Hunger Across the Globe

Most of us have felt hunger at some point in our lives, often as a passing sensation before a meal.  But for much of the world, hunger is an everyday experience tied to food insecurity.  Food insecurity means not having consistent access to enough safe, nutritious food and not obtaining it without resorting to emergency food programs, scavenging, or stealing.  If you are food insecure, you may skip meals, eat less healthy food than you want to (because you are forced to eat what is available), and may need to rely on food banks or emergency food programs. As of the 2025 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report — the most current UN data — an estimated 673 million people (8.2% of the global population) faced hunger in 2024, and about 2.3 billion people experienced moderate or severe food insecurity.  Source: https://data.unicef.org/resources/sofi-2025/

Malnutrition is defined as poor nutrition and is often a result of food insecurity.  Malnutrition can present in two ways:

• Undernutrition:  when people do not have enough food, resulting in both a lack of calories (energy) and nutrients.  In areas where agriculture and/or food distribution are interrupted by bad weather, poor policies or systems, or even war, people may not get enough food.
• Overnutrition:  when people consume too many calories but not enough nutrients.  Much of America suffers from overnutrition; the population eats a diet of highly processed foods that are low in nutrients yet unnecessarily high in calories.

We have a few federal programs to help feed people, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).  But what is the long-term answer?  How do we reduce malnutrition worldwide and successfully feed everyone?  The path forward lies in sustainable food systems.

A Solution to Hunger:  Sustainable Food Systems

A sustainable food system meets our current needs and supports an ongoing ecosystem for future generations without damaging the environment. Some challenges to building a sustainable food system include:

• Making food affordable and accessible.
• Building a system that supplies highly-nutritious food.
• Eliminating food deserts.
• The negative impact of industrial technology on food production and distribution.

What can you do to help create better food systems?  On the policy level, support laws that require farming methods to be sustainable.  On a personal level, eat more locally grown foods.

The Impact of Industrial Technology on Food Production & Distribution

The food industry is a trillion-dollar business that starts on the farm and ends in your home. Along the way, a great deal of industrial technology shapes — and sometimes damages — the food, the process, and the environment. The U.S. government subsidizes only eight crops, which narrows the diet available to Americans and makes farmers more likely to choose a small variety of plants. Additionally, farmers use many herbicides and pesticides to improve yield; these chemicals end up in the water we drink and ultimately harm the environment. After harvest, produce is often processed to enable long-distance shipping. Although preservation increases the amount of food available, the process frequently adds salt or sugar or strips food of important nutrients. There is also an inherent cost to shipping items: energy and fossil fuels are expended to move food long distances, with negative impacts on both the food and the environment. Industrialization has allowed improvements to parts of the food production and distribution system — but at what cost? Similar, and even more complex, issues affect sectors involved in livestock raising, fishing, and farmed seafood.

What does Agriculture Look Like in Arizona?

Living in the desert, you might not expect to find many farms — but cattle are raised in every county in Arizona. Agriculture is a significant industry in the state, with ranching and farming as its second-largest revenue source. Arizona is known for the “Five C’s”: climate, citrus, cotton, cattle, and copper. The climate is perfect for growing citrus fruits like oranges, tangerines, lemons, and grapefruit, because temperatures typically do not fall below freezing in most of the state. Cotton was Arizona’s original crop. Nowadays, cattle are especially important, as 98% of Arizona’s agricultural land is used for grazing. One interesting aspect of Arizona agriculture is gender equity: nationally, 36% of farmers are female, while in Arizona, nearly 48% of producers are women.

Food Safety

Every year, tens of millions of Americans get sick from eating or drinking contaminated food or beverages, making food safety a serious public health concern. Not only do people get sick, but there are also serious economic consequences — including medical costs and lost wages. A person has a foodborne illness when they become ill from eating or drinking something contaminated. There is a broad range of foodborne illnesses, with signs and symptoms varying by source of contamination.

Contamination can come from bacteria, viruses, parasites, heavy metals such as mercury or cadmium, molds, poisonous mushrooms, pesticides, or pollutants. The two contaminants most commonly reported in the news are Salmonella and E. coli. Regardless of how a person becomes ill, the contaminant enters the body through food or drink and travels into the gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, common symptoms include gut-related issues such as diarrhea, abdominal pain, and nausea. Additional symptoms include dehydration, lightheadedness, rapid heartbeat, and vomiting. More severe symptoms can include high fever, diarrhea lasting more than three days, bloody stools, prolonged vomiting, and signs of shock. Importantly, a foodborne illness can develop several hours or even days after ingesting the contaminant — it is not necessarily the last meal you ate that made you sick.

A common treatment for a food borne illness includes:

• Rest
• Drink plenty of liquids
• Avoid antidiarrheal medication

In the USA, four key agencies work to educate the public about food infections and prevent the spread of disease: the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), and the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture). These agencies identify outbreaks of foodborne illness, enforce food safety laws, monitor pesticide use, and track water quality. The government works hard to keep our food safe — but you must also take action. Here are the key steps to prevent foodborne illness:

1. CLEAN -Wash your hands, surfaces, utensils, fruits, and vegetables.
2. SEPARATE – Do not mix meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs with other foods. Store them separately and use separate cutting boards.
3. COOK – Heat food to the correct internal temperature, and keep it hot after cooking.
4. CHILL -Keep food cold. Do not thaw or marinate food at room temperature.  Refrigerate leftovers promptly.

Additional tips to stay healthy

• Buy food from a clean, reputable store.
• Inspect food for signs of mold or rot.
• Do not buy dented or bulging cans.
• Avoid torn or open packages.
• Do not buy frozen items covered with frost or ice crystals.
• Keep raw meat, poultry, and seafood for no more than two days and wrap them well to prevent leakage and cross-contamination.
• Do not store leftovers in the can they came in.
• Consume properly refrigerated leftovers within three to five days.

At-Risk Groups

No one is immune to consuming contaminated food. Whether you become seriously ill depends on the microorganism involved, the amount consumed, and your overall health. Some groups, however, face a higher risk of developing severe complications from foodborne disease. Young children, older adults, and pregnant women all have a greater chance of becoming very ill after consuming contaminated food. Other high-risk groups include people with compromised immune systems due to HIV/AIDS, immunosuppressive medications (such as those taken after an organ transplant), and long-term steroid use for asthma or arthritis. People with diabetes, cancer, liver disease, or stomach problems related to low stomach acid or previous stomach surgery are also at elevated risk. Everyone — but especially these groups — should handle food carefully, ensure that food has been cooked thoroughly to the proper temperatures, and avoid any risky exposures.