What percent of the world food supply is us?
Overall, food aid and gross food imports to the 19 undernourished countries accounted for 25.1 percent of their total food supplies, dwarfing the 2.3 percent U.S. contribution. As you might expect, the types of food exports going to rich versus poor countries also differs considerably.
China is the world's largest grain producer, yet has grown more dependent on food imports in recent decades. Much of India's output is produced by subsistence farmers and consumed locally. The U.S. is the world's top food exporter thanks to high crop yields and extensive agricultural infrastructure.
In 2016, 87.3 percent of food and beverage purchases by U.S. consumers, including both grocery store and eating out purchases, were from domestic production. The remaining 12.7 percent were imported food and beverages such as produce from Chile or wines from France.
The world's farmers produce enough food to feed 1.5x the global population. That's enough to feed 10 billion (we are at 7.6 billion currently). Despite this excess, hunger still exists.
United States
And while agriculture contributes only about one percent to the GDP, the US is the world's largest producer of maize (corn), the third-largest producer of wheat, fifth-largest producer of potatoes, tenth-largest producer of sugarcane, and twelfth-largest producer of rice.
The final 2021 trade data published by the Department of Commerce this morning shows that exports of U.S. farm and food products to the world totaled $177 billion, topping the 2020 total by 18 percent and eclipsing the previous record, set in 2014, by 14.6 percent.
Finland was named the top country for food security in 2020, ahead of Ireland and the Netherlands. Despite problems caused by Brexit, the United Kingdom was ranked 6th while the United States and Canada came 11th and 12th, respectively.
U.S. consumers rely heavily on imports for certain products where demand far outweighs domestic production capacity. Over 95 percent of coffee/cocoa/spices and fish/shellfish products consumed in the United States are imported, as are about half of fresh fruits and fruit juices and almost a third of wine and sugar.
Today, four corporations — Bayer, Corteva, ChemChina and Limagrain — control more than 50% of the world's seeds. These staggering monopolies dominate the global food supply.
American consumers seek a safe, diverse, and abundant food supply that is simultaneously affordable and available throughout the year. To help meet these consumer demands, the United States imports about 15 percent of its overall food supply.
Is America facing a food shortage?
Q: Will there be food shortages? A: There are currently no nationwide shortages of food, although in some cases the inventory of certain foods at your grocery store might be temporarily low before stores can restock.
The United States imports only 20 percent of the food consumed, so it is actually not a huge number. The reason for this is that the U.S. is capable of producing a large variety of foods. It is extremely self-sufficient when it comes to food.

The United States is the largest agricultural exporter in the world. The productive capacity of U.S. agriculture often is regarded, at least in the industry, as a safeguard against domestic hunger and a cornucopia for less-fortunate nations.
China retained its position as the No. 1 export destination for U.S. agriculture importing a record $33 billion, an increase of $6.6 billion over 2020 and accounting for a quarter of the $27 billion increase in exports to the world last year.
In 2021, the biggest agricultural export in the United States overall was soybeans, resulting in $27.37 billion in export value. These are the U.S.'s biggest exports in the agricultural sector: Soybeans: $27.37 billion. Corn: $18.72 billion.
Among the most self-sufficient countries, Argentina could feed itself with just 5.5% of its land. The US and Canada only need 12-13%, Sweden is also at 13%. Ireland is at 14.56%, Finland at 18%. Austria, Denmark, France, and Poland are in the 40 to 50% bracket.
The farm problem in the United States historically has been considered to be one of relatively low farm incomes. This problem can be traced in large measure to the destabilizing effects of economic growth.
Much of the recent agricultural trade news involves China and the North American Free Trade Agreement countries of Canada and Mexico. These countries are the top three markets for U.S. agricultural products, accounting for a combined 42 percent of total agricultural exports.
- GHI score in 2000: 41.3.
- GHI score in 2007: 38.4.
- GHI score in 2014: 41.7.
- GHI score in 2022: 45.1.
It's official: Artificial trans fats are banned in the U.S. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ruled in 2015 that artificial trans fats were unsafe to eat and gave food-makers three years to eliminate them from the food supply, with a deadline of June 18, 2018.
Who has the highest rate of food insecurity in the US?
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 10.4 percent of American households experienced hunger in 2021. These states have the highest percentages of American households who experienced hunger: Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, West Virginia, Oklahoma, Texas, Alabama, South Carolina, Kentucky, and Missouri.
U.S. consumers demand variety, quality, and convenience in the foods they consume. As Americans have become wealthier and more ethnically diverse, the American food basket reflects a growing share of tropical products, spices, and imported gourmet products.
The huge expanse of American land and the vast number of climates across the country allowed the US to grow a more diverse set of crops and raise more kinds of animals than our competitors.
Exports The top exports of United States are Refined Petroleum ($83.3B), Petroleum Gas ($70.9B), Crude Petroleum ($67.6B), Cars ($55.4B), and Integrated Circuits ($51.3B), exporting mostly to Canada ($259B), Mexico ($247B), China ($151B), Japan ($71.8B), and South Korea ($66.4B).
BASF, Bayer/Monsanto, ChemChina-Syngenta, and Corteva Agriscience are the four big corporations that currently own the rights to over two thirds of the world's seed and pesticide sales.
Thomas Robert Malthus was an English cleric and scholar, influential in the fields of political economy and demography who for the first time proposed the condition of food shortage on the grounds of scarce resources and unlimited wants after studying the world demographics.
