Food – an interesting word, and I say it’s interesting because, though it may seem as simple as an apple on your table, it’s capable of reflecting the drastic contrasts in life. For some people, food is just a random part of their life, but for others, it’s a hard-earned privilege.

For some people, the thought of food crosses their minds effortlessly, while for others, the mere thought brings with it excruciating pain and a sense of being very unfortunate. For some people, spending money on different kinds of food is just another one of their life adventures, but others have to think a thousand times before buying a piece of bread.

It’s sad how the unfair distribution of food is such an apparent yet denied reality. We prefer to immerse in the luscious pleasures of food than to realize that while we have the privilege of satisfying our stomachs, there are people out there dying of not having food at all.

This is highly reflected in the fact that about one-third of food produced each year is wasted globally, which amounts to about 1.3 billion tons per year. This food, if not wasted, is enough to fulfill the needs of the starving. It’s disturbing to realize that the mere ignorance of the privileged causes countless deaths around the world.

It hurts even more when you see young children begging on the streets or working to earn money instead of studying in their classrooms to provide their family with food. These children are so pre-occupied with finding ways to get food that their young minds cannot be creative or think about things beyond imagination, or come up with new ideas.

To add to this, the lack of food leads to a lack of nutrition for their minds to function at the full capacity. This especially stands true for developing countries in the third world.  How can we expect our economies to grow and our countries to flourish when our children are on the streets just for food?

Iron deficiency anemia is one of the most common malnutrition problems facing children worldwide, and statistics say that it is mostly associated with underprivileged communities. Iron deficiency and other similar deficiencies translate into lethargy, weakness, and, therefore, an inability to make the most of one’s abilities which ultimately leads to a less efficient workforce and less economic development.

Malnutrition in young girls continues into their fertility periods and results in pregnancy complications and frequent miscarriages in poor communities. These very women are more susceptible to osteoporosis in their older age.

Hunger isn’t just about a few families or communities; it’s about generations. Hunger is a perilous cycle that continues from one generation to the next, amplifying as it is inherited and keeps the vulnerable trapped under the weight of hopelessness and misery.

The reason is that hunger stems from poverty, and poverty itself is a vicious cycle that is almost impossible to escape due to the social hierarchies ruling our societies. It requires moving up the ladder of social mobility, but the countless barriers set by societies privileged only make it unfeasible. To add to that, hunger itself robs its targets of the energy to make the extra effort to cross these obstacles.

The unfair distribution also means that more food has to be produced each year than is needed, exhausting the earth’s nutrients. Many fertile areas are eventually losing their fertility, and many have even turned into barren lands.

Though efforts are being made to overcome this by using fertilizers, extensive use curtails the harvest quality. Thus, the food we eat cannot fulfill our nutritional needs, making our immunity weaker and more prone to diseases. Again, this especially impacts those who are already starving and weak internally.