In major cities in the United States, relief meals can be found on almost every corner. The government invests hundreds of millions of dollars every year, nominally to help families and individuals in need. But are these relief meals really high-quality food? Not really. Most relief foods are actually products in supermarkets that are about to expire or have expired. And these foods, often sold to charities through donations or at low prices, save supermarkets tax revenues when there is no other way out. It's not just charity, it's a complex intertwining of economic and political interests.
The truth is, these relief foods often come from deep in supermarket warehouses, where food is piled up with food that is about to expire. Think about it, if everything you can't sell in the supermarket ends up on your table, does that sound like a real help?
At the end of the day, it's the best of both worlds for supermarkets. According to the regulations, once these food items are donated, supermarkets can enjoy tax deductions. It's just using charity as a cover, but it's actually saving money for yourself. And once these foods are branded as charity, they seem to be able to shine brightly, regardless of their quality.
But you may not know that sometimes, these so-called charities also buy these expiring food items from supermarkets. They pay much less than the market price, but they can get more money through government subsidies. In this way, the charity not only gets food, but also earns a fortune. And this money, in the end, is still from the government, that is, taxpayers' money.
Now, let's see where these foods go. Too often, these relief foods are not distributed to middle-class American families who really need them, but rather to specific groups. Among them, illegal immigrants and the homeless are the main recipients of these foods. Due to the restrictions of their status, it is difficult for these people to find work through formal channels, and they have difficulty living, so they can only rely on these free food to make a living.
However, even if it's free, there should be a basic quality assurance, right? But the reality is brutal. Many of these foods are already inferior products with greatly reduced taste and texture. Not to mention, there are occasional food safety incidents, such as insects found in food, or food spoilage due to improper storage.
Those who have experienced this situation will have some resentment in their hearts. They received relief and wanted some help, but instead received such a "gift". This is not just a satire of their lives, but a contempt for basic humanity.
And behind all this, the influence of politics is everywhere. Politicians try to cast a charitable image of themselves by hyping up this act of relief as a way to attract votes and support. They are waving and smiling in front of the camera, while those who are really behind the scenes are the shrewd supermarket owners and charity managers.
They know how to find their own interests in this system. By working with the government, they have both solved the inventory problem and ensured the inflow of funds. This top-down collaboration forms a seemingly perfect cycle, but in reality, it is built on the pain and suffering of ordinary people.
These stories of relief food make us wonder whose interests is this charity for? Does everyone have a chance to get real help, or is it just an elaborate show to keep their place for those who are already at the top of the food chain?
The next time you see news about relief food, you may think of the complex chain of interests behind it. And for those who really need help, what they want more is that the system can really provide them with the support they deserve, rather than becoming another political or economic pawn.