Hunger & Food Security
As unemployment in New Jersey reaches 6.1 percent, state sees food stamp applications double and 40 percent rise in number of people seeking welfare over one year. State distributes about 58 percent of its food stamp allotment; cumbersome application process blamed. And: $22.5 million aid plan OK'd in December included $3 million for NJ food pantries (click 'See also').
By Susan K. Livio
The Star-Ledger (NJ) 2009-01-04 (entry)
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As unemployment in New Jersey reaches 6.1 percent, state sees food stamp applications double and 40 percent rise in number of people seeking welfare over one year. State distributes about 58 percent of its food stamp allotment; cumbersome application process blamed. And: $22.5 million aid plan OK'd in December included $3 million for NJ food pantries (click 'See also').
By Susan K. Livio
The Star-Ledger (NJ) 2009-01-04 (entry)
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One in two New Yorkers has trouble affording groceries, and almost one in four would need immediate food assistance after sudden loss in income, poll shows. In Manhattan, 34 percent of residents said they needed help; in Bronx, 55 percent said they did. In New York, 1.3 million use some sort of food assistance - food stamps, food pantry, soup kitchen.
By Adam Rose
The New York Observer 2008-12-17 (entry)
One in eight Americans, up from 2006, sometimes struggled for food - before economic downturn. Some 691,000 children went hungry at some point last year. Hungry children can't concentrate on learning. Congress must increase child nutrition funding, use food stamp boost to stimulate economy. And: Record food stamp use in September (click 'See also').
The editors
The Buffalo News 2008-11-28 (entry)
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As ranks of poor grow, Congress should accurately measure poverty considering changes in food costs, addition of costs for child care, health care, and regional differences in cost of living. It also must boost food stamps, modernize unemployment compensation system and strengthen governments to help those in need.
The editors
The New York Times 2008-11-26 (entry)
Number of Americans on food stamps nears record; visits to food pantries in D.C. area up 20 to 100 percent. Rising unemployment, rising food prices among causes - food-stamp benefit fell below cost of USDA's thriftiest diet for a family of four. In U.S., 11.9 million people went hungry at some point last year, including 700,000 children.
By Jane Black
The Washington Post 2008-11-25 (entry)
Dwindling resources - water and food - and climate change, growing populations will contribute to regional conflicts, global instability, says Global Trends 2025. National Intelligence Council report (click 'See also') for policymakers says Middle East, parts of Africa, eastern Europe, Asia at greatest risk.
By Peter Finn and Walter Pincus
The Washington Post 2008-11-21 (entry)
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In effort to cut dependence on U.S. imports, South Korean firm plans million-acre corn field on land just leased for 99 years in Madagascar. Daewoo hopes to harvest five million tons of corn annually by 2023. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, seeking similar agricultural investments in Africa or Asia while Angola, Ethiopia seek partnerships with countries in need.
BBC 2008-11-19 (entry)
At least 1 million people could starve to death in a year if political deadlock in Zimbabwe continues, Morgan Tsvangirai, opposition leader warns. UN food agency, running short on funds, reduces corn, bean rations to 4 million people. Plea for $140 million for food from now till April harvest unheeded, World Food Program says, and food will run out in January.
BBC News 2008-11-11 (entry)
Fighting world hunger should be priority for Barack Obama, says UN leader. Effort needs
$30 billion a year to boost rural infrastructure, farm productivity and wages of farmers. Record crop yields have reduced immediate problems, but agency fears that financial crisis will trigger another food price surge. Farmers have cut back on planting in response to high fuel, fertilizers prices and lower prices for grains.
By Svetlana Kovalyova
Reuters 2008-11-07 (entry)
Food, shelter, doctor visits are only priorities in consumer pocketbook lockdown as layoffs accelerate, so other industries suffer. And: One-percentage-point increase in unemployment rate leads to 700,000 more food stamp recipients in first year and eventually, 1.3 million more food stamp recipients, says 2002 USDA report (click 'See also').
By Aaron Smith
CNN Money 2008-11-07 (entry)
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Barack Obama has opportunity to reposition global food crisis as critical foreign policy, and he should, since hunger is directly tied to civil unrest. Surely a world that found $1 trillion to rescue financial institutions can find $30 billion for short-term hunger needs and improvements to increase food production.
