In a nation as wealthy as the United States, it’s easy to assume hunger and obesity exist at opposite ends of the health spectrum. But they are deeply connected. Two symptoms of the same systemic failure. This Hunger Awareness Month, we must recognize that the root causes of food insecurity, chronic disease, and limited food access are not personal choices, but structural inequities driven by racism, poverty, and corporate control of our food systems.
Food sovereignty, the right of people to control how food is produced, distributed, and consumed, is a powerful alternative to this broken system. It centers community self-determination, cultural relevance, and environmental sustainability. Yet for many Black, Indigenous, and Latinx communities across the U.S., food sovereignty remains out of reach due to generations of dispossession, disinvestment, and discrimination.
Across urban and rural America, food deserts are overwhelmingly located in low-income neighborhoods and communities of color. A food deserts occurs when communities do not have reliable access to affordable, healthy food. Instead of grocery stores, residents may find only corner stores or fast-food outlets. This lack of access to fresh produce and nutritious options forces families to rely on highly processed, calorie-dense foods; not by choice, but by circumstance.
As a result, hunger and obesity often co-exist in the same communities, even the same households. Food-insecure families experience what public health experts call the “hunger-obesity paradox”: cycles of deprivation followed by overeating, diets low in nutrients but high in calories, and stress-induced eating patterns. When your primary goal is to feed your family on a limited budget, fresh vegetables and lean proteins become luxury items, while processed foods stretch farther, despite the long-term health consequences.
At the same time, systemic racism has shaped every part of the U.S. food system. Indigenous people were forcibly removed from fertile lands. Black farmers were driven off their land and excluded from federal programs. Today, fewer than 2% of U.S. farmers are Black. Meanwhile, Black and Latinx households face food insecurity at rates two to three times higher than white households.
Compounding the issue, the corporate consolidation of agriculture and retail has prioritized profit over people, leaving rural towns without supermarkets and urban communities with inflated prices. Fast-food chains, sugary beverage companies, and ultra-processed food marketers aggressively target low-income neighborhoods, making poor health not just predictable but profitable.
Despite these challenges, communities are pushing back. From urban farms in Detroit to community fridges in Atlanta to Indigenous seed-saving projects in the Southwest, grassroots food justice movements are restoring autonomy, health, and dignity. These local leaders are not just feeding people; they’re dismantling systems of oppression and building new models of care, healing, and resilience. Check out FFH Partner, Neighborhood Land, and see how they transformed food sovereignty and land justice in West Philly.
This October for Hunger Awareness Month, let us not only raise awareness of need but also commit to dismantling the systems that create hunger and diet-related disease in the first place. When we fight for food justice, we are also fighting for racial justice, health equity, and collective liberation.
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Jennifer Shore, MA
Executive Director, Focus for Health
Jen joined the Focus for Health team in January 2019. Jen has spent most of her career in the field of human services, specifically working with high-risk populations and people with disabilities. Throughout the years, she has incorporated her interest in wellness and nutrition into her career. Jen has partnered with various organizations throughout the last 25 years and has written numerous cook books and wellness manuals geared towards people with disabilities as well as WIC and SNAP recipients. When Jen is not working, she can be found cooking, gardening, and driving her kids to sports practices.In addition to her work in human services, Jen is very involved with various boards and organizations in her community. Jen has degrees in Psychology from Rutgers University and Fairleigh Dickinson University.
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