JEE Foods Apple Icon
Request Assistance
Give
JEE Foods Logo

From the smallest ant to the largest elephant, all animals need food to survive, humans included. Food has a way of bringing us together in a way nothing else can.

  • Unfortunately, so many individuals are left without food. In 2019 alone, 13.7 million American households experienced food insecurity. 

Children

1 in 6 Children

Live in a food-insecure household

Children facing hunger may struggle in school, face developmental impairments, or behavioral and social problems.

Adults

30 Million

American adults face food insecurity

According to the USDA, in 2019, “9.0 million adults lived in households with very low food security.” According to Feeding America, "individuals facing food insecurity are also likely to be facing issues like lack of affordable housing...high medical costs, and low wages.”

Seniors

7.3 Million

Seniors face food insecurity

5.3 million senior citizens are faced with hunger in America. Many are forced to choose between food or medical care.

Let's talk about

Food access
Food insecurity
Food waste
The environment
Poverty
Put your knowledge to the test

 Food Access

1
Million Americans live in a food desert

A food desert is an area where residents have restricted access to healthy, affordable food due to a lack of grocery stores within traveling distance. It is estimated that over 23 million people live in a food desert.  

Learn More

      Food access is determined by the travel time to grocery stores, the availability of healthy and culturally significant foods, and the price of foods. Individuals with low access to healthy foods are more at risk to get diet-related conditions like cardiovascular diseases and high blood pressure. Food deserts are areas with low food access and are commonly found in low income and ethnic minority neighborhoods. Other areas of low food access are food swamps, areas with accessible healthy food options but also an overabundance of unhealthy food options, and food mirages, where residents can’t afford the healthy food in local grocery stores. 

Food Insecurity

1
Million Americans are hungry

A Food insecurity is a lack of consistent access to enough food for a healthy lifestyle, according to the USDA. In 2019, over 35 million Americans were faced with a lack of food. 

Learn More

     Over 37 million Americans were food insecure in 2018. Food security is divided into 4 different categories: High Food Security, Marginal Food Security, Low Food Security, and Very Low Food Security. Individuals in the Low Food Security and Very Low Food Security categories are food insecure. According to Feeding America, individuals in the Low Food Security category have a reduced “quality, variety, and desirability of their diets” and individuals in the Very Low Food Security category have their eating patterns “disrupted and food intake reduced” due to a lack of resources. Food insecurity particularly affects senior citizens, children, and rural, African American, and Latino communities.

Food Waste

The United States is the global leader in food waste. It is estimated that over 80 billion pounds of perfectly usable food is thrown away each year in the US.  

Learn More

The United States is the world’s leading producer in food waste because of the aesthetic standards of food, overbuying, and a lack of knowledge on expiration dates amongst the general public, among other things. The US has high aesthetic standards for food. Fruits and vegetables that are deemed to be too ugly or misshapen for consumers are often discarded. This leads to 60 million tons of produce being thrown away each year. Another cause of food waste in the United States is a lack of knowledge about food expiration. Over 80% of Americans throw away perfectly good food because they think that it’s expired. For example, food that passes it’s “Best By” date is fine to eat but food that passes it’s “Use By” date should be discarded. Most Americans don’t know the difference and opt to throw anything past any kind of expiration labels out.Most Americans impulsively buy food that they don’t need which leads to increased food waste. Compared to the rest of the world, food in the US is plentiful and less expensive. This leads to overbuying and undervaluing food. On average, an American family of four spends $1,600 on food that will be wasted. 



1
Billion people could be feed with the perfect food we throw away

Environmental Impact

1
Million cars are needed to match the emissions of global food waste

Food waste affects every part of our planet. If food waste was a country it would be the third largest greenhouse gas emitter in the world. 

Learn More

     From greenhouse gas emissions to wasted water, food waste is causing incredible amounts of environmental damage. 22% of all municipal solid waste is food. This means that food takes up more space in landfills than any other object. As food rots in landfills, it releases methane gas. Methane is a greenhouse gas that is 28 to 36 times as potent as carbon emissions, like the emissions from cars. The methane emitted from rotting food contributes to 7-8% of all global greenhouse gas emissions. Wasted food also leads to wasted water. If food is never eaten, then the water and energy used to produce the food was also wasted. These resources could be used for other purposes. While it might not seem like a huge consequence, 25% of all of the world’s freshwater supply is used to grow food that will eventually be wasted.

Poverty

The United States is the global leader in food waste. It is estimated that over 80 billion pounds of perfectly usable food is thrown away each year in the US.  

Learn More

10.5% of Americans, the lowest percentage on record, lived below the poverty line in 2019. To be living in poverty, a family of four must make around $25,000 a year. 


According to Poverty USA, these were the poverty rates in 2018:

12.9% of women 

10.6% of men

16.2% of children

9.7% of seniors (14.1% when rising medical costs are taken into consideration)

25.4% of Native Americans

20.8% of African Americans

17.6% of Hispanics

10.1% of Asians

10.1% of Whites


1
Million Americans are living under the poverty line

Hungry for a change?

That’s where we come in with the network and process to connect food with our neighbors in-need. Now we need you to join us! When you help, you’re doing more than rescuing food or providing a meal–you’re providing hope to people in our area.

Join the Fight