Great Nations Eat—Germany for America

[Driver 8]

Do we need Germany calling attention to our "hunger problem"? I don't know what the actual data on that is but thought this was interesting. 30 second video.

Direct YouTube link: youtube.com/watch?v=nACfGxgg4mQ

 

[Driver 8]

This may actually have nothing to do with Germany. Looks like it is a U.S.-based campaign.

greatnationseat.org

 

[Horn6721]

That I a BS stat,46 million suffer" food insecurity"
To arrive at that stat meant using anyone who answered they might have wonder about a meal one time in pat year

between SNAP, wonderful charities and schools providing 2-3 meals year round the only kids who have food insecurities are kids not in school and with parents who should be jailed if they use the SNAP for drugs

 

[Crockett]

Visit with teachers who teach in impoverished neighborhoods. I swear, all some people know about the poor is what they learned from frat boys.

 

[Musburger1]

Despite the dust bowl drought, there was ample food during the Great Depression. People went hungry because they had no money and there were no safety nets in place.

Today, there is currently plenty of food and plenty of people without money, but there are billions of dollars worth of programs to fend off poverty.

If the financial system were too implode, the subsidies would end and feeding the population would be a serious problem. Not only that, but the supply lines on which our delivery systems depend would be strained as credit dried up.

The American people are well taken care of, but our system is quite vulnerable to disruption and people are far less self-sufficient than in the first part of the 20th century. Very few people grow their own food as we rely on mega corporations to produce food and transport it to our communities.

 

[Mr. Deez]

Germans criticize Americans for a number of things, but a lack of food isn't one of them. In fact, they criticize us for being a bunch of fat, sedentary slobs who eat a lot of unhealthy and low-quality food. (By the way, they're right to criticize us for that. Not only do we eat terribly, our food royally sucks compared to theirs.)

You'll notice that they talk about more than a lack of food. They talk about the little girl's unhealthy diet and lack of nutrition, and that might resonate with Germans. They know the crap American kids (especially poor American kids) eat can't be good for their health. I don't think 46 million Americans lack food, but I do believe that 46 million are poorly nourished.

However, our food problems are mostly our own choice. We have generous government programs to provide food, and several private charities, grocery chains, and churches do the same. If a kid is hungry or malnourished, irresponsible parenting is usually the cause. Buy food with the food stamps, and buy apples instead of Twinkies.

 

[Horn6721]

MrD nails the crux
"However, our food problems are mostly our own choice."
We spend a lot of money trying to explain the importance of nutrition how to shop and how to fix easy nutritious meals, in addition to providing reasonably healthy school lunches year round in most school districts
not to mention the many great charities who provide prepared meals and food banks
not to mention SNAP WIC and TANF

So to Crockett's point when there are problems in inner city schools it is NOT lack of resources. Not sure what more charities, government or schools can do to make sure the parents spend the money we give them for semi healthy food.
Anecdotally how many of us have been behind people who use their SNAP card to pay for a cart piled high with regular colas( full of sugar) frozen pizza, bags of chips and salty snacks. ice cream bags of candy and of course Twinkies. not a piece of fruit or fresh food in the cart.
I have seen the EBT card used for that and then they whip out a regular credit card to pay $8.00 for nail polish, push the cart out to a brand new SUV.

Should these kids be taken from their parents? That is a form of abuse and can affect the kids health.

 

[UTChE96]

Visit with teachers who teach in impoverished neighborhoods. I swear, all some people know about the poor is what they learned from frat boys.

Most Americans have no idea what true poverty looks like. American poverty looks a lot different than poverty in much of the world. I have spent a lot of time in one of the former Soviet states where many of the villages did not even have running water and there is not a single obese person. Yet in America I see fat or able bodied beggars on nearly every street corner. When I hear Americans talk about poverty as if they have any idea what it looks like, it is borderline offensive.

 

[Mr. Deez]

We spend a lot of money trying to explain the importance of nutrition how to shop and how to fix easy nutritious meals, in addition to providing reasonably healthy school lunches year round in most school districts
not to mention the many great charities who provide prepared meals and food banks
not to mention SNAP WIC and TANF

I pretty much concur with your post. However, one thing I will add, most people who have money or government support eat what they enjoy eating and can acquire. We spend a lot of money providing healthier foods and educating people on nutrition. However, nothing's going to break the cycle of bad eating if everything that's unhealthy tastes good, while everything that's unhealthy tastes bland and unpleasant. It would be easier to sell the kid on eating fruit over Twinkies if the fruit tasted reasonably good, which it usually doesn't.

As an adult, I rarely ate fruit in the US. It's bland and has poor texture. Here in Germany, I eat fresh fruit almost everyday. Everything is sweet, juicy, and crisp. The best fruit I ever ate in the US was about as good as mediocre grocery store fruit here. And of course, the roads are often peppered with fruit stands that sell fruit that is spectacular. I didn't know it was possible for strawberries to be as good as they are here.

Taste definitely matters.

 

[texas_ex2000]

Visit with teachers who teach in impoverished neighborhoods. I swear, all some people know about the poor is what they learned from frat boys.

True.

You know what folks should also do? Go to the Phillippines (and not the shopping centers), go to the Horn of Africa, South Africa, heck... if that's too rough for some folks, go to Naples or Greece when your cruise ship makes a port call and walk in the slums.

That will put into perspective what poor is.