Opinion: No American should go hungry. Supporting food banks and policy changes are part of the solution.

The U.S. exported 2.26 billion bushels of soybeans
in 2022. (Adobe Stock photo)

The United States is a top global producer of corn, wheat, soybeans, sugarcane, potatoes and rice. In terms of exports, it exceeds all other countries by trading more than 20% of what it grows. With all the food grown and exported, why do so many Americans live with food insecurity? They shouldn't, writes The New York Times editorial board.

One measure of how many Americans go hungry is the number of meals served by Feeding America in 2023: an astonishing 5.3 billion. "In a country of more than 330 million people, it is evidence of how widespread and persistent food insecurity remains," they write. "Food insecurity is defined by the Department of Agriculture as the lack of access to enough food for an active and healthy life. . . . In some of the poorest regions of America, mostly rural areas in the South, food insecurity among children is as high as 48%. But it is present in every county in the country."

Even as local, state and federal governments work to address how to feed everyone adequately, "Feeding America, a network of roughly 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries and meal programs, is filling the void every day for tens of millions of Americans," they write. "Feeding America needs help to continue this essential frontline work. The average cost of a single meal may be only $3.99, but when that is multiplied by the millions of meals required, it adds up to $33 billion that families need and don’t have for groceries."

Hunger is more prevalent in minority communities. The editorial board reports, "Roughly one-quarter of Black Americans experience food insecurity, as compared with 10 percent of white non-Hispanic Americans, according to a report by Feeding America. In some parts of the rural American South, roughly two-thirds of Black people are experiencing food insecurity."

Meanwhile, U.S. policy changes could address ongoing food insecurity by allowing more Americans to qualify for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The editorial board adds, "Most families of four that receive SNAP benefits have incomes below $40,560. Feeding America estimates that that leaves around 20 million people in a no man’s land, where they can neither afford sufficient food nor qualify for help to pay for it."