Food in the Crisis
By: Brandon Williams
Tags: Public Policy, Food, Healthcare, Pandemic Response, Human Rights

Photo by Victória Kubiaki on Unsplash

Food service programs during the pandemic have stepped up to the plate in this new food environment to provide security under this emergent global crisis. Our civic institutions have recognized the public shift in demand away from the private sectors food retail industry. With millions of Americans losing access to an income. Unemployment is on the rise and so is the demand on our organizations for food services. Presently there is a problem with economic access to food, and complexities within the system providing aid. Thus we have a potential third crisis looming.

With the outbreak of Covid-19 and the consequent economic depression growing food insecurity is making a fuss world wide.

Before the crisis, 40 million Americans were food insecure now over 1 in 5 households report being food insecure.

The demand within the commercial market from food retailers has diminished as restaurants close their doors.

Farmers see the demand for their services becoming more remote. As volume shifts else where within the food system,the supply chain struggles to adapt.

Farmers that provide the food retail industry with meat dairy produce etc, are dumping food and leaving produce in the field. The shrinking commercial market leaves produce, meat, dairy in limbo, while food pantries, food banks, and meal programs don’t have enough resources to meet the growing demand.

In Massachusetts alone, food pantries increased distribution by 849% during the first quarter of 2020. However, the demand is still not met. During the same period Charitable organizations such as Feeding America saw a 64% decrease in food donations.

It’s not that Food isn’t available, it’s that the access is being convoluted. It would seem that simple redistribution would be the answer but facilitating a simple solution requires public policy.

Shifting consumer behavior places stress on a not so resilient food system. Making this system more adaptable and more resilient is in our best interest. However, we can’t expect adaptation without conscious policy and social activity toward change.

If we want to ensure food as a human right our food environment needs to be more responsive to the shifting demands of those in need.

A shift in public policy toward increasing intercourse and infrastructure within the global food market for our civic institutions/organizations would ensure public health and wellbeing as its related to food.

Enabling our civic institutions this way would simplify a path to diverting a growing crisis in food insecurity.

Pushing for public policies that empower organizations that invest in our welfare is a responsible investment in our future.

the solution is granting organizations access to resources out of reach of the individuals and families they service.

Bridging the gap between institutions with emphasis on local and community organization and an access to the global food system should be the objective of policies attempting to solve growing food insecurity.These institutions are tasked with rectifying an active global crisis with the needs of the community they serve. This requires us to be proactive about getting policies on board that will expand infrastructure and broaden logistic capabilities for the services we appreciate.

Public policy should simplify a path to success for organizations whose role in the community is to counter the growing crisis of food insecurity.