By Nancy Roman
World Food Program (UN)/Reuters AlertNet 2008-11-05 (entry)
Food, water, tents distributed to survivors of Pakistan earthquake near Afghanistan border, but there's not enough to go around. Children beg for food from passing aid trucks. UN plans initial delivery of flour, lentils, salt from nearby warehouses. More than 300 dead, 20,000 homeless. China, Japan, U.S., Turkey offer help.
By Ed Johnson and Farhan Sharif
Bloomberg 2008-10-31 (entry)
Global food crisis worsens with financial tumult, pulling incomes of additional 119 million people below poverty line; rich countries haven't made good on their $12.3 billion aid promise from summer. Prices for wheat, corn, soybean futures are down, lowering incentives for growing crops, and China's export tax on fertilizer leaves Africa's customers without.
By Ariana Eunjung Cha and Stephanie McCrummen
The Washington Post 2008-10-26 (entry)
For sake of economy, national security and moral authority, U.S. must stay committed to international aid, President George Bush says. Rising food prices have added 75 million people worldwide to rolls of chronic hunger for total of 925 million, UN says. In July, Senate panel voted to scale back funding request of Bush program that rewards countries for meeting strict policy, governance criteria; group has disbursed less than 10 percent of its $6.3 billion.
By Dan Eggen and Anthony Faiola
The Washington Post 2008-10-22 (entry)
World's promises to modernize agricultural practices and support third-world farmers remain unkept, UN speaker charges. Experts say ranks of hungry likely to grow from 920 million to 970 million this year. Only 10 percent of $12 billion pledged by world governments has arrived, and bulk was earmarked for famine relief, not longer-term agricultural aid to make future famines less likely.
By Shawn Pogatchnik
The Associated Press; Winnipeg Sun (Ca) 2008-10-17 (entry)
Many in developing world - especially Philippines, Panama, Kenya - cut back on eating because of food costs in last year, new study shows. Food costs expected to begin decline as lower oil prices bring price of fertilizer, fuel lower.
BBC 2008-10-15 (entry)
Eve of World Food Day was missed opportunity for presidential candidates to discuss hunger, poverty. Starvation kills a child every five seconds; nearly one billion people go hungry daily. Both candidates must speak specifically about proposals to address global hunger, food shortages. And: To join anti-povery effort, click 'See also.'
The editors
The Capital Times (Madison, WI) 2008-10-16 (entry)
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To progress on health care crisis, energy independence and climate change, new president must wean food system from fossil fuel and return it to diet of sunshine. Next, new policy must strive for healthful diet for all; improve reliance, safety and security of food supply; promote regional food economies; and reframe agriculture as part of solution to environmental problems.
By Michael Pollan
The New York Times 2008-10-12 (entry)
Listless babies, wizened one-year-olds, two-year-olds with no food for two weeks are among the millions dying from hunger in Somalia in 'forgotten crisis.' Recently, thousands of desperately hungry besieged 35-truck UN convoy in Mogadishu, taking two million pounds of food. Unending war, drought, global food supply squeeze, unemployment, inflation all to blame.
By Jeffrey Gettleman
The New York Times 2008-10-11 (entry)
Food stamp use sharply up over last year - nearly one in 10 people participated in July (latest information available). Rise reflects broader national economic distress, 'pain on Main Street,' but doesn't yet reflect upheavals of last few months, including loss of 159,000 jobs in September.
By Michael E. Ruane
The Washington Post 2008-10-04 (entry)
If Congress can conjure up vast sums for Wall Street bailout, why, when we speak urgently of a fraying social net, of charities reeling and empty food pantries, of tens of millions of Americans (the types who clean the likes of AIG and Freddie Mac at night) without food and shelter, is there not a penny available? Our nation's priorities are in the wrong place.
By Joel Berg
The Washington Post 2008-09-28 (entry)
In Malawi, where one in five adults has HIV/AIDS, ecologist digs backyard fish ponds for farmers and benefits accrue. Childhood malnutrition in region drops from 45 to 15 percent; affected households double income; residents eat more fresh fish and more corn grows via irrigation. Success means expansion into Mozambique, Zambia, but demand for fingerling tilapia has pushed prices up.
