Food is a Human Right
Food is a human right. It is a resource every human on earth should have access to. Unfortunately, food insecurity, when one does not know where their next meal will come from, is an issue world-wide. Many people find themselves in a situation where they do not have enough money for food and feeding themselves and/or their families is uncertain. Some may find themselves making decisions between buying food and paying for other necessities of life such as housing, utilities, medicine. The reason food insecurity exists in a world with more than enough food to go around is because of the global economic system of capitalism. There is more than enough food available on earth to feed every single human being and therefore everyone should be food secure, there is no reason anyone should be left to starve or be food insecure.
Capitalism dictates that only those with money may buy access to food. It is an irrefutable fact that those with money can access food and those without money, cannot. Within capitalism there are food assistance programs available but they barely scratch the surface and they most certainly do not address the root cause of the issue. How does capitalism affect the food people have access to? Well, when the economy and way of life is structured around money and perpetually pursuing increasing profits, it is seen as “unprofitable” to ensure everyone is fed. The top executives at companies would rather sell their foods to people and make a profit instead of redistributing extra food. They make the conscious decision to ignore those who cannot afford to purchase foods in favor of making a profit from those who do have the money. In addition, the government in capitalist countries, such as the United States, would rather utilize the people’s taxes for other things. For example in 2022 the government spent $849 billion for the military budget. In comparison only 2.4% of federal spending was for the main food assistance program in the United States, SNAP. Clearly those in charge of making decisions do not prioritize ensuring that every person in the United States is food secure. The neglect and cruelty is causing millions of people to go without meals across the country.
A severe change is needed, one where humans recognize our roots in mutual aid throughout history and work together to ensure every single person’s needs are met. Humans are a social species and without the mindset of mutual aid seen in our species, and in many other species in the animal kingdom, we would not have survived throughout the millennia. For thousands of years humans have looked out for one another, they have shared resources and knowledge, they have aided each other when needed and this has allowed more humans to survive, especially during difficult times. We need to go back to those roots, we need to prioritize, as a society, those who are most in need. Nation-wide programs distributing food need to be implemented where resources are pooled together and given to those who need them. It is not enough to give people a small amount of money that does not cover their full needs, especially with all the hoops people have to jump through just to qualify for food assistance programs. It is not enough to have charities and organizations sporadically providing meals and groceries to communities while not addressing the root issue.
In order to have full-scale food distribution that ensures everyone is food-secure a complete overhaul of the capitalist economy needs to happen beginning with the people obtaining control of the pooled resources, aka federal taxes. Through making decisions like absolutely stopping military spending and transferring that money to ensure people’s needs are met, food-insecurity can be eradicated and food will be rightfully seen as the human right it is and everyone is guaranteed.
