District Eleven.

District 11 is the largest, and one of the poorest districts in Panem. Their industry is agriculture, so we would expect the people of this area to be better fed than those is 12 but this is not the case. The Capitols control over 11 is totalitarian. Almost everything they produce goes straight to the Capitol, despite the evident starvation. Food production is so vital, and so the Peacekeepers are a lot tougher here then they are in other districts. If a citizen in 11 is caught eating crops; they are to be whipped in public and used as an example for the rest of the workers. 

 

 

We learn a lot about 11 from Rue. Rue is the female tribute from 11, and the youngest of all the tributes at age 12. It is through her we learn about the rough treatment of the Peacekeepers - they have no qualms about killing people, even small children, if they break the rules. 11's tributes never really fare well in the games, as they arrive underfed and well underprepared for what is ahead of them. However, as Rue was the oldest of 5 children, she is used to going without much food for long periods of time which is beneficial in the Games. She can also recognise edible plants and berries due to the fact she has worked outside for most of her life. 

Food plays such an important role in many Young Adult fiction books, but it is the lack of food which makes it important in The Hunger Games. By withholding something so important, something so vital from the people in these outer districts, the Capitol is ensuring they remember their place in the hierarchy of the nation; which is of course, the very bottom. 
 

It is a simple concept, and one that hits close to home in reality and modern society. Those with all the wealth and power have all the food and those with nothing are left to starve. Food is a large indicator of class in these novels, and because 11 are of the lower class they are left to starve by the Capitol. Despite the importance of food production and the fact that 11 provides all fruit and crops to the nation, they are not treated with any importance by the government. And so it can be argued that in this text, the function of food is to highlight the differences in social class. Food serves as a reminder to those in poorer districts as to where they stand in the social hierarchy of the nation.