The relationship that
obesity and hunger have is an example of just how
complex the issue of hunger can be. Sodexho supports
the America's Second Harvest statement on obesity and
hunger. America's Second
Harvest is the nation's largest
domestic hunger-relief organization.
America's Second Harvest statement on obesity.
Recently, obesity has been much in the news.
And, while obesity is a serious concern
for all Americans - young and old, rich
and poor - some
fail to appreciate the irony that hunger
and obesity can, and frequently do, co-exist,
sometimes
in the same household, the same family
and among the same individuals. Yes,
obesity is a problem,
but it is not America's only food-related problem.
For low-income families - just like the
rest of us - obesity is sometimes a problem
exacerbated by poor food choices, sedentary
lifestyles and a range of complex social and
physical causes.
Research now shows that for many low-income
families the problem of obesity may be linked
to their poverty and experience with food shortages.
Low wages, limited access to healthy foods, unsafe
neighborhoods where kids can't go out and play
all contribute to the problem of obesity in America.
Recent studies claim to reveal that children
too often go to bed "bloated on excess calories" rather
than go to bed hungry. That may be true
for many children in America. But, for nine million
children
that get food assistance from food banks,
pantries, soup kitchens and shelters, the over
abundance
of food is not a worry.
According to the most recent independent research,
America's Second Harvest, the nation's largest
hunger-relief charity is serving more that 23
million poor and working poor people annually,
including an average of 7 million different needy
people each week. Many, if not most of the people
we serve are struggling to find enough food to
ensure that hunger is abated one day at a time
and for too many, food of any kind will suffice.
We are not alone in calling attention to the
irony of hunger amidst such abundance. The U.S.
Department of Agriculture reported in 2003 that
hunger was and is a real and growing danger to
35 million Americans who may not know where their
next meal is coming from. And, of those people,
the USDA found that on any given day, more than
775,000 of their households would go hungry. This
type of deprivation in a nation of plenty rips
at the very fabric of our society and undermines
our national investments in education, health
care, and economic growth.
No less an expert on the subject than Eric M.
Bost, Under Secretary of Agriculture for Food,
Nutrition and Consumer Services said so, in his
testimony on April 3, 2003 before the Senate Committee
on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
"Hunger and obesity co-exist in the
U.S. and are no more mutually exclusive
than
cancer and heart disease. The Federal government
has a responsibility to address both, and
we are committed to ensuring access both to enough
food
and to the skills and motivation to make healthy
lifestyle choices."
