It can be hard to reconcile images of farmers dumping milk and plowing over produce with images of hundreds of cars lined up at food banks or empty grocery store shelves as more Americans find themselves in need of help to get healthy food during the novel coronavirus pandemic. Farmers and food banks
It can be hard to reconcile images of farmers dumping milk and plowing over produce with images of hundreds of cars lined up at food banks or empty grocery store shelves as more Americans find themselves in need of help to get healthy food during the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Some of the problems are in the part of the food system average consumers don't normally see. Farmers sell only to big commercial clients are seeing contracts canceled for produce that has already grown or milk that they can't easily repackage for individual sale before it goes bad. Several meatpacking plants that process beef, pork and poultry have also closed to deal with COVID-19 cases among employees, leading to concerns about delays and disruptions.
Feeding America predicts the country could see a 46% increase in Americans who struggle to get enough healthy food to eat on a daily basis, an additional 17.1 million people. They say they need an additional $1.4 billion in resources to accommodate the 30% increase in their overall operating costs.
Story continuesTune into ABC at 1 p.m. ET and ABC News Live at 4 p.m. ET every weekday for special coverage of the novel coronavirus with the full ABC News team, including the latest news, context and analysis. “Food banks, like all of us, were not anticipating this intense surge in demand. And at the same time our model, it really relies on donated food out of the supply chain, mostly in retail and manufacturing, and those sources of donations have really diminished greatly over the last four weeks,” she told ABC News.
— Sec. Sonny Perdue April 10, 2020 A USDA spokesman also said the agency"is maximizing our services and flexibilities to ensure children and others who need food can get it during this coronavirus epidemic. This is a challenging time for many Americans, but it is reassuring to see President Trump and our fellow Americans stepping up to the challenges facing us to make sure kids and those facing hunger are fed.
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