The Link between Obesity and Hunger

America's Second Harvest statement on obesity.

Recently, obesity has been much in the news. And, while obesity is a serious concern for all Americans - young and old, rich and poor - some fail to appreciate the irony that hunger and obesity can, and frequently do, co-exist, sometimes in the same household, the same family and among the same individuals. Yes, obesity is a problem, but it is not America's only food-related problem.

For low-income families - just like the rest of us - obesity is sometimes a problem exacerbated by poor food choices, sedentary lifestyles and a range of complex social and physical causes.

Research now shows that for many low-income families the problem of obesity may be linked to their poverty and experience with food shortages. Low wages, limited access to healthy foods, unsafe neighborhoods where kids can't go out and play all contribute to the problem of obesity in America.

Recent studies claim to reveal that children too often go to bed "bloated on excess calories" rather than go to bed hungry. That may be true for many children in America. But, for nine million children that get food assistance from food banks, pantries, soup kitchens and shelters, the overabundance of food is not a worry.

According to the most recent independent research, America's Second Harvest, the nation's largest hunger relief charity is serving more that 23 million poor and working poor people annually, including an average of 7 million different needy people each week. Many, if not most of the people we serve are struggling to find enough food to ensure that hunger is abated one day at a time and for too many, food of any kind will suffice.

We are not alone in calling attention to the irony of hunger amidst such abundance. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported in 2003 that hunger was and is a real and growing danger to 35 million Americans who may not know where their next meal is coming from. And, of those people, the USDA found that on any given day, more than 775,000 of their households would go hungry. This type of deprivation in a nation of plenty rips at the very fabric of our society and undermines our national investments in education, health care, and economic growth.

No less an expert on the subject than Eric M. Bost, Under Secretary of Agriculture for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services said so, in his testimony on April 3, 2003 before the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.

"Hunger and obesity co-exist in the United States and are no more mutually exclusive than cancer and heart disease. The Federal government has a responsibility to address both, and we are committed to ensuring access both to enough food and to the skills and motivation to make healthy lifestyle choices."