Second Avenue at 4:00 in

the morning. I'd get off
the subway and go around

behind the restaurants
and wait for the bakeries

to deliver bread.

When you're that hungry
to steal bread from the

restaurants behind the
stores, you're hungry.

Spending on food
assistance programs has

grown exponentially,
reaching a record of

$182.5 billion in 2021.

But food insecurity has
only improved slightly

since 2001.

While the number of
people experiencing very

low food security grew
slightly during the same

period.

We see times when the
economy is doing better,

it improves. But we
haven't seen major

movements on the metric,
I would say.

The latest research from
the Bread Institute in

2014 says the U.S.

has lost almost $5.5
billion due to lost

productivity caused by
hunger.

It's much less expensive
to feed you than it is

many other of our
societal challenges.

Let's start with food,
because the impact on the

system is incredibly
expensive and will live on

for generations.

So why are so many
Americans still hungry and

what can be done to solve
it?

Food prices soared to
record heights in 2022,

pressuring households
already in a pinch.

Annual food at home
prices climbed by 11.4% in

2022 compared to the year
prior.

Food inflation, as we've
seen during the pandemic,

has gone up, driven in
large part by supply chain

disruptions and shortages
of food supply during the

pandemic.

Several experts point to
income as the major cause

behind food insecurity in
America.

Issues of affordability
and equity are the two

driving forces across the
United States.

You can be working, yet
you still need help.

And so the wages are not
carrying Americans far

enough.

The resources they have
are so strange that paying

the light bill, paying
for child care, gas to get

to work is trading off
against food.

The financial pressure
from buying food gets

higher, the less you make
.

In 2021, the bottom 20% of
households with the lowest

income spent 30.6% of
what they made on food,

compared to just 7.6% for
households in the highest

income quintile.

It's a problem that
Gregory Bruce, a bow tie

maker in Harlem,
experiences every day.

I have actually $0.88 in
my bank account right now.

June was not a good bow
tie month.

I'm not crying, but I
still come here every

afternoon and get my
dinner, which I don't eat

until 7:00.

The food bank is open
five days a week,

generally. Saturday and
Sunday, there's no food

available. And that's
when it hits you.

Meanwhile, nearly a
quarter of households that

include a working adult
with a disability were

food insecure, compared
to just 7% of households

without disabilities.

The leading predictor of
food insecurity in United

States is disability
status by far, especially

mental health challenges.

Socially disadvantaged
individuals are the ones

most heavily impacted by
food insecurity.

Take communities of
color, for example.

Nearly 1 in 5 Black
households and 16.2% of

Hispanic households
suffered from food

insecurity in 2021,
compared to just 10.2% of

non-Hispanic minority
households and 7% of white

households.

Income is important, but
the more important thing

is the constraints that,
especially those who are

most vulnerable amongst
us are facing.

If economic opportunity
isn't equally shared,

which it isn't yet in our
country, that means that

it's going to have the
same impact on food

insecurity, and it's a
problem we need to

address.

Food deserts have also
been widely blamed as

another main cause of
hunger.

USDA estimates that about
53.6 million people, or

17.4% of the population
in the U.S.

live in areas considered
low income and low access,

meaning the nearest
supermarket is more than

one half mile or 10 miles
away.

Food deserts are something
that plague us.

It's part of the
systematic failure that we

have in America.

If you don't have access
to food, you are just

increasing your chances
of greater food

insecurity.

But some experts argue
that access isn't the

issue. A 2018 study from
the National Bureau of

Economic Research
concluded that exposing

low-income households to
the same products and

prices as high-income
households had no

meaningful effects on
eating habits.

All of us in the food
insecurity space know that

they're completely
irrelevant. I'd much

rather have somebody
have, say, a Walmart

within 1.5 miles than a
poorly stocked food store

within two blocks.

In other words, it's food
prices that matter, not

food access.

I think part of this is
how problems compound

problems. If you are
someone who's living in

poverty, has very low
income, you might be

living in a neighborhood
that doesn't have great

access to high quality
grocery stores.

So they are a little bit
mutually reinforcing.

But to me it is the
economics and the income

are the biggest drivers.

Food insecurity is an
expensive burden to the

U.S. economy as a whole.

Food security should be a
business imperative.

It relates to
productivity. It relates

to a team that can come
in every day and work and

create a product.

If your workers are
hungry, they're going to

struggle with work.

The latest research from
the Bread Institute says

the U.S. has lost over $5
billion due to lost

productivity caused by
hunger as of 2014.

If a child is hungry, you
cannot teach them.

It's not going to happen.

And if that brain doesn't
develop properly, then

there is going to be all
kinds of societal problems

carried on for
generations.

Bread Institute also
estimates the cost of

special education caused
by hunger to be over $5.9

billion in 2014, while
nearly $13 billion are

lost due to dropouts
attributed to food

insecurity in the United
States that same year.

