When we look at the fact that 8.9 percent of the world’s population is undernourished, it’s tempting to point to cheaper food as the solution. In reality, types of food available, access points, and distribution networks are far more influential in solving long term food insecurity.
Eradicating hunger is one of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. To do this, they have long looked at calorically dense options as most viable for solving hunger. However, this means that countries are investing in large transnational corporations and making fatty, sweet, and highly-processed foods cheap and accessible. Although this might offer temporary solutions, it doesn’t solve a long term issue of access to nutritious, healthy food.
So how can governments promote healthy food relief? Some chose to tax imports to protect domestic farming of fruits and vegetables. Others, including the US, Canada, and the EU heavily subsidize their farming sectors.
Investing in farmer education, specifically, regenerative agriculture will also give farmers the resources they need for reliable yields year after year, making the produce they offer less expensive for consumers. Investing in agricultural microgrids and a large volume of smaller producers also keeps control of the food chain out of the hands of large corporations that drive down prices with heavy processing, preservatives, and additives.
Improving infrastructures like roads and storage is another key component. Supporting suppliers that are offering healthy options in food deserts and ensuring that government programs like food stamps are available at these healthy food distributors is also important. Many families understand the benefits of fresh, healthy food, but have no access points to it in their immediate community.
New research has emphasized that simply making processed food cheaper leads to environmental degradation and doesn’t promote long term health benefits for the food insecure. In order to rectify food insecurity and promote lifelong healthy diets, governments need to be working on multifaceted approaches to making healthy food accessible and reliable, not just affordable.
