Summary Of Want Amid Plenty By Janet Poppendieck

In “Want Amid Plenty: From Hunger to Inequality”, Janet Poppendieck argues that hunger, particularly in the United States, is an issue that isn’t simply caused by a lack of food resources as one would assume, but instead, an issue rooted deeply in the “absurdity of our distribution system(Poppendieck 565).” and a result of wasting over a quarter of the food produced in the U.S. Poppendieck mentions how hunger, as an experience shared universally regarding socioeconomic status, “evokes actions” large numbers (Poppendieck 566).” Despite mentioning the benefit of food banks and charities which help redistribute food resources to those in need, Poppendieck warns the reader that although anti-hunger activity helps alleviate hunger issues, it can also unintentionally invisibly invisibly invigorate the inequalities caused by the system and perpetuate the current issue.
She highlights the relationship between food waste and hunger, pointing out how solutions regarding hunger should further involve the idea of seeking a way to re-distribute food to those in poverty. This relationship is also pinpointed by Janet Fitchen in “Hunger, Malnutrition, and Poverty in the Contemporary United States” where she argues the significance of hunger as a national problem in the United States, as it appears almost invisible to the public. Fitchen addresses the ongoing challenges of hunger, highlighting how poverty aggravates food insecurity and malnutrition among low-income families. She examines how dominant cultural norms regarding dietary choices influence the purchasing decisions of poor households, worsening their current living circumstances and amplifying the public’s stereotypes about