It frustrates me that our
political system and

politicians don't grab
something so easy.

It's much less expensive
to feed you than it is

many other of our
societal challenges.

Let's start with food,
because the impact on the

system is incredibly
expensive and again, will

live on for generations.

The latest data from
Feeding America estimates

that food insecurity
costs the U.S.

$52.9 billion in
health-care costs back in

2016.

There's so many negative
health consequences

associated with food
insecurity.

A 2022 analysis from the
American Action Forum

estimates that just four
nutrition related chronic

diseases among 18 to 64
year olds cost the U.S.

$16 trillion between 2011
and 2020.

When you are hungry, your
body takes your body away.

You are consumed by your
inner self.

Your brain doesn't
function right.

You don't think well.

Everything goes wrong.

And if you're a senior
citizen, especially if you

have some problems with
walking or you've got some

kind of intrinsic ailment
or something like that,

that's going to get
exacerbated beyond

control.

Food insecurity is
absolutely a solvable

problem.

In a wealthy country like
ours, that people are not

having enough food. This
is a solvable problem.

The U.S. Department of
Agriculture budgeted $163

billion for major
nutrition assistance

programs in 2022.

Among them, Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance

Program, or SNAP, is the
largest domestic food

assistance programs for
low-income Americans.

Center on Budget and
Policy Priorities estimate

that SNAP reduces the
overall prevalence of food

insecurity by as much as
30%.

SNAP or the Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance

Program is what we have
called food stamps for

many years. This
electronic benefit is

available to Americans
that qualify based on

their household size and
their income.

You give individuals an
EBT card which allows

people to shop alongside
their neighbors and

friends in their local
food stores.

SNAP is an amazing,
amazing program.

It sets out to alleviate
food insecurity and study

after study has
demonstrated that it does.

But despite its
effectiveness, many are

falling through the
cracks. SNAP eligibility

is based on the poverty
threshold, but the Union

of Concerned Scientists
estimate that almost 1 in

5 households with incomes
between 130% and 185% of

the poverty threshold do
not qualify for SNAP, even

though they are
considered food insecure.

We have heard concerns
that SNAP isn't available

to enough families in
need.

It is a program that is
highly targeted to very

low-income families, and
Congress sets the

eligibility criteria for
SNAP, and they certainly

have the opportunity to
review those rules and

take a look at whether
the program could be

expanded.

A major complaint
concerning SNAP also

revolved around its
amount.

In 2021, 1 in 3
households that received

SNAP still had to visit
the food pantry due to a

lack of budget.

6 out of 10 SNAP
recipients also reported

that food prices
prevented them from buying

nutritious food.

That was until a big
change was made the same

year.

The Thrifty Food Plan was
increased by 20%, which

means everybody's across
the board, SNAP benefits

increased by 20%.

I mean, that was a big,
big deal.

So in other words, yes, I
think SNAP benefits should

be somewhat higher.

But on the other hand, a
20% increase in benefits

is great. I think we
should increase them

further. 20% is great,
though, and I don't want

to, I never want that to
be diminished.

So we're really pleased
with the benefit that the

program offers. We'll be
able to do that

reevaluation every five
years under federal law.

And we'll keep looking at
whether the program is

accomplishing its goal,
which is supporting

families with enough
money to purchase a very

basic but healthy diet.

Aside from increasing
SNAP, advocates suggest

additional programs that
focus on feeding the most

vulnerable.

America doesn't seem to
like us or think about us

in the way that they
think about other things.

You know, this is not
political. This is far

beyond politics.

We need to feed our
elders. They've served.

We need to feed our
veterans. They have

served. We can start with
some simple things.

We just need to feed
children. We need to make

sure there is good food
in every school, every

public school in the
United States.

Big task. But it would
make a huge difference.

In 2022, the Biden-Harris
administration pledged

more than $8 billion to
end hunger by 2030.

We can do this, end hunger
in this country by the

year 2030 and lower the
toll.

Lower the toll that
diet-related diseases

takes on for too many
Americans.

This goal is within our
reach.

Ultimately, the key to
ending hunger lies in

solving the core issues
that cause Americans to

struggle in the first
place.

At the White House
Conference on Hunger,

Nutrition and Health, the
president called for an

all of government, all of
society approach.

I think what's really
different and special is,

in addition to saying we
need to strengthen our

federal nutrition
programs to tackle hunger,

the president is also
saying we need

investments, again,
further upstream in the

problem, whether it's
better wages, affordable

child care, affordable
housing, investments or

refundable tax credits.

Investments in those
places will result in

fewer people needing food
assistance.

And think it's really
core to our approach in

addressing hunger.

I can assure you there is
enough food in America.

I can assure you there's
enough money in America.

The challenge is
connecting those and

ensuring that people have
enough money to get enough

food.