Who
The Citizens
Despite the policy viewpoint on this site, the question at hand is people centered. Food security impacts nutrition, human health, and child development. The United States and the European Union are home to nearly 840 million people, about 15% of the world population. (32) Millions of people constitute a rich quilt of hundreds of cultures, languages, lifestyles, and motivations.
On the previous page, the differences between US and EU subsidy policy implementation displayed the steps both governments take to ensure a functioning agricultural policy. However, cultural, economic, and demographic differences are also important to consider. Below is a basic breakdown of information about the US and the EU.
The GINI Inequality Index mentioned in these diagrams refers to an area's level of inequality; the index takes multiple measures like household income and class mobility to determine the levels of inequality present in an area. The higher the GINI Index rating, the higher the amount of inequality. (1, 20)
EU Overview
Quick Facts
Area: 3.931 million mi²
Population: 512,400,000
World Population Share: 9.78%
2018 GDP: $37,417
2016 GINI Inequality Rating: 30.6
Top Industry: Tourism, Motor Vehicles, Energy
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(1, 10, 13, 42)
US Overview
Quick Facts
Area: 3.797 million mi²
Population: 328,000,000
World Population Share: 4.25%
2018 GDP: $62,794
2016 GINI Inequality Rating: 41.4
Top Industry: Health Care, Technology, Construction
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(12, 20, 42)
Poverty and Hunger
Household Poverty
Poverty levels in the European Union surpass those seen in the United States. However, the US still reports some of the highest rates of poverty among developed nations. Since the EU bloc is evaluated as a whole, this statistic does not display that many countries in the EU have lower poverty rates than the US. Member states in the EU that are still developing raise total poverty rates. Graph 9 below displays poverty rates in both the US and the EU from 2010-2018. (6, 43)
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The next graph below (Graph 9) shows that despite higher rates of poverty, the European Union has a much lower rate of food insecurity than the United States as evaluated by the United Nations. (35, 36) Why has agricultural and economic food policy helped feed impoverished communities in the European Union and not the United States? Factors impacting access to food include socioeconomic, racial, and class-based disadvantages that are more prevalent in the United States than most member states in the EU. These disadvantages impact food insecurity rates.
Food Insecurity
How Poverty Fills the Pantries
Poverty is directly connected to hunger and food security. However, connecting agricultural subsidies to food security is a navigation through murky waters. The equation remains heavily influenced by a large number of outside factors including the socioeconomic factors mentioned above, as well as consumer choice, market functions (inflation, market failures) and case-by-case subsidy allotment. But given this, baseline subsidy and food security statistics reveal correlations between the implementation of agricultural subsidies and the affordability of produce.
The EU chooses to subsidize fruits and vegetables at a markedly higher rate than the US. The end result allows low and middle income individuals greater access to foods with quality caloric content. Food security rates in Europe far surpass US levels of food security. Graph 9 below display rates of food security in both locations, click on the European Union label on the top bar of the graph to reveal the difference. (17, 32, 33)
Food Insecurity Mapped
United States
Individual state rates of food insecurity in the map below are sourced directly from the United States Department of Agriculture. Thanks to detailed data collection on hunger, a national view of food security is possible. The European Union has no such data collection for the bloc.
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This map reveals hotspots of food insecurity in the Midwest and the South. Most affected states include Missouri, Arizona, Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana. Note that on the previous page, Texas was a top agricultural producer for the United States. (17)
Food Insecurity Mapped
European Union
The next map below reveals food insecurity levels in EU member states according to the Global Food Security Index (GFSI). Instead of representing percentage rates of food insecurity like in the US map above, the GFSI takes multiple factors into account for their final ratings including accessibility, availability, and quality of foods into their rating. Nations receive an individual score out of 100. The United States has the third highest GFSI in the world (83.7), beat out only by Ireland in second place (84) and Singapore in first (87.4.) It is important to note that the GFSI does not collect data on the following member states in the EU: Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxemborg, and Malta. With the exception of Luxemborg, the rest of the "data-less" nations are still developing and have moderate to high rates of poverty. Thus, these nations could have higher rates of food insecurity that are not displayed on this map. (45)
The European Union has no bloc mandated data collection on food insecurity; other data on food insecurity (from unversities, NGOs, or otherwise) across the EU is scarce. The European Union also has very limited demographic data collection (race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status) when it comes to their individual member states. This is a common theme in the data collection for this research. While the United States keeps very detailed statistics on food security, subsidies, poverty rates, and general demographics, the European Union's methods reflect a scattered core of power among 27 nations.
Citizens in Stores
How Subsidies Impact Store Trips
To truly visualize an American or European’s access to foods, the information graphic below illustrates an average trip to the grocery store. Each shopper has 30€ or $32.77 to feed their 2-person home for a week. The shoppers purchase the same exact products at the cheapest real-time costs; the results (sourced from European chain store Lidl and American chain stores under the Kroger brand) displays the impacts of agricultural subsidies on American and European wallets. Prices for foods were taken from online store websites in Lyons, France and Denver, Colorado that share similar population sizes and household incomes. (23, 24)
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​ This grocery cart illustration is meant to visualize the citizen’s journey through a food labyrinth dictated by their governments. Food prices allow certain flexibilities in an individual’s nutrition. The American shopper surpassed their allotted budget spending nearly $15 more on the same foods as the European shopper also bought. The US shopper was particularly drained by the produce and protein portions of the store.
Who
The Farmers
Citizen shoppers also include those farmers that produce food. Data suggest both EU and US subsidies favor the wealthiest farmers (2,14), and that income and farm size remain key determinates for subsidy allotment. Additional factors include close personal relationships and family legacy. (22, 44) See subsidy distribution charts below for the US (12a) and the EU (12b).