UN warns global hunger is rising amid surge in food prices

According to UN agency, the high food insecurity has affecting a record 270 million people this year.

“High food prices are hunger’s new best friend,” said WFP Chief Economist Arif Husain.

“We already have conflict, climate and COVID-19 working together. Now food prices have joined the deadly trio,” he added.

The WFP said the rates of wheat flour in Lebanon have increased 219 percent year-on-year amid accelerating economic instability, while cooking oil prices have surged 440 percent versus a year ago in war-stricken Syria.

On internationally traded markets, world food prices were up 33.9 percent year-on-year in June, according to the UN food agency’s price index, which measures a basket of cereals, oilseeds, dairy products, meat and sugar.

As per a survey by WFP about 690 million people or 9 percent of the world’s population go to bed hungry each night.

Courtesy: Al-jazeera