We use cookies on this website. By continuing to use this site without changing your cookie settings, you agree that you are happy to accept our privacy policy and for us to access our cookies on your device.
Transcript/ScriptBIDEN-Hunger Conference
HEADLINE: Biden Convenes First White House Hunger Conference in Decades
TEASER: US president outlines increases to food benefits, vows to end hunger and reduce diet-related disease in America by 2030
PUBLISHED AT: (9/28/22 & 10:21pm)
BYLINE: Anita Powell
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: The White House
VIDEOGRAPHER: AFP, AP, Zoom
VIDEO EDITOR:
SCRIPT EDITORS: Reifenrath, Bowman
VIDEO SOURCE (S): AP, AFP, ZOOM (WITH LICENSE),
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _X_ RADIO __
TRT: 2:32
VID APPROVED BY: wpm
EDITOR NOTES:
))
((INTRO))
One in 10 U.S. households is food insecure — and that has been the case for decades. On Wednesday, in the first conference of its kind in 50 years, the White House convened experts to discuss how the world’s largest provider of international food assistance can better feed its own. VOA White House correspondent Anita Powell reports from Washington.
((NARRATOR))
Hunger can be hard to see in the world’s wealthiest nation.
But right now, nine million American children are hungry. As President Joe Biden said Wednesday, as he opened the White House’s first hunger and nutrition conference in 50 years, that’s a big deal.
((President Joe Biden))
“Just last week at the United Nations, I talked about commitments we're making to tackle food insecurity worldwide. Because in every country in the world and every state in this country, no matter what else divides us, if a parent cannot feed a child, there's nothing else that matters to that parent. If you look at your child and you can't feed your child, what the hell else matters.”
((NARRATOR))
Hunger is a global phenomenon, and the U.S. is hardly the hardest-hit. The latest Global Food Security Index ranks the U.S. 13th worldwide. Finland, on the other hand, tops the index, while Syria and Haiti rank last.
Biden’s conference sets the ambitious goal of ending hunger and reducing diet-related diseases in the U.S. by 2030. On Wednesday, he announced $8 billion in public- and private-sector commitments and also plans to increase access to free school meals and expand food-related government benefits for children and families.
Funding from Congress is far from assured. Republicans typically favor non-governmental means to address societal ills. Even hunger advocates note that Washington can’t do it alone.
[[Radio: Noreen Springstead is executive director of WhyHunger, a New York-based global organization. She spoke to VOA via Zoom.]]
((Noreen Springstead, WhyHunger)) ((Zoom))
“I will say it is a very ambitious goal to end hunger by 2030. There's lots of things that the federal government can do. But it really has to be a joint effort of federal government, state government, local government, corporations, philanthropy and all of civil society to do this.”
((NARRATOR))
And the challenges cross borders. Food insecurity increased during the pandemic and after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
[[Radio: Danielle Nierenberg leads a nonprofit called Food Tank. She spoke to VOA via Zoom.]]
((Danielle Nierenberg, Food Tank)) ((Zoom))
“The pandemic and the war against Ukraine have shown us that global supply chains are very fragile, and that if we're totally dependent on them, that we're putting ourselves at risk. And what we need is more investment from governments and the private sector and regional and local supply chains.”
And, Springstead said, making food itself cheaper is just part of the challenge.
((Noreen Springstead, WhyHunger))
“Economic justice really has to be a pillar here and increasing the minimum wage to one that is really a living wage and looking across the country, because it can be varied depending on where you live. So that's number one.”
((NARRATOR))
For a day, Washington focused on hunger at a time of skyrocketing food prices.
((Anita Powell, VOA News, Washington))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)the White House
Embargo DateSeptember 28, 2022 21:47 EDT
Byline
((Anita Powell, VOA News, Washington))
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
