
Visualizing the World's Food Consumption - illdave
http://www.foodservicewarehouse.com/calorie-viz/
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mc32
If food is relatively cheap in the US (>7% of income) why are we so poor† at
making sure everyone is fed to a certain modicum?

†[http://www.worldhunger.org/articles/Learn/us_hunger_facts.ht...](http://www.worldhunger.org/articles/Learn/us_hunger_facts.htm)

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hugh3
Mostly a combination of

(a) that article being largely made-up BS to exaggerate the size of a problem
that barely exists (i.e. by using ridiculously broad categories for "food
insecure" and a measurement methodology which involves cajoling people into
agreeing that they are indeed "food-insecure") and

(b) the fact that a few people are _terrible_ at making life decisions and
somehow manage to prioritize some variety of stupid crap or another (drugs,
alcohol, gambling) over feeding themselves and their families.

Talking about "one seventh of households in the United States being food
insecure" is a complete joke, when there's people in those orange countries
that _really_ can't get enough to eat.

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mc32
I understand that there are people who make poor decisions. Nutrition,
however, since it's so relatively cheap and one of the most basic needs, I
think should have a safety net even for those who, thru their own fault, lack
access to such.

I know there are food programmes and soup kitchens --but those suffer from
poor funding. I mean, I feel that we should make sure everyone has access to
balanced nutrition (not talking gourmet --just good nutrition) regardless of
why they might not be able to afford it themselves.

~~~
typicalrunt
Yes, there are food programmes and soup kitchens, just like they existed
decades before. It seems that the problem isn't going away, so I have to make
the assumption that maybe it's something wrong with the food programmes and
soup kitchens?

On a certain level, when you are babying people and doing things for them,
those people learn to depend on you and not learn for themselves. Initially
those programmes were setup for the hardest hit people as a /temporary/
solution, but now it seems to have become a permanent one.

Just like lunch programmes at schools to feed kids. They shouldn't exist
because it teaches the parents that they don't need to think about feeding
their children something healthy every day of the year. It puts the onus on a
school system which is usually lacking in funds, so it makes decisions not
solely based on children's health. By allowing the school system to feed their
child, parents have extra income to spend on...what? In the Bronx, my wife was
seeing 6-7 year olds arrive to school hungry (breakfast and lunch programmes
were provided) but had the latest Timberland shoes and name-brand clothes.

It's sad, but people these days need to be educated about eating and
parenting.

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thenextcorner
Everyday I'm stunned about the low quality food we get served in the US.
Walking through a supermarket, reading labels, all processed food is too high
in calories, includes corn syrup and loads of sodium. Ever wondered why a
wonder bread can stay good for 2 weeks?

Yikes!

~~~
hugh3
This is a tired complaint. In fact, one of the most tiresome things I find
about America is the insistence of Americans upon complaining about how awful
things are in America (despite apparently limited experience with how things
are in other countries). It's some kind of mark of social status; due to the
tendency of lower-middle-class Americans to be irrationally patriotic, upper-
middle-class Americans feel the need to be irrationally anti-patriotic as a
status marker.

Anyway, the other poster is correct: while you _can_ if you're sufficiently
stupid go to an American supermarket and fill your shopping trolley with
garbage, you can also get a huge variety of amazing high quality food that
would be absolutely _astonishing_ to anyone living in all but a handful of
other countries, and _mega-astonishing_ to anyone living in any time period
prior to today. Your ancestors hoed fields for ten hours a day to scrape
together enough nutrition to not die, and you're turning up your nose at a
loaf of bread that can feed you for two days, costs the equivalent of 90
seconds' labour, and will remain edible for three whole weeks? Get some
perspective!

PS. Anyone thinking of replying to say that bread is evil and I should be on a
paleo diet: can we just assume we've already had this conversation and get on
with our days?

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marquis
When I visit the U.S. I love the variety that's available - it's
extraordinary. Whole Foods is a carnival to me and Trader Joes.. I don't know
how they do it. My U.S. friends complain about how expensive Whole Foods is,
but have they shopped at the Albert Heijn in The Netherlands lately, for
comparison? (not that I'm knocking Dutch cheese).

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brosephius
is anyone else a bit skeptical at the number of countries averaging over 3,000
calories/day? wouldn't such a person consistently gain a pound or two a month,
every month?

~~~
luser001
I was thinking the same thing. They probably divided
calories_produced/num_people (calories_produced being derived from
agricultural output).

I suspect it's a mix of undercounting people and _WASTED_ food being counted
as eaten.

I read an estimate somewhere that 25% of food in the US is wasted (it's not
that high in my house, my shamefully it's too high, and I have absolutely no
problem believing that number).

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VladRussian
>I suspect it's a mix of undercounting people and WASTED food being counted as
eaten.

no, it is what left after the wasted amount is taken out.

>I read an estimate somewhere that 25% of food in the US is wasted (it's not
that high in my house, my shamefully it's too high, and I have absolutely no
problem believing that number).

"In 2004, the U.S. food supply provided 3,900 calories per person per day.
Accounting for waste, the average American consumed 2,775 calories per day in
2007– an increase of 28% from 1970"

<http://css.snre.umich.edu/css_doc/CSS01-06.pdf>

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olegd
no Russia?

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archangel_one
It only shows the top 20 and bottom 20 countries, and Russia isn't in either
of those.

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mikecp
Indeed. According to the source links from this page, Russia averages 3,320
calories daily. Not sure about the percentage income spent, though.

