Hunger and Poverty (Global) Brief

8/6/2019 Hunger and Poverty (Global) Brief

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FOOD DONATION ACTHunger Crisis

THESIS STATEMENT

Large amounts of apparently wholesome food are wasted everyday by hotels,

restaurants, supermarkets, etc. These surplus food can be donated to addressthe poverty issue and curtail food wastage in the country.

PREPARATORY STATEMENT

HUNGER

Hunger is the most extreme form of poverty.

Families who are not food secure cannot afford to meet their most basic needfor food.

HUNGER FACTS

This year (as every year) 11 million children younger than 5 will dieneedlessly, more than half from hunger-related causes.

Few of these deaths are related to outright starvation, but rather to commonillnesses (like diarrhea, acute respiratory illness, malaria and measles) thatmove in on vulnerable children whose bodies have been weakened byhunger.

Worlds Poorest Nations Hunger Statisticso 27% of children under 5 are moderately to severely underweight,o 10% are severely underweight,o 8% of children under 5 are moderately to severely wasted, or seriously

below weight for ones height,o and an overwhelming 32% are moderately to severely stunted, or

seriously below normal height for ones age.

In the developing world, more than 1.2 billion people currently live below theinternational poverty line, earning less than $1 per day.

o Among this group of poor people, many have problems obtainingadequate, nutritious food for themselves and their families.

o As a result, 815 million people in the developing world areundernourished.

o They consume less than the minimum amount of calories essential for

sound health and growth.

Undernourishment negatively affects peoples health, productivity, sense ofhope and overall well-being.

o A lack of food can stunt growth, slow thinking, sap energy, hinder fetaldevelopment and contribute to mental retardation.

o Economically, the effort of constantly securing food consumes valuabletime and energy, allowing poor people less time for work and earningincome.

Pregnant women, new mothers who breastfeed infants, and children areamong the most at risk of undernourishment.

CHRONIC HUNGER


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Chronic hunger -- or food insecurity -- is as devastating to families,communities, and countries as is famine. Chronic hunger claims more victimsthan famine each year -- by far.

Chronic hunger affects more than 800 million people in the world and is, inand of itself, a potentially deadly condition.

It has little to do with food shortages. Global supplies of food far outstrip demand.

Far more people die from causes related to chronic hunger than to famine.

Chronically hungry people are exceptionally vulnerable when famine strikes.

They have fewer resources to protect themselves and their families and arealready living on the margin of survival.

CAUSES OF CHRONIC HUNGER

Poverty. Poor people do not have the resources -- whether land, tools ormoney--needed to grow or buy food on a consistent basis.

Armed Conflict. War disrupts agricultural production, and governments oftenspend more on arms than on social programs.

Environmental Overload. Over-consumption by wealthy nations and rapidpopulation growth in poor nations strain natural resources and make it harderfor poor people to feed themselves.

Discrimination. Lack of access to education, credit and employment -- arecipe for hunger -- is often the result of racial, gender or ethnicdiscrimination.

Lack of Clout. Hunger is caused by powerlessness. People who don't havepower to protect their own interests are hungry. The burden of this conditionfalls most acutely on children, women and elderly people.

EFFECTS OF CHRONIC HUNGER

High Infant Mortality Rates. Malnourished women are more likely to be sick,have smaller babies, and die earlier, resulting in high levels of infant mortalityin areas where chronic hunger is a problem. And where infant and childmortality is high, birth rates are also high, locking these communities in avicious cycle of malnutrition and death.

Vulnerability to Common Illnesses. More than two million children die everyyear from dehydration caused by diarrhea. A malnourished child often lacksthe strength to survive a severe case of diarrhea.

Increased Risk of Infection. A malnourished child has a weakened immunesystem, making the child more vulnerable to infection. Infections cause lack ofappetite and further compromise the child's ability to fight off recurrent andlingering infections.

Acute Vulnerability in Times of Disaster. A communitys poorest familiesare already living on the edge of survival. Unexpected shocks, such as cropfailure, floods, epidemics, locusts or typhoons result in devastation and almostcertain death to some members of the family.

Impediments to Development. Chronic hunger deprives children of theessential proteins, micronutrients and fatty acids they need to growadequately. Globally, it is estimated that nearly 226 million children are

stunted -- shorter than they should be. In addition, stunted children scoresignificantly lower on intelligence tests than do normal children.