By David Biello
Scientific American 2008-08-20 (entry)
New program will use $76 million in foundation money to develop better ways for local farmers to supply UN's World Food Program with their products. Lack of agricultural infrastructure - irrigation, mechanization, roads, quality control - could hamper goals. American food-aid policy supplies only American-grown food. UN says hungry total nearly 1 billion.
By Robert A. Guth and Roger Thurow
The Wall Street Journal. (may require subscription) 2008-09-25 (entry)
Economic downturn hits retirees. Those who rely mostly on Social Security may not suffer directly from stock market woes, but they face higher food, gas and health care prices and reductions in volunteer services like Meals on Wheels, trimmed because of fuel costs.
By John Leland and Louis Uchitelle
The New York Times 2008-09-23 (entry)
Hurricane survivors wait for food, drinking water as Texas attempts cleanup after catastrophe. Galveston official worries about disease; residents have no electricity, running water or working toilets. In Houston, residents told to boil water; those in need were to receive two packages of ready-to-eat meals, two boxes of bottled water and bag of ice.
By P.J. Huffstutter and David Zucchino
Los Angeles Times 2008-09-15 (entry)
In West Virginia, increase in needy coincides with food pantry organizers' understanding that diet-related disease is common. Some faith-based pantries become more selective about donations; each new client gets health screening before being invited to shop.
By Tara Tuckwiller
The Gazette-Mail (Charleston, WV) 2008-09-14 (entry)
Feeding 6.3 million North Koreans to avert famine will cost half a billion dollars in emergency food aid in next 15 months, UN says. U.S. just delivered 110,000 tons of food, but bad weather, price hikes, export restrictions and political maneuvering have kept stores low. And: Roughly a third of country's children, mothers are malnourished (click 'See also').
By Peter Ford
The Christian Science Monitor 2008-09-04 (entry)
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Zimbabwe, once breadbasket but now in sixth year of food aid, lifts ban on aid after three-month standoff. Lag left up to 1.7 million left out of registration for food, other needs. Mugabe had claimed some groups fed only election opposition; U.S. says Mugabe used schoolchildren's food as political weapon. Meanwhile, 45 percent of citizens will be in need by January; they will forage, sell possessions and eat fewer meals to survive. For snapshot, click 'See also.'
By Celia W. Dugger
The New York Times 2008-08-29 (entry)
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In Haiti, UN begins distributing high-energy biscuits, water to 40,000 in shelters after three storms in less than three weeks. Thousands still isolated as Hurricane Ike approaches. Country was already reeling from rising prices and government disorder after food riots in April unseated prime minister. And: In Haiti's slums, sun-baked pies made with butter, salt, water and dirt (click 'See also').
By Jonathan M. Katz
The Associated Press; The Globe and Mail (Canada) 2008-09-06 (entry)
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Storm damage 'washes away' efforts to restore agricultural production in Haiti and to break its dependence on imported food, UN official says. And: As soil goes, so goes the nation (click 'See also'). To boost Haitian food production, ecologist founds nonprofit that builds composting toilets in rural communities to add organic matter and fertility to fields.
By John Heilprin
The Associated Press; The Press (Atlantic City, NJ) 2008-09-05 (entry)
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Food crisis did not come without warning. It's unacceptable morally and unsustainable politically, economically. The U.S. must reinvest in agriculture development, organize institutions to address food challenge, re-examine food policies and consider global compact that eliminates food tariffs for poorest.
By Joe Biden
The Miami Herald; biden.senate.gov 2008-05-23 (entry)
Latin America is major food producer, but sometimes must import to prevent shortages. Political left turn was tied to food problem - Brazil's 'Zero Hunger' plan, Argentina's price controls, Venezuela's land reform. Assuring food security must avoid protectionism and requires new international regime of free trade for agricultural commodities.
By Khatchik Der Ghougassian
Journal of Turkish Weekly 2008-08-18 (entry)
As 75 percent of school districts prepare to raise lunch prices to offset rising costs of milk, bread, vegetables, nutrition directors worry that students won't have money to eat and that cafeterias will return to serving cheaper processed fare. Congress asked to to increase assistance and to make meals free for all students.
By James Vaznis
The Boston Globe 2008-07-16 (entry)
When one in eight families who bring children to Maryland emergency room are undernourished, there's growing need for nutrition programs. Baltimore officials are right to urge physicians to screen young patients for malnutrition and refer families to food pantries. But encouraging families to get help isn't enough; city needs a plan.
