Food Documentary Discusses Hunger

Americans are generally known to be a pretty chunky bunch. We’ve all seen story after story on the ever-growing obesity epidemic in this country. What we don’t see nearly as much of is the other side of the coin – people who are hungry and do not have access to nutritious food.

I recently watched the trailer for the new documentary A Place at the Table, from the same folks who made the great and eye-opening Food Inc. (previously covered here).

The film’s website states:

50 million people in the U.S.-one in four children-don’t know where their next meal is coming from, despite our having the means to provide nutritious, affordable food for all Americans…

Ultimately, A Place at the Table shows us how hunger poses serious economic, social and cultural implications for our nation, and that it could be solved once and for all, if the American public decides-as they have in the past-that making healthy food available and affordable is in the best interest of us all.

It is pretty easy to understand that if the most nutritious foods – fruits and vegetables – are the most expensive, while corn and wheat are the cheapest (and most often found in processed food; thank you subsidies), then the poorest are going to suffer the most. When these folks actually get to eat, their stomachs are largely going to be filled with empty calories. This shouldn’t be happening in a country that produces so much good food.

The film advocates that all is not lost, because there are ways to get things back on track – the people of this country just have to demand it from their representatives. Hopefully, this film, along with wonderful organizations such as Share Our Strength, Bread for the World, Feeding America, and FRAC (partners on this project) will see this change become a reality.