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Impediments to Economic Growth. For the nearly 67 million children whoweigh less than they should due to chronic hunger, completing school is anunlikely reality. Studies have shown that underweight children will probablyspend fewer years in school, which, in turn, has a measurable impact on howmuch they earn in adulthood.

HUNGER IN THE PHILIPPINES

The Social Weather Station (SWS) Surveyo an increasing number of people have experienced severe hunger, 4.2

percent or 760,000 families,o and that overall hunger statistics showing 2.9 million Filipino families

experiencing involuntary hunger are still above the ten-year average.

The July 2008 Pulse Asia Surveyo The survey revealed that 66 percent or two in every threehouseholds are spending less on food to be able to make their budget

fit for their daily needs.o Of these, 24 percent has been reducing their rice consumptionand spending while 55 percent has been limiting their expenditures onother food items.

World Bank computes the percentage of the food budget to income at50 to 70 percent.

Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES) of the NationalStatistics Office

o 80 percent of Filipino families are struggling to survive onP284.33 ($6.41 at an exchange rate of $1=P44.34) a day;o And with an average family size of five, this translates into 68.2

million Filipinos subsisting on P56.87 ($1.28) a day.o If these families allot 70 percent of their income to food, thatmeans P39.809 ($0.897) is budgeted per person for three meals.o Only P17.06 ($0.38) is left for transportation and other expensessuch as communications, clothing and footwear, education, personalcare items, fuel, light, water, and rent.o The P17.06 ($0.38) budget for these is only enough for a four-kilometer jeepney ride back and forth.

FIES concluded that only 42.6 percent of the family income is allocatedfor food.

o If only 42.6 percent of the familys income or a meager P121($2.728) is, on the average, spent on food for five people then P 163($3.676) per day or P4,890 ($110.28) per month is budgeted fortransportation and communications, clothing and footwear, education,personal care, fuel, light, and water, and rent.o More or less one half of this would already be eaten up byexpenses for transportation alone, that is, if all the five members of thefamily do not travel beyond four kilometers from their house.o If the workplace of the parents and the school of the childrenare beyond four kilometers, all the remaining budget of the familywould be spent for transport fare.

With the skyrocketing prices of basic goods and services and thefree falling of the real income of families, the only item left for the 80 percent


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of the population to scrimp on is food as too little is already allotted for otheressentials.

The P39.809 ($0.897) per person for three meals is only aboutP13.26 ($0.30) per meal.

It is worse if only P121 ($2.728) per day is spent on food, if we are

to base the computation on the results of the FIES, which claims that only42.6 percent on the average is allotted for food.

This translates to a meager P24.20 ($0.545) per person per day orP 8 ($0.18) per person per meal.

PAGPAG

Even food prepared from pagpag (literally to dust off) or recycledleft-over food retrieved from waste bins costs P10 ($0.225) already in urbanpoor communities.

LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

FOOD DONATION ACT IN THE UNITED STATES

The 1995 Market Potential Report found that 83% of more than 240companies polled cited liability concerns as the single greatest factor indetermining if their company woulddonate excess food.

THE BILL EMERSON GOOD SAMARITAN ACT

The Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act converts Title IV of theNational and Community Service Act of 1990, known as the Model GoodSamaritan food Donation Act, into permanent law, within the Child Nutrition

Act of 1966. Congress passed the legislation in late September 1996 and President

Clinton signed the bill into law on October 1, 1996.

The Act is designed to encourage the donation of food and grocery productsto nonprofit organizations such as homeless shelters, soup kitchens, andchurches for distribution to needy individuals.

In 1996, the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act was signed toencourage donation of food and grocery products to non-profit organizationsfor distribution to needy individuals

The Good Samaritan Act effectively supports organizations that want to

donate products. It enables people to join in the fight against hunger without worrying about the

liabilities that existed prior to the ratification of the Act.

This Act helps organizations be good neighbors to our community members inneed.

THE LAW

The law protects good-faith food donors from civil and criminal liability, shouldthe product later cause harm to its recipient.

The Emerson Act gives uniform federal protection to food donors who maycross state line. Meaning, it standardizes donor liability, providing the same

protection in all fifty states.


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Corporations such as the Associated Food Dealers of Michigan, AmericanExpress, Boston Market, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Kraft Foods, Inc., MarriottInternational, Northwest Airlines, and Pizza Hut have formed coalitions withcommunity-based food recovery programs to help their neighbors in need.