The editors
The Baltimore Sun 2008-07-18 (entry)
New federal poverty measure proposal accounts for diminished role of food in household spending (down from one third, in 1969, to one-eighth). New measurement includes spending on food, clothing, shelter, transportation, utilities, medical expenses and food stamps or housing subsidies. Measure determines eligibility for public assistance.
By Keith B. Richburg
The Washington Post 2008-07-14 (entry)
From our efficient, automated food stamp program, we have learned that current benefits run out the third week of every month. Price tag of hunger to American society is about $90 billion a year; ending hunger in U.S. would cost $10-12 billion a year. What added moral hazard could a full month of eating create?
By Michael Gerson
The Washington Post 2008-07-09 (entry)
Secret report says EU, U.S. drive for biofuels pushed food prices up 75 percent, contradicting U.S. assertion that plant-derived fuels contribute less than 3 percent to food-price rises. Biofuels affected prices by diverting grain from food, encouraging farmers to set land aside for biofuel production and by sparking financial speculation in grains.
By Aditya Chakrabortty
The Guardian (UK) 2008-07-04 (entry)
In Mumbai, a charity restaurant sells meals of rice and lentil gruel for a quarter, and broken, drifting men wait outside in rows for donations so they can eat.The city, formerly known as Bombay, has been home to 'hunger cafes,' where the poorest depend on the master's sense of paternalistic obligation.
By Anand Giridharadas
The New York Times 2008-06-17 (entry)
Wild salmon collapse sends message: Don't eat it. Farm-raised is no better: Offshore net-cages dot long stretches of the west coast of the Americas. In Chile, overcrowding in those feedlots led to epidemic salmon anemia, fatal to millions of fish; in Canada, which supplies U.S. with 40 percent of its farmed salmon, sea-lice - a type of parasite - breed on farmed fish and then infect wild pink salmon.
By Taras Grescoe
The New York Times 2008-06-09 (entry)
Despite crisis, there is little attention to underpinning of all of our food systems - biodiversity and services provided by ecosystems, such as soil, water and resilience to disasters. We must change food systems from existing manufactured model to more environmentally-friendly inputs. Other complications: inequitable trade rules, agricultural subsidies and marginalization of small producers.
By Gonzalo Oviedo
BBC News 2008-06-02 (entry)
Unless causes of food crisis are addressed, emergencies will continue. World leaders 12 years ago declared they would halve world hunger by 2015, but plans for cooperation, action, and increased aid and help were ignored or squandered, mostly because of military or political conflicts or poverty, plus declining foreign interest in agricultural development.
By Kent Garber
U.S. News & World Report 2008-05-30 (entry)
Wisconsin food stamp enrollment rises 10 percent in last year, faster than national average. Officials cite rise of 33 percent for a typical basket of groceries; easy online sign-up; and the now-voluntary job-training program. Federal government pays benefits - monthly average was $186.85 in 2007 - but Wisconsin pays half of administrative costs - $24.2 million in the 2007 fiscal year.
By Stacy Forster
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel 2008-05-26 (entry)
As food crisis deepens and environmental alarms sound, calls are renewed for food recovery and gleaning, as well as composting to reduce methane belched from landfills. Americans discard 27 percent (a pound a day per person), Britons toss a third. In Africa, improper storage spoils a quarter or more of the crops before they can be eaten.
By Andrew Martin
The New York Times 2008-05-18 (entry)
California food stamp rules are punitive, shameful and miserly. Government must help the two million needy Californians get food stamps and bring in hundreds of millions of additional federal dollars to low-income families. It is foolish and unconscionable not to seize the chance to prevent hunger.
The editors
The Mercury News (CA) 2008-05-19 (entry)
Food price crisis joins drought, high fuel and fertilizer costs, dying livestock, civil war, displacement and imperiled aid operations to kill hundreds from hunger and thirst and to tip Somalia toward famine. Complicating matters are U.S. airstrikes against suspected terrorists in drought zone. In Ogaden, government uses food as weapon in attempt to starve out rebels. For information on how to help, click '(entry)' below.
