www.lesswrong.com/posts/hMBZHXA6vjj8xhCfw/storing-food
1 correction found
Essentially no one dies in the US from food unavailability.
CDC final mortality statistics show tens of thousands of U.S. deaths per year attributed to nutritional deficiencies/malnutrition, so it’s not true that “essentially no one” dies from lack of adequate nutrition/food.
Full reasoning
The post claims that essentially nobody in the United States dies due to food unavailability.
However, the CDC/NCHS Deaths: Final Data for 2022 report (final, not provisional) tabulates deaths by cause, including ICD-10 cause group “Nutritional deficiencies (E40–E64)”.
In that report:
- Nutritional deficiencies (E40–E64): 21,020 deaths (2022)
- Within that, Malnutrition (E40–E46): 20,552 deaths (2022)
These are deaths officially recorded in U.S. vital statistics with an underlying cause corresponding to nutritional deficiency/malnutrition. That is far from “essentially no one,” and directly contradicts the statement as written.
(Important nuance: these deaths can include a mix of situations—medical conditions, frailty, neglect, and/or inability to access adequate food. But the claim is categorical and about deaths from food unavailability; CDC mortality data show that deaths due to inadequate nutrition are not near-zero.)
1 source
- National Vital Statistics Reports, Vol. 74, No. 4 (June 10, 2025): Deaths: Final Data for 2022 (CDC/NCHS)
Table text shows: “Nutritional deficiencies (E40–E64) 21,020” deaths in 2022, and separately lists “Malnutrition (E40–E46) 20,552” deaths in 2022.