President of the United States, Joe Biden, outlined his strategies for eradicating hunger in the nation.
The government official said that his initiatives were to boost US nutrition assistance programs, raise the minimum wage, and expand the child tax credit.
Biden did this during the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health. However, before achieving its objective, the government will need to overcome a number of obstacles.
Even though the pandemic is almost over, as seen by the loosened restrictions inside and outside the nation, the economy is still struggling to recover. Meanwhile, inflation is at an all-time high, driving up the cost of products.
As a result, the cost of groceries, petrol, and electricity has increased dramatically, and the typical American household finds it difficult to keep up.
In the end, the climate disaster makes the food crisis worse as crops are severely harmed by intense heat and frequent storms.
The Biden administration will still stick to its strategy, which calls for eradicating hunger in America by 2030, notwithstanding these factors.
This, according to Biden, may be accomplished by enforcing laws and regulations with vigor and by encouraging public-private collaborations.
Additionally, the Biden proposal will largely increase nutrition support programs and expand the number of healthcare initiatives that address the specific medical requirements of undernourished people.
“If you look at your child and you can’t feed your child, what the hell else matters? In America, no child should go to bed hungry. No parent should die of disease that can be prevented,” Biden said.
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Centered on the pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic brought on numerous health problems in the American population. Not only did it claim lives, but it also contributed to the rise of diet-related illnesses and problems with food security.
In addition, people with pre-existing medical disorders such as diabetes, obesity, and hypertension were more likely to need intensive care as a result of covid than those without.
“So many of you were there to help your fellow Americans who lost their jobs, closed their businesses, faced eviction, homelessness, hunger, loss, control, maybe worst of all, lost hope and dignity,” the president added.
The Biden administration led government aid efforts to improve food security to obstruct the pandemic’s issues.
However, with the pandemic’s end in sight, pandemic benefits will also disappear, with experts concerned that this year’s rates of food insecurity could rise.
Government to partner with the private sector
The accomplishment of Biden’s relationships with non-profit groups and private entities is crucial to the strategy’s success. The private sector has invested more than $8 billion during the Biden administration.
For instance, John Tyson, his company’s vice president and chief sustainability officer, donated $250 million so that people would have increased access to protein-rich foods at food banks.
“Some of the most successful government programs focused on health and nutrition are built around collaboration with the private sector. That’s another example of where an event like this could potentially yield some innovation around how we get food to people who need it,” stated Tyson.
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More work for the government
Others believe that the government should take on a larger role in the plan, even though many in the private sector are more than happy to provide a helping hand to the government.
“We need urgency and the political will to end hunger, which only the federal government is equipped to truly address. Relying on charities will only dilute that effort,” said Josh Protas, the public policy vice president of MAZON, an anti-hunger group.
“Ultimately, we can’t just outsource our collective responsibility; we can’t foodbank our way to ending hunger,” he added.
Photo Credit: Evan Vucci
Source: NPR
