MAP Youth Rifat talks about Food Insecurity & the Right to Food

FOOD INSECURITIES & FOOD RIGHTS

- By Rifat, MAP Youth Communication Specialist

Do you think we have enough food to feed everyone in the world? My guess was “obviously we don’t”, but the answer is not only do we have enough but we have more than enough food to feed everyone. As mind blowing as this is to me, I was more surprised to know why there are still people right at this moment going to sleep with an empty stomach.

We have the food needed, but the problem is the availability or access to food for individuals. For you, it's maybe a 10 min drive to a supermarket while some have to walk miles to just get water. And this is just one of the many food insecurities- disruption of food intake or eating patterns because of lack of money and other resources- that cause people to go to bed hungry.

Furthermore, some can't even afford enough food to keep them alive. Either the food itself is expensive or people in need receive little to no assistance from the government or community. You may still face trouble with getting food if you have access and afford it. How? It may be not nutritional or safe to eat such as some growers have less regulations and some use harmful pesticides. This is just one of the many reasons how your food can be unhealthy for you. All of these factors revolve around food securities that cause hunger. (To learn more about food insecurities check out this article on the Office of Disease Prevention & Health Promotion's website.)

Hunger and malnutrition can be defined as a condition that results from eating a diet in which one or more nutrients are either not enough or are too much such that the diet causes health problems - this is basic food rights. Wait, we have rights to food? Yes, it's a basic human right. Now you may ask what exactly does it mean to have the right to food? Well in wikipedia terms, it is the right of people to feed themselves in dignity, implying that sufficient food is available, that people have the means to access it, and that it adequately meets the individual's dietary needs. In easy words, the right to not be hungry and malnourished. These rights include the government and communities helping the poor/lower income families get sustainable access to healthy food and also in an affordable way. This idea /rights has been present since the 1900s and is still becoming more popular day by day. The United Nations has brought various programs to ensure this simple human right and still to this date there are numerous countries who have not signed or ratified these rights into their countries.

According to USDA statistics, more than 41 million Americans face hunger, including nearly 13 million children. This shows that even living in a high status country we still have a long way to go in solving the problem revolving around food and poverty. The idea/solution to food insecurity is present by implementing laws that will support and protect human rights. Hunger is a huge issue but no problem is big enough for mankind to fail at resolving that issue. (To learn more about food rights visit the Public Health Review's website.)

DID YOU KNOW: The MAP Mobile Market has market sites all over the city of Buffalo?! MAP brings fresh local, affordable and culturally appropriate fruits and veggies to neighborhoods who have limited or no access to healthy produce. Customers can pay for their purchase with cash, credit/debit, SNAP, Double Up Food Bucks, and Farmers Market Nutrition Program checks. Everyone is welcome to shop with us. To find out where our truck is, click here, or come by the MAP Farmhouse (387 Massachusetts Avenue) every Thursday from 3pm - 6pm!