• Food remains a global concern as food insecurity persists as a major problem, a study suggests.
A survey conducted by Stack Data Strategy in the name of the campaign Hungry for Action shows that food supply and price concerns remain a constant priority among people globally, in rich and poor countries alike.
Access to food is a vital necessity to sustain life. But according to Hungry for Action, hunger affects 735 million people worldwide. According to survey data by Stack Data Strategy, concerns about this are widespread around the world.
In the survey, respondents from 13 countries (Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States) were asked to rank eight pressing global issues in order of of concern they have about them. 20% of respondents said food supply and price were their main concern, and 84% of respondents ranked it as some level of concern.
Food concerns overtook government corruption (which was the main concern for 17% of respondents), unemployment (16%), rising energy costs (12%), conflict (11%), global warming (10%), the level of live (8%) and the rise of authoritarianism (6%).
The price of food
Rising food, fertilizer and fuel prices as a result of the pandemic, the impact of climate change, the cost of living crisis and the Russian-Ukrainian war, followed by supply chain disruption, have led to a global food crisis.
Another survey, this time by IPSOS for World Vision International, in a sample of 14.000 people from 16 countries, found that 37% of parents said they were unable to adequately feed their children, and 21% said they had suffered from hunger in the past month. Another survey, conducted by ActionAid, across 13 countries found that 74% of respondents are switching to lower quality food and 48% of mothers are reducing the amount of food they give their children, both as a result of rising food prices.
Food prices will continue to rise. According to the World Bank's updated data on food security, which covers data from June to September this year, 57,1% of low-income countries, 83% of lower-middle-income countries and 59% of upper-middle-income countries have inflation rates above 5%.
Global issues
Despite the differences recorded according to the country of the interviewees, in essence, the concern about the availability of food extends to all countries, and the causes are similar. In the Hungry for Action survey, 72% of respondents in Kenya and 71% of respondents in Nigeria were "very concerned" of food affordability and cost, compared to 41% in the United States.
To keep the situation from spiraling out of control, each country will need a specific approach, but there are measures that will apply in all countries, including the need to comprehensively address the root causes of hunger – poverty and inequality, as well as providing adequate social protection systems for the disadvantaged, investing in climate change adaptation and mitigation.
The Hungry for Action campaign seeks to get governments, through international collaboration, to double funding for climate change adaptation, support small food producers, invest in and scale up cost-effective nutrition interventions, and cancel the debt of poor countries. Events such as COP28, G7 and G20, World Bank and IMF meetings are just a few that provide platforms for world leaders to discuss this issue.
Article written by Gabriela Dan, Editor of Arta Albă.
Read on White Art and: Millet – the star gluten-free cereal of 2023
