Alkon and Agyemen brought up a very important case that is always looked over; social justice in our food system.
We're always used to hearing rhetoric about the injustices done to animals to fuel our unconquerable hunger or the degradation of our environment.
But never do we pay attention of how class, race and giant corporations affect the way we eat.
They point the fact that local food groups, who try hard to enact good food policies, still rely on the market to "vote" with their dollar but there are millions of people who can't; they can only afford so much or so little.
Corporations dominate our food industry as starting stats like only 3 companies dominate global grain trade, Monsanto owns 41% of seed production.
The worst one that blew my mind was that in the past ten years hunger grew by 11% even while we make enough food to feed everyone 1.5 times over.
The fact is, is that many people can't afford food.
50 million Americans face food insecurity or lack to fresh foods.
It's amazing to see how capitalism can change our food in the name of profit; destroy the environment, plant millions of fields of monoculture and only give the best to the people who can afford it.
Food is as important as water and it is the public's right to have access to good, healthy food.
Yes, it is pretty insane that the world produces plenty of food that could easily feed everyone in the world, yet hunger rates in the world are still on the rise. The hunger problem isn't based in food production, it is based in the global economy. Money is the driving force behind everything in this world, even the most basic principles of human life.
ReplyDeleteIt's great that there are numerous non-profits with a mission of relocating uneaten and unspoiled food to communities and developing regions in need, but perhaps they are missing some bigger picture. I agree with Solomon in that economics is a key driver in hunger issue and sometimes people may get so tied up in the sentimental feelings of children starving that they forget to focus their efforts on what the real underlying cause is. Then again, these causes are hidden through the work of policians because of the money they receive in most cases.
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