My experience with food consumption and insecurity in the United States is limited to my hometown of Bellingham, Washington, and the 28 states I have traveled to. While living in a town with a range of economic security in my schooling, I have seen many locations on the spectrum.
The Food and Nutrition Service and the U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) have established a federally recognized rule that allows students who meet eligibility criteria to receive free and reduced-price meals or free milk. These guidelines are used by “schools, institutions, and facilities participating in the National School Lunch Program (and USDA Foods in Schools), School Breakfast Program, Special Milk Program for Children, Child and Adult Care Food Program, and Summer Food Service Program. In FY 2019, schools served over 4.8 billion lunches to children worldwide. The annual adjustments are required by section 9 of the National School Lunch Act”, a program that has changed many peers’ lives.
Some children’s well-rounded meals and food come from their breakfast and lunch during the school year. This was an everyday stress for most of my community during the global pandemic. They did not have access to meals or produce. Luckily, a food drive was established, and meals were provided at select locations across the district. I hope that this continues, despite Covid-19 levels subsiding.
On a different note, food overconsumption in the United States is reaching new heights. While reading an analysis of the work of Feeding America, I learned that people waste 80 million tons of food every year, which equals 149 billion meals. We throw away over $444 billion worth of food annually. Feeding America, an organization that partners with food manufacturers, grocery stores, restaurants, and farmers, rescues food and delivers it to food banks. They rescued 4 billion pounds of groceries in 2023!
On a similar note, food waste also drives climate change. Rotting food contributes to extreme methane levels, a potent greenhouse gas and one of the driving forces behind global warming.
This topic has been a popular one since I was very young. When I was 12 years old, we were learning about food waste. In a class called Future Problem Solvers, we tried to come up with solutions to solve our world’s problems, yet food waste has been met with the most minor success.
Norwegians eat three or four regular meals daily, usually consisting of a cold breakfast with coffee, a cold lunch at work, and a hot dinner at home. Then, they may have a cold meal in the late evening. Their meals include bread, milk, cheese, and carbohydrate-rich foods like meat or fish. Norway experiences a high level of food security!
Norway continues to have minimal food waste and succeeds with its nutrition levels throughout the country.
In conclusion, addressing food insecurity and overconsumption requires multifaceted solutions that encompass policy reforms, community engagement, and individual action. By drawing lessons from both the United States and Norway, we can only analyze both problems that are occurring all over the world.