The United States ranks 21 in the world in Oxfam’s ranking of the world’s food systems. One hundred twenty-five countries were judged according to food quality, abundance, affordability, and the eating habits of its citizens. Obesity and high diabetes rates were two of the issues that lowered the U.S. score. We rank behind 20 European countries and Australia.
The best country in the world for food systems, according to the report, is the Netherlands. France and Switzerland tied for second, while Denmark, Sweden, Austria and Belgium tied for third place. The worst country in the ranking is Chad, right below Ethiopia and Angola. The U.S. had the best score for food affordability, and tied with Australia for fourth place for food quality.
The report states, “around the world, one in eight people go to bed hungry every night despite there being enough food for everyone. Overconsumption, misuse of resources and waste are common elements of a system that leaves hundreds of millions without enough to eat. To better understand the challenges that people face getting enough of the right food, Oxfam has compiled a global snapshot of 125 countries indicating the best and worst places to eat.”
This report is the first of its kind. It shows the challenges human beings face to find nutritious food, depending on where they live. Oxfam states that more than 840 million people around the world go hungry every day. The data was gathered between October and December in 2013, using information from the World Health Organization, the Food and Agriculture Foundation, and the International Labor Organization, among others.
