Myths and Facts
Sources include the UN, FAO, and The Bread for the World Institute. 2010
Myth: The world produces enough food for
everybody. In fact, there is enough food for
everyone to have 2,800 calories a day, but
many people do not have access to food.
Fact: Most, but not all, hungry people
live in poor countries.
Fact
Myth: For a short time hunger does not
effect people who are healthy, but long
term hunger can have devastating
emotional and physical impacts.
Fact
Myth: The poor spend most of
their disposable income on food
and are unable to build savings,
so when an emergency happens
that they could not anticipate it
impacts their food security.
Fact: The Bureau of Labor
Statistics has the Unemployment
rate in the United States at 8.9%.
(That is 27,232,583 people out of
work). Creating new employment
opportunities is an important
Hunger issue.
Myth: Victims of wars and
catastrophes (floods, droughts,
earthquakes, and other natural
disasters) are often faced with
hunger and outright starvation.
Fact: This means one out of every five
people on earth.
Fact.
Myth: Even in Africa adequate food is
produced. The hunger problem is
economic and transportation based. In
fact, food is regularly exported from
Africa to other continents.
Fact: However, while more food
is necessary, there will still be no
improvement if economic and
transportation in the most
impoverished parts of the continents
are not also addressed.
Fact: Approximately 2.3 million people
died due to an economic crisis that was
amplified by flooding that rendered the
farmland useless.
Fact. However, the
portion of
undernourished people
remains highest in
Sub-Saharan Africa at
30% in 2010.(Source:
FAO 2010) The pie
chart to the right
shows the percent of
hungry people per
region.
Myth: Lack of farmland, poor soil, lack
of water, and archaic farming methods
cause people to not be able to grow
enough food.
Myth: No place in the world is free of
poverty and hunger. In 2009, 50.2
million Americans lived in food
insecure households, 33 million
adults, and 17.2 million children.
Myth: It is actually 10.7%. The poverty line
in the U.S. for a 4 person family is
$22,050. The average first year teacher in
Utah will make $25,000 (with some
variation by school and district).
Fact
Fact: This is due in part to reduced
eligibility because of the Welfare Reform
Act of 1996.
Fact
Fact: The federal budget is 3.55 trillion.
Domestic United States aid accounts for
less than one-half of 1 percent of the
federal budget. That is under 0.5 billion.
Consider this…The U.S. gives 49057
billion in foreign aid.
Fact: Private programs such as the
Salvation Army have provided food and
shelter for more than 100 years.
Fact
Fact
Fact: The Heifer Project is in 40
countries in around the world—
including the United States.
Myth: According to the national Bureau of
Labor and Statistics, the average yearly
salary in the United States increases as
education increases (2001).
Myth: Female-headed households
(no male spouse/partner is present) are
among those most likely to be affected
by hunger. Other at-risk groups for hunger
include the homeless, poor families with
children, the elderly, people with physical
and/or mental disabilities, and
undocumented immigrants.
Fact: Wages in developed countries
may suffer when their jobs are lost to
workers in developing countries who
may work for a great deal less.
Fact: But it cannot stop there. Agriculture
and sustainable agricultural practices
partnered with education are widely
accepted as the solution.