Do We Feed World Hunger?

It is no secret that the United States is a relatively obese society compared to the rest of the planet. Economic factors such as the range of food production and transportation with the country helps explain this problem. And like every other pressing issue these days, obesity and its opposite, hunger, have made its way into politics and social headlines. However, as legal actions to limit obesity such as New York mayor Michael Bloomberg’s ban of “above average” sized sodas take effect, social movements try and do the same. But what if there are factors so deeply rooted in American society that we skip over them when trying to solve the food problem?

Obesity does play a part in the hunger problem and it is important to analyze the resulting inequality between the United States and averagely less fed nations. Thus, this brings us to that “invisible” food factor that differentiates America from the rest of the world. Simply, its commercialism. The United States places just as much emphasis on it fast food as it does its safety. On average, 87% of American television channels regularly show a fast food commercial or relating promotion for food. However, this figure drops to 76% when showing a government or locally funded Public Servant Announcement.

Television is a key part of this commercial problem. Forgoing the often protested numbers concerning fast food advertising, subliminal consumption promotion often goes unnoticed as a problem. For example, the Food Channel. Americans who watch this network don’t often consider the cooking instruction shows or cooking elimination shows that play for money as a problem. Not only are a large portion of American consumers subliminally influenced to purchase and consume the edible products they see on television, many of these food products are financially and personally wasted. I’m making the statement, many of our cooking game shows are wasteful.

Why waste hundreds or even thousands of dollars in cooking equipment, studio production, and even food itself to usually pay a competitor, sometimes not even a cook, a limited amount of money? For American entertainment? We have other ways of occupying our time. This food can be given to the hungry and this money can be given to needy. This is such a vague solution sure, but it is a start. When considering the sheer amount of cooking game shows, then the amount of episodes every season for an expanse of seasons, the food wasted ads up. At this point, American television has become a garbage dump for food and capital not given to those who really need it.

Of course, the United States isn’t the only country with these types of shows, but not all of them are entirely wasteful. Although its a bit silly in the bigger picture, Master Chef Australia has donated non-used food to feed the homeless, most notably given to Ozharvest.

There may always be an obesity problem in the United States and there might always be hunger in the world. These are two unchangeable states, one due to the nature of the world and the other due to the nature of out nation. However, unchangeable does not mean that it can’t be worked upon. American society has deeply lost its sense of priority concerning it own citizens and the world population. Eliminating the production of cooking competitions is a major step if even if it sounds like it wouldn’t be, for they and other similar programs or so ingrained in this nation’s makeup. But progress can be made. And right now, we are not making it.

There is a clear path to helping this problem and the United States is ignoring it to save screen time for Bobby Flay. We don’t have to make a radical change here; we just need to stop feeding hunger.