By Jeffrey Gettleman
The New York Times 2008-05-17 (entry)
As famine looms in North Korea, U.S. agrees to resume food aid shipments. Americans gave food aid to North Korea from 1995 to 2005, but stopped after UN's World Food Program representatives were expelled. Ten years ago, about one million North Koreans died of starvation. White House says aid isn't related to nuclear disarmament negotiations.
BBC News 2008-05-16 (entry)
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Food again is vital to our national security. We don't want a repeat of food riots that occurred during the Civil War, the Panic of 1893, and the Great Depression. As it did in World War I, government should allocate funds to promote national school, home and community gardening. Back then, Uncle Sam said, "Garden!" and millions of Americans picked up their hoes.
By Daniel J. Desmond and Rose Hayden-Smith
Ventura County Star 2008-05-04 (entry)
Food crisis requires decisive leadership from U.S., and should include: vetoing farm/food bill unless Congress slashes subsidies and caps income eligibility at $250,000; refilling UN food program's empty coffers; buying food directly grown from farmers in poor countries; investing in agriculture efficiency; and suspending or reducing the U.S. ethanol mandate.
The editors
Chicago Tribune 2008-05-01 (entry)
Potato could help solve world hunger, advocates say. The tuber, native to Peru and in 5,000 varieties, can be grown in almost any climate, requires little water, matures quickly, has higher yields than wheat or rice and contains protein and calcium. Peru pushes bakers to use potato flour instead of wheat version; school children, prisoners and the military are eating potato bread. China is top potato producer.
By Terry Wade
Reuters 2008-04-15 (entry)
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Stung by rising rice prices, Cambodia plans to suspend 450,000 students' free breakfast of rice, tuna and yellow split peas. Only the most destitute schools were eligible for program, but the meals were an immediate hit. Well-fed students are more attentive, tardiness is no longer a problem, and attendance by girls, who for years had been kept home, has increased sharply.
By Thomas Fuller
International Herald Tribune 2008-04-28 (entry)
As manufacturing jobs in Michigan are lost, one eight residents receives food stamps and processed snacks - honey buns at two for a dollar - win over expensive fruits. Other cost-cutting measures include eating at home and buying in bulk. 'Milk costs as much as gasoline,' says one mom. 'We tell the kids not to take too much. We tell them if you're going to take (milk), make sure you drink all of it.'
By Nicole Gerring
The Times Herald (MI) 2008-04-20 (entry)
As relief groups call for $755 million in fresh emergency food assistance, dire hunger shows failure of globalization without free trade. In Muritania, country produces only 30 percent of what its people eat; abandoned fields grow weeds. Thirty percent of budget comes from selling factory fishing licenses, mostly to Europeans, and fish from rich waters goes to high-bidding exporters.'They leave us with sardines as they eat juicy fish,' says resident. 'We stand no chance against the hunger of richer countries.'
By Anthony Faiola
The Washington Post 2008-04-28 (entry)
Forecasting famine when hundreds of thousands of acres of bamboo blossom every 50 years, residents of tiny Indian town prepare, but still are inundated by rats. Rodents eat the avocado-like fruit, mate, then swarm to rice paddies, grain harvests, food stockpiles and seeds for next season. Twenty years of civil unrest followed the 1959 flowering and famine.
By Amelia Gentleman
The New Zealand Herald 2008-04-01 (entry)
Anger over children's empty bellies gathers, putting pressures on fragile governments. In Haiti, there's a brisk business in patties made of mud, oil and sugar; a mom of five offers any of her children to a stranger, just asking that they be fed. 'People are going to do no matter what to survive,' said UN expert. 'And if you're hungry you get angry quicker.' For other famine-fighting techniques of poor, click 'See also.'
By Marc Lacey
The New York Times 2008-04-18 (entry)
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Many scientists believe that Australia's six-year drought, which has reduced rice crop by 98 percent, is sign that warming planet is affecting food production. Some farmers are switching from thirsty rice to wheat or to more lucrative wine grapes. Experts worry that rainfall patterns and crop choice shifts threaten poor countries that import rice as a dietary staple. Global rice reserves have dropped by half since 2000.
By Keith Bradsher
The New York Times 2008-04-17 (entry)
President Bush is concerned about food prices, shortages and believes developed nations have a responsibility to help, aides say. One proposal: increasing the nation's 'buy local' program, for international food aid. Haiti ousts its prime minister after food-related rioting kills five people. Food protests also occurred in Cameroon, Niger and Burkina Faso in Africa, and in Indonesia and the Philippines.
