Today is World Food day! After a period of steady decline, global hunger levels have risen for the first time this century, now affecting 11 percent of the global population. The estimated number of undernourished people increased from 777 million in 2015 to 815 million in 2016.**
Conflicts and climate related disasters stall food production and break down vital infrastructures. This causes chronic undernourishment in countries already struggling with food insecurity.
Crucially, food poverty is not just a problem unique to developing nations.
The UK may be the seventh richest country in the world, but rising living costs combined with stagnating wages is leaving many people struggling to afford food.
- It is estimated that over 500,000 people in the UK are now relying on food parcels.
- Over 2 million people in the UK are estimated to be malnourished, and 3 million are at risk of becoming so.
- 1 in 6 parents have gone without food themselves to afford to feed their families.*
- One in four low-income families struggle to eat regularly.*
How you can help…
The UK’s largest food bank network The Trussell Trust is always looking for food donations from a standard shopping list. In addition, the organisation needs volunteers to help run food banks. You can find your nearest food bank by entering your postcode on the Trussell Trust website. If you wish to donate food, it is worth calling your local food bank in advance to find out what items they are most in need of.