I had noticed that our article to read was published in 2011. In it, it mentioned the importance of a livable wage for food security. Back in 2011, the CA minimum wage was $8/hr compared to the current $16.90/hr in 2026. I found two sources of how with the raise in minimum wage there is an increase a higher caloric purchase in CA (raising minimum wage improves nutrition among food insecure households). Now, while the data is able to show that more food has been bought, there hasn’t been as significant data on if the food is healthier. The second article touches more on the US as a whole, with the percentage of households facing food insecurity, the use of SNAP, and the federal proposal to increase minimum wage. Currently the two states with the worst food insecurity are Arkansas (20%) and Mississippi (22%), or about 1 in 5 households. The second article goes more into the effects of minimum wage on food security and how a rise in wage would have a positive effect.
https://tcf.org/content/report/the-impact-of-a-15-minimum-wage-on-hunger-in-america
https://poverty.ucdavis.edu/post/raising-minimum-wage-improves-nutrition-among-food-insecure-households
1 comment:
While I think that it is wonderful that the minimum wage in California has risen, this is not the case for a lot of states, including Pennsylvania. We remain at $7.25. Working the normal 40-hour week, this is just under $1300 a month. That is at or less than most people's rent. That does not include a car, gas, utilities, clothing, food, or other expenses. We all want people to eat healthier, but if that is all you are making, you don't have the money to spare to "vote with your dollars" or buy healthier foods. The government's refusal to raise the minimum wage is simply allowing this issue to persist. As long as a company can get away with paying people the absolute bare minimum, even if that puts people below the federal poverty line, they will, as companies aim for the most profit. A CEO would rather make millions of dollars a year doing a whole lot of nothing than pay their hard-working employees more than minimum wage. At some point, this becomes a problem of greediness more than anything else.
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