Annual UN Report Finds ‘2.3 Billion People (29.3%) Were Moderately or Severely Food Insecure in 2021’

July 7, 2022 (EIRNS)—The annual world hunger report was issued jointly July 6 by five UN agencies, titled “The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World.” The UN press release that day on its key findings reported that, “the number of people affected by hunger globally rose to as many as 828 million in 2021,” and that overall, “around 2.3 billion people in the world (29.3%) were moderately or severely food insecure in 2021—350 million more compared to before the outbreak of the pandemic. Nearly 924 million people faced food insecurity at severe levels, an increase of 207 million in two years....”

“Almost 3.1 billion people could not afford a healthy diet in 2020, up 112 million from 2018, reflecting the effects of inflation in consumer food prices stemming from the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the measures put in place to contain it.

“An estimated 45 million children under the age of five were suffering from wasting, the deadliest form of malnutrition, which increases children’s risk of death by up to 12 times. Another 149 million children under the age of five had stunted growth and development due to a chronic lack of essential nutrients in their diets, while 39 million were overweight....”

The 260-page report is issued by the FAO, WFP, WHO, UNICEF and IFAD.