These practices culminated in 1980, when the US Supreme Court determined that living organisms and their genetic material could be patented, making it illegal to save seeds from patented plants.
About 75% of the world's food comes from just 12 plants and 5 animal species, according to the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization.
In 2018, 44 percent of all food spending was on food away from home. In 2018, the average consumer unit (similar to a household) spent nearly half of its food dollars on food away from home. Created with Highcharts 10.3.
Unfortunately, 2023 could see its own batches of food shortages. Here's what consumers should start stocking up on now before prices soar and products likely become harder to find on store shelves.
Does the US have a food surplus?
America has more than enough food for everyone to eat. But each year, billions of pounds of perfectly good food go to waste. Meanwhile, 34 million face hunger in the United States.
2023: Another year of extreme jeopardy for those struggling to feed their families. The scale of the current global hunger and malnutrition crisis is enormous, with an expected 345.2 million people projected to be food insecure – more than double the number in 2020.
Overall, households with children had a substantially higher rate of food insecurity (12.5 percent) than those without children (9.4 percent). Among households with children, married couple families had the lowest rate of food insecurity (7.4 percent).
That happens because of a combination of economics and chemistry. The economics are simple: overseas oil, even after shipping costs, is often cheaper than domestically-produced crude.
Skipping meals: Causes the body to lower its metabolism (how much energy it needs to function) Causes us to burn less energy (fewer calories) Can lead us to gain weight when we eat our usual amount of food Leaves us with little energy because the body has run out of the fuel we get from food Leaves us sluggish and ...
1. China. Production – China has only 10% of arable land worldwide and produces a quarter of the global grain output. China leads the agriculture production of fruit, vegetables, cereals, cotton, eggs and poultry.
China is now the world's largest agricultural importer, surpassing both the European Union (EU) and the United States in 2019 with imports totaling $133.1 billion.
The largest United States crop in terms of total production is corn, the majority of which is grown in a region known as the Corn Belt. The second largest crop grown in the United States is soybeans. As with corn, soybeans are primarily grown in the Midwestern states.
Rank | Country | Total Trade |
---|---|---|
--- | Total, All Countries | 303.6 |
--- | Total, Top 15 Countries | 226.5 |
1 | China | 51.4 |
2 | Canada | 44.9 |
...
Top Agricultural Producing Countries in the World
- China. China is the world's biggest producer, importer, and consumer of food. ...
- India. ...
- The United States. ...
- Brazil.
Which are the top 3 countries to which the US exports?
The top five purchasers of U.S. goods exports in 2019 were: Canada ($292.6 billion), Mexico ($256.6 billion), China ($106.4 billion), Japan ($74.4 billion), and the United Kingdom ($69.1 billion).
Imports grew by almost 17 percent in 2021 to $171 billion. While the United States typically exports more agricultural goods by value than it imports, from 2012–21, imports grew more rapidly than exports (driven in part by strong domestic economic growth and consumer preferences for year-round produce selections).
In other words, 75 percent of our fruit and almost half of our vegetables will likely be imported by then. In most years, the United States exports more meat than it imports, according to the USDA.
In 2020, the top partner countries from which United States Imports Food Products include Mexico, Canada, France, Italy and Singapore.
After the exploration of Shale Gas and its utility, United States has emerged as the most economically self-sufficient. Otherwise, it was highly dependent on Middle East for its energy resources. But today, it is US which is economically self-sufficient.
- Switzerland. #1 in Economically stable. #1 in Best Countries Overall. ...
- Germany. #2 in Economically stable. ...
- Canada. #3 in Economically stable. ...
- Netherlands. #4 in Economically stable. ...
- United Kingdom. #5 in Economically stable. ...
- Australia. #6 in Economically stable. ...
- Japan. #7 in Economically stable. ...
- Sweden. #8 in Economically stable.
...
Biggest economies in 2021 by gross domestic product.
Rank | 1 |
---|---|
Country | United States |
GDP in billion $ | 23,315.1 |
GDP in $ per capita | 70,249 |
Around 13 million people are projected to be experiencing crisis levels of hunger across five Sahelian countries: Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger.
California ranks first in the United States for agricultural cash receipts followed by Iowa, Texas, Nebraska and Illinois.
- Angola.
- Benin.
- Burkina Faso.
- Cabo Verde.
- Central African Republic.
- Chad.
- Democratic Republic of Congo.
- Ethiopia.
Is the world on the brink of a food shortage?
The World Food Programme (WFP) estimates that 349 million people in 79 countries are facing "acute food insecurity," an increase of 200 million people from before the pandemic. This sudden surge has caused the organization and others like it to warn that the world is hungrier than ever.
Rank | Country | Percentage of population undernourished 2019 |
---|---|---|
1 | Somalia | 60% |
2 | Central African Republic | 48% |
3 | Haiti | 47% |
4 | Yemen | 45% |
American food ranks seventh globally and is favored by 68% of the people surveyed—with only people in the Philippines (93%) ranking the cuisine higher than most Americans do.
As of Q3 2022, hamburgers, mashed potatoes, and cheeseburgers were the most popular American dishes in the United States. About 84 percent of respondents had a positive opinion of each of the three dishes.
Austria eats the least junk food of the countries we surveyed, only giving in to temptation twice per month. Eating junk food three times a month was most common amongst our European neighbours, including Sweden, France, Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands.
- Finland.
- Ireland.
- Norway.
- France.
- Netherlands.
- Japan.
- Sweden*
- Canada*
Spain eats the least fast food of any industrialized country in the world, after Italy.
References
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