The social problem of economic inequality negatively affects millions of people in the United States every day. Experiencing firsthand how difficult it is to participate in "the American Dream" and rise up out of poverty motivates this research. The overall question that guides this research is: How can agency and structure be conceptualized in the food system in order to increase social mobility for the lower classes? The research, based on data gleaned from food justice and food sovereignty literature, utilizes the capability approach, established as a method to evaluate human wellbeing.