Food recovery programs need volunteers, office equipment, transportation,

computer help, and organizational talent. Participation in food recovery benefits the company, its customers, its

employees, and its community.

It increases the business visibility, and the workplace volunteer spirit spillsover into the larger society to help build a more cohesive local community.

To help in the fight against hunger and demonstrate commitment to thecommunity, businesses and corporations can start or join a food recoveryprogram, or:

o Encourage, recognize, and reward employees and other individuals forvolunteer service to the community.

o

Increase employee awareness of local hunger and provide training tomake employees more useful volunteers.o Sponsor radio and television air time for community organizations that

address hunger.o Donate excess prepared and processed food from the employee

cafeteria or from special events to local food recovery programs.o Donate transportation, maintenance work, or computer service.o Prepare legal information on donor considerations such as Good

Samaritan laws and food safety and quality.

FOOD DONATION BILLS IN THE PHILIPPINES

Thirteenth Congress

Sen. Richard J. Gordono SBN 1710: Food Donation Act

An Act to Encourage Food Donation for Charitable Purposeso Filed on August 10, 2004

Sen. Ramon Magsaysay Jr.o SBN 1534: Good Samaritan Act of 2004

An Act to Promote Donations in Good Faith of Medicines, Food Products

or Supplies by Establishments and other Entities, Including Individuals, byExempting Them from Any Form of Liability Arising Therefrom

o Filed on July 28, 2004.

Fourteenth Congress

Sen. Richard J. Gordono SBN 150: Food Donation Act of 2007

An Act to Encourage Food Donation for Charitable Purposeso Filed on June 30, 2007o The bill adapts the principle of the Federal Bill Emerson Good Samaritan

Food Donation Act which encourages the donation of food and grocery


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products to non-profit organizations for distribution to needy individuals byproviding a standardized donor liability exposure.

o The Act promotes food recovery by limiting the liability of donors only toinstances of gross negligence or intentional misconduct.

Sen. Antonio Trillanes IVo SBN 1402: Good Samaritan Act of 2007

An Act to Promote Donations in Good Faith of Medicines, Food Productsor Supplies by Establishments and other Entities, Including Individuals, byExempting Them from Any Form of Liability Arising Therefrom

o Filed on July 30, 2007

Sen. Manny Villaro SBN 1917: Good Samaritan Act of 2007

An Act to Promote Donations in Good Faith of Medicines, Food Products

or Supplies by Establishments and other Entities, Including Individuals, byExempting Them from Any Form of Liability Arising Therefrom o Filed on November 26, 2007

ISSUES

In the US, it was once vilified as giving too little, or too plain food.Also, some critics with welfare orientation oppose aid in kind. They wantdollar aid only, which, less paternalistic, lets families balance food with otherneeds.Some also questioned the manner of determining who are eligible to receive

food.Critics argue that the food donated might harm the health of the people. Whynot donate fresh food instead?

ANNEX

Senate Bill No. 150Senate Bill No. 1402Senate Bill No. 1917

Sources:

Waste Not, Want Not. Retrieved from http://www.p2pays.org/ref/26/25249.pdfon 6October 2008.

Daily Bread. Retrieved from http://www.lssnd.org/dailybread/db-profile-booklet.pdfon6 October 2008.
http://www.p2pays.org/ref/26/25249.pdfhttp://www.lssnd.org/dailybread/db-profile-booklet.pdfhttp://www.p2pays.org/ref/26/25249.pdfhttp://www.lssnd.org/dailybread/db-profile-booklet.pdf


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Pre-emptive Effect of Good Samaritan Act. Retrieved fromhttp://www.usdoj.gov/olc/bressman.htm on 6 October 2008.Business Food Waste. Retrieved fromhttp://www.wastecapwi.org/documents/foodwaste.pdf on 6 October 2008.

Bread for the World

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations

UNICEF

United Nations Development Program

World Health Organization

Freedomfromhunger.org
http://www.usdoj.gov/olc/bressman.htmhttp://www.wastecapwi.org/documents/foodwaste.pdfhttp://www.usdoj.gov/olc/bressman.htmhttp://www.wastecapwi.org/documents/foodwaste.pdf

Hunger and Poverty (Global) Brief

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