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Access to quality food in the US - A look at availability from both the macro and micro levels [1]
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Date: 2025-05-30
I recently came across two documents/stories that I found concerning that describe food availability in the US.
At the macro level, this study shows that the US is not self-sufficient at a national level in being able to provide for the complete food needs of the country:
Gap between national food production and food-based dietary guidance highlights lack of national self-sufficiency
www.nature.com/…
Keep in mind that this study is looking at the whole of each country and its food needs. There is both regional and local variability and capability depending on where you live.
But, let’s consider my FAVORITE food group as an example: Coffee . Coffee is only produced in two states — Hawaii & California. The total California crop is currently minuscule and fairly expensive. Hawaiian coffee is outstanding and yet a premium has always been paid for it. (FWIW, I have two of my own coffee plants indoors that may begin producing in 2-3 years.)
californiagrown.org/...
Also, Coffea Arabica is under threat worldwide.
Threats to Coffee Production: What are they and the solutions?
blog.plantwise.org/...
Also, as American tastes have evolved we’ve collectively incorporated other fruits and vegetables from other countries’ cuisines into our own regular habits. And the majority of these are imported rather than grown here. Wasabi, the REAL thing not that horseradish wannabe stuff you get in cheap take-out, is an excellent example of this. This is a difficult plant to grow period.
With the expected economic downturn from Trump’s trade policies, we can expect that certain food items will either become at least somewhat unavailable nationwide or at the very least be priced out of some people’s food budgets.
OK, so now let’s look at the direct threats from the Trump administration that will affect many people and groups at their local levels.
Trump’s budget bill is on the verge of transforming how America eats
The drastic policy shifts will make it harder on those who grow food — and on those struggling to afford to eat.
grist.org/…
From the article — ‘Tax policy isn’t the only way that this bill proposes to further widen the gap between the wealthy and the poor. Though the more than 1,000-page megabill will look somewhat different once it advances through the Senate, analysts say that there are three food and agricultural provisions expected to remain intact: an unprecedented cut to the nation’s nutrition programs; an increase of billions in subsidies aimed at industrial farms; and a rescission of some Inflation Reduction Act funding intended to help farmers deal with the impacts of climate change.
If they do, the changes will make it harder for Americans to afford food and endure the financial toll of climate-related disasters. They will also make it more difficult for farmers to adapt to climate change — from an ecological standpoint and an economic one. Overall, the policy shifts would continue Trump’s effort to transform the nation’s food and agricultural policy landscape — from one that keeps at least some emphasis on the country’s neediest residents to one that offers government help to those who need it least.’
The only advice I could suggest is to grow as much of your own as possible and preserve as much as possible for later. If you have specialty food items that you use regularly, try do do the same for any store-bought if you can too. For this you primarily have Canning and Dehydrating as usable methods.
It would be nice to have both the funds and the space for Freeze Drying. I have neither at the moment….
I also have a dwarf Meiwa Kumquat which is a sweet variety. I also have the seed and means to grow a variety of other dwarf citrus if needed. The dwarfing root stock is Chinese Bitter Orange. You can graft most if not all other citrus to this to get a dwarfed version that can be grown indoors.
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