Obesity, Hunger, Addiction

Here is the conundrum of obesity, food scarcity, and wasted food. The problem in the United States is particularly acute: among OECD countries, the US ranks poorly in adult and child obesity; despite the abundance of food produced in America, millions of people suffer from food insecurity; and when it comes to throwing away perfectly edible food, we are unequalled. It is indeed a puzzling set of circumstances.

Food insecurity will undoubtedly remain a central dilemma and embarrassment in a nation of plenty. The problem will not have a sympathetic ear from the second Trump administration. Feeding America estimates that in just the first few months of 2025, the administration has cut about $1 billion in federal aid to anti-hunger groups.

While drug overdoses cut across rural-urban boundaries, death rates from overdoses in rural areas now outpace the rate in large metropolitan areas, which historically had higher rates—Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2022)