"Food Insecure" Americans and Other Food News

• Apparently if Americans cannot buy enough food for themselves or their families, according to the USDA, they are "food insecure" rather than "hungry." The USDA recently released a lengthy report that contained these items, among many others:  ---About 4.7 million of the 13 million food insecure households in 2007 had very low food security, with household members skipping meals or taking other steps to reduce the amount they ate because of a lack of resources. The size of this group and its share of the overall population have risen steadily over the past decade.
    ---The number of children with very low food security rose by over 60 percent, to 691,000.
  
  ---The number of food insecure seniors living alone rose by 26 percent, to 783,000.
• Farmers in Platteville,  Colorado opened their 600 acre spread to "gleaners" this season expecting maybe 5000-10,000 visitors--40,000 people showed up and went away with 600,000 pounds of free potatoes, carrots and leeks.  The Miller family was astonished by the numbers but frankly I was amazed that there was that much veggie material left after the harvest.
• Meanwhile, foodies are aquiver over who the Obamas will name as head chef for the White House. ( Most likely NOT Gordon Ramsey...)   Chef Cristeta Comerford will probably keep her position in the near term.
• Have I raved as yet about the film Dinner Rush?  OK, it's "old," from 2000, but I picked it up at my local library for free, so just relax. Most of the action takes place in an actual restaurant owned by the director, Bob Giraldi, so the feel of the flick is garlic, olive oil and wine saturated. The filmic restaurant is owned by a bookie, the plot thickens, and ends with a twist.  Recommended both as a foodie treat, and as a low-key thriller.

Comments

[foodmuseumblog]

I heard a commentator say yesterday that the "sexy" Cabinet nominations all had been made---left out, among others thus far, the Secretary of Agriculture.

More on this anon, but people, EATING is the first thing we do, the one thing all people do, or want to do, every day, not just on Thanksgiving. Homage and deep gratitude to those who grow and deliver to us our daily food.

[John]

Let us all give thanks that we have enough to eat this season...so far. And if the definition of "food insecure" is accurate, than what the hell IS the definition of "hungry"? When people are hospitalized for malnutrition? When they're dead? Insanity...

[Foodie]

We, too, have food banks, but....apparently sales of dry cereal have shot up in the US.

[Rose]

This is the second reference to hunger in America I received TODAY. Just got an e-mail in response to a cartoon ( Whole Food-Half Food )referring to meals skipped, rice and toast diet because of lack of cash, which I find shocking. Never thought of it before but probably should have.
Here in Yurrup we have food-banks, foods approaching 'sell by dates' donated by supermarkets are given to the needy, the unemployed and old. The problem seems universal and will get worse.