Economic Inequalities In Food Supplies

The equal opportunity in food supplies has been affected by various factors that have impacted the economy affecting minority families with low income struggling for their food supply. Over the years, the numbers have decreased in the food distribution due to the downfall in the economy, and the lack of revenue for jobs and access to healthy fresh produce. Living in the United States it creates an illusion in equality to resources, jobs and education, it promises individuals a better lifestyle, but the nation is failing to distribute resources equally to minorities with low income. The socioeconomic background has an essential impact on the dispersal on resources to low income families. Being a U.S. citizens creates a belief that every citizen
is food secure, and that every single household in America has access to nutritious food that help every family member maintain a healthy lifestyle, and prevent any disease. Due to the low incomes and the decrease of jobs in the economy it has created an unbalance in the market system and the lack of availability to obtain nutritious food. It has been reported by a United States Department of Agriculture that various households in the United States were food insecure due to their lack of income, many low income minorities cannot afford organic fresh produce and sustain themselves on fast food. Being part of a low income minority dictates an unbalance in their nutritional intake and lack of a balance diet, the food they obtain from government programs is low in nutritional intake and high in high fructose corn syrup and artificial substances. The agriculture trade policy, subsidy various cash crops like corn and soybeans that undergo through a process that converts them into high fructose corn syrup which are processed mainly through fast food.
This creates a problem for farmers, it affects their crops such as fruits and vegetables which creates a rise in the cost of food products. For example in the article, “Building Sustainable Agriculture for Food Security in the Euro-Mediterranean Area: Challenges and Policy Options,” states, “a situation when all people, at all times, have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe and, nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life ”(Paciello). This implies an economic downfall, by the rise of food and the demand it has by various high income households that invest a great portion of their money on food. Certain families have their food secured by the type of job they obtain, and usually minorities which are low income families tend to have a lower demand in fresh produce due to the lack of funds. For example, if a numerous family income is ranging from less than twenty thousand a year then they don't have the money to spend on fresh organic produce and have high quality nutrition intake, instead they spend their money on food high in grease, deep fried, filled with artificial sweeteners causing them diabetes, obesity, or a cardiovascular disease. Another major factor is race and ethnicity which
causes food deserts, meaning the unbalanced income that racial minorities obtain which causes disparities between the distribution of food supply and revenue from grocery stores. This makes a relevance to the article, “Agricultural Cooperatives in the 21st Century,” it states, “While the United Nations promises that cooperatives will help lift communities out of poverty, the history of cooperatives in the United States has often converged with periods of economic and social stresses caused by dramatic shifts in agricultural production,” (Servin). It correlates by showing the relationship between minorities and their income, how they must sacrifice certain food items to be able to feed an entire family. The main cause for racial and income inequality throughout the country is due to the racial superiority some states have set, due to the migration to suburban areas and the gentrification of urban cities.
Minorities usually migrate to urban cities where jobs are more available, affordable housing can be found, and the availability of food is accessible (prices of food). In the article “Food Justice and Agriculture,” it mentions, “Accessibility is also envisaged from an economic point of view, thereby raising the issue of what is accessible, for whom and at what cost” (Hochedez, Le Gall). There is an economic and social gap that sets minorities to the disadvantage in the purchase of perishables. If higher wages were provided then many households would escalate economically, causing the reduction of poverty and a stable distribution of food supply. The correlation between the economic growth and wealth discrepancy has caused an economic expansion in the United States. The economic inequality has a minimal political interference, due to the independence markets obtain. In simple terms the higher the economic inequality escalates the bigger poverty expands which causes minimal distribution in food to low income minority families. Taxes and redistribution policies have a common goal to eliminate the inequality in income, what causes this is the assets that are taken from minorities with low income without being given any benefit or equivalency. In the book, Global Food
Futures, the author asserts, “ It is estimated that 85 percent of the increase in global demand for cereals and meat over the 1995-2020 period is likely to occur in the less-developed countries, with demand for meat in these regions doubling in the same period” (Gardner,69). The constant increases in food prices and downfall of income over the years, causes certain government policies to decline due to the lack of support from the economy. Unequal distribution in resources and revenue increase the political instability which become a menace to property rights and the capital accumulation of earnings. Various populations in developing countries have had a radical change by altering the consumption of meat, dairy products, and vegetable products. The countries that usually progress in their finances tend to improve their nutritional intake and have a more balanced diet. Usually this type of economic transition occurs due to the socio demographic factors (race, income, age, language, and education) they mainly influence the advancement in the food industry, the regulation in government trade/ tax policies, and helps minorities to increase their dietary options.