The COVID-19 crisis has placed tremendous stress on food systems in the United States and around the globe. Feeding America estimates that up to 50 million people in the United States may face food insecurity due to the pandemic, including 17 million children. Meanwhile, a quarter of a billion people are at risk of suffering from acute hunger, according to the World Food Programme (WFP).
The pandemic also exposed existing weaknesses in the current food systems’ infrastructure and the need for the new Congress to take actions to alleviate and mitigate current and future crises. This briefing seeks to analyze how has the pandemic impacted agri-food systems and what must be fixed within areas of supply through production, processing, distribution and demand to minimize future disruptions. Policy-makers are uniquely positioned to tackle issues and determine how we can “build back better” to limit the impact that crises can have on getting food from farm to table.
To address these problems, please join FAO North America and the Alliance to End Hunger for a Congressional Briefing, as we discuss how we can prepare for the future by taking concrete actions today.