World Hunger ‘Exploding’ After 25% Spike Before Ukraine War

The comment from the chief economist at the World Food Programme came as the Global Network Against Food Crises warned that the hunger problem is expected to “deteriorate further” this year. A gauge of world food prices has soared to a record as the Ukraine war disrupts harvests and exports from one of the world’s top grain and vegetable-oil suppliers.

“The world is exploding with food insecurity,” the WFP’s Arif Husain said Wednesday at a press briefing.

Almost 193 million people across 53 countries or territories suffered acute food insecurity in 2021, meaning their lack of meals posed an immediate threat to their lives or livelihoods, the network said earlier. That’s up from 155 million in 55 countries for the prior year, and a record in the six years since the report began.