When Virginia Senator Tim Kaine asked Michael Rigas, the deputy secretary of state for management and resources, about this debacle, he replied, “I don’t have an answer for that question, senator. I’m as distressed about that as you are.” According to a statement by Connecticut Democratic Rep. Rosa DeLauro, “There is no greater example of waste than spending taxpayer dollars on lifesaving aid and then refusing to deliver that aid for so long, it spoils and must be incinerated.”

Such incomprehensible decisions highlight how economic and political priorities often outweigh the urgent needs of millions suffering from hunger worldwide.

Despite these global failures, many cultures have long recognized the moral imperative of avoiding waste. Growing up in Pakistan, we were not allowed to waste food. Religiously and culturally, it was an abomination. If you had leftover food on a plate, it would go to the birds, pets, and so forth. And if there was excess food because of a special occasion, our parents would share it with the house help, neighbors, or relatives. We have concepts of “langars” (community kitchens) in Pakistan and India, where community meals are served to anyone who comes there. There is a strong cultural drive to ensure that food reaches all, especially the less fortunate.

Food waste has evolved significantly over time—from pre-industrial societies where food wastage was seen as a moral failing to the colonial era, where food was exported without considering local shortages. Then came the Industrial Revolution, where mass production increased food output and led to overproduction because preservation techniques were inadequate. During the post-World War II era of industrial agriculture and mass consumer culture, food production generated massive waste. Overproduction, poor storage, and long-distance transport turned a moral concern into a global issue. By the early 2000s, roughly 19 percent of global food production was wasted annually.

Demand for food is rising as people continue to die of hunger from a manufactured global food crisis. According to the UN Hunger Report, 2023/24, 783 million people are trapped in a global hunger crisis. In addition, 2.3 billion people experience moderate to severe levels of food insecurity. From Sub-Saharan Africa to Western Asia, including Yemen and Sudan, food shortages are extreme. The United Nations’ sustainable development efforts to achieve the Goal of Zero Hunger by 2030 are abysmally malnourished.

Capitalism plays a huge role, as the global food system prioritizes profit over people’s needs. Countries rich in resources might still face hunger because they are forced to export crops for profit instead of feeding their own populations. Capitalists create monopolies through the privatization of essential goods and services. They would rather destroy surplus food than share or lower the prices, because that would reduce profit margins. Workers are exploited and are given minimum wages that don’t even support basic needs. Big corporations take advantage of underdeveloped yet resource-rich nations by illegally invading their lands on the pretext of war and national security, extracting wealth, usurping resources, and leaving the local population impoverished. We often blame natural disasters and poor harvests for famine; the real culprits are systems that breed inequality, conflict, and exploitation.

Global aid efforts are often fragmented, inefficient, or influenced by political agendas, leaving many communities without the help they truly need. The decision to cancel USAID due to alleged inefficiency comes at a time when international aid programs are already gasping for air. The Lancet Medical Journal has warned that this decision could result in an additional 14 million deaths by 2030. UN’s humanitarian coordination office spokesperson Jens Larke claims that the needs are rising faster than the money coming in. From $1.7 billion funding in 1999 to requiring more than $100 billion by 2027, humanitarian needs are rapidly progressing while political agendas dictate never-ending wars and conflict in unstable lands. Climate disasters are fiercer and uncontrollable. Humanitarian aid efforts are inefficient, lack transparency, and are unsustainable. Without a proper way to measure their impact and identify core, structural failures, aid programs need much more than aid to do their bidding.

While everyone agrees that the system needs to change, there is no clear direction. From addressing short-term emergencies to long-term policy overhauls in governments, there is no single cure-all for a global humanitarian system that is fundamentally fractured and acts simply as a band-aid. In May 2016, a UN conference of nine thousand delegates pledged to increase funds to national nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that are more effective and cheaper. However, in many cases, these NGOs begin doing the government’s work, such as hospitals and infrastructure, and are forced to remain for decades doing work that is beyond their scope and funding.

Sorcha O’Callaghan, from the Overseas Development Institute, states, “It’s a political crisis that is resulting in people going hungry. Why are humanitarians having to step into the breach to deliver services?”

It’s easy for the rich and powerful to make big, bold promises about ending world hunger and world peace—just ask the countless Miss World contestants who’ve made it sound so simple. But reality invokes sordid imagery of a world where injustice is rampant and happy endings are restricted to fairy tales. We live in a world where the rich continuously exploit nations and people who deserve the help the most. These same manipulative capitalist systems give money to rich countries and make it difficult for poorer nations to access credit. The result? Numerous catastrophic implosions where countries self-destruct. They become overly dependent on foreign aid, drown in loans, and cripple their infrastructures, leading to widespread poverty and famine that multiply over time.

In these moments laced with doom and hopelessness, it is important to be aware and cognizant of the systems and governments we are a part of. Even in the face of overwhelming injustice, our small actions can trigger change. We reclaim our power from these broken, morbid systems when we choose empathy over indifference. Whether we feed one hungry neighbor or support a cause that fights inequity, it’s important to make choices with intention and integrity.