UN Report Finds Nearly 1B Are Hungry

Rising food prices have pushed the number of people going hungry to 963 million, or 14% of the world's population, says a UN report published yesterday. Though costs have dropped from historic peaks, basics still cost 28% more than in 2006. That's left 40 million more people undernourished this year, the majority living in seven developing countries, the Guardian reports.

The credit crunch has shifted focus away from the food crisis, but yesterday’s findings will increase pressure on leaders to tackle the costs and environmental perils of feeding a population estimated to reach 9 billion within 50 years. “Not enough has been done to reduce hunger and not enough is being done to prevent more people becoming hungry,” said the director behind the report. (More starvation stories.)