By Matt Spetalnick and Patrick Worsnip
Reuters 2008-04-14 (entry)
Food prices, shortages more threatening to stability than market slump, say leaders of World Bank and International Monetary Fund at meeting. They ask richest countries for help to prevent starvation and disorder in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Food shortages have caused political instability in Haiti, Egypt, the Philippines and Indonesia. Participants seemed self-conscious about discussing bank losses versus hunger.
By Steven R. Weisman
The New York Times 2008-04-13 (entry)
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First food, then school, says a 13-year-old boy in line for rice, as food shortages worsen in Bangladesh, critics threaten protests and an official suggests switching to potatoes. Floods and tornado last year ruined three million tons of food crops and left millions homeless. Military-backed government opens 6,000 outlets to sell rice at half price, but is low on supplies, critic says. India has agreed to ship 400,000 tons of discounted rice there.
By Julhas Alam
The Associated Press; International Herald-Tribune 2008-04-11 (entry)
Rising food and fuel prices paired with layoffs likely to bring food stamp recipients to record 28 million. In Michigan, one in eight residents now receives food stamps; in Ohio and in New York, about one in 10. Benefits average $100 a month per family member, and are adjusted each June according to the price of USDA bare-bones 'thrifty food plan' (click 'See also).
By Erik Eckholm
The New York Times 2008-03-31 (entry)
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About 10 percent - 1.1 million people - of Ohio's population is receiving food stamps. Another 500,000 are eligible for the $100 monthly benefit, poverty experts say. Economy, loss of manufacturing jobs are root of problem, but rising costs of transportation and food have 'pressed folks to the edge.'
The Enquirer (OH) 2008-03-24 (entry)
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Skyrocketing food and fuel prices leave $650 million gap for feeding world's poorest people; World Food Program, after warning of shortage since February, urgently appeals for money from donor nations. The WFP feeds at least 73 million people in nearly 80 nations with an annual operating budget of $2.9 billion; it initiated a successful 'buy local' program to cut costs.
By Tracy Wilkinson
Los Angeles Times 2008-03-25 (entry)
The grinding work of fighting climate change is expensive and a distraction from needs of today, and children usually get stiffed (they are poorer than the elderly). But it is insurance against the chance of an unfathomable future of environmental disruption, species extinction and hunger.
By Eduardo Porter
The New York Times 2008-03-14 (entry)
Michigan lawmakers' plan to divvy up food stamp distribution to twice a month, rather than just once, is a good idea that will address immediate hunger, help with budgeting, and provide for its 1.2 million clients more opportunity to buy fresh foods. Additionally, it will aid grocers and soup kitchens, which often experience an imbalance of traffic early, and late in the month, respectively.
The editors
Battle Creek Enquirer 2008-03-12 (entry)
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Donated food aid rots in Haitian port after government cracks down on corruption that allowed Colombian cocaine a clear path to U.S. Haiti imports about 75 percent of its food; in 2002, UN found almost half the population was undernourished. Hand-written customs system is overwhelmed, bribes continue, 200 shipping containers await inspection and Miami shipping companies lay off stevedores.
By Jonathan M. Katz and Jennifer Kay
The Associated Press; WTOP 2008-03-06 (entry)
Appetite of growing middle class in China, India for meat and processed food is more immediate threat than climate change, says UK scientific adviser, a student of chaos theory. Global food security requires a substantial investment in modern agriculture and irrigation. Higher food prices force poor to even less-balanced diets, with short- and long-term health consequences.
By Roger Highfield
The Telegraph (Great Britain) 2008-03-06 (entry)
UN spokesperson predicts high food prices until at least 2010. Hardest-hit countries: Zimbabwe, Eritrea, Haiti, Djibouti, the Gambia, Tajikistan, Togo, Chad, Benin, Burma, Cameroon, Niger, Senegal, Yemen and Cuba. In Afghanistan, wheat rose more than 60 percent in 2007; in Bangladesh, rice went up 70 percent; in El Salvador, food prices doubled in 18 months. Anger over food prices has led to riots in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Senegal and Morocco.
BBC News 2008-03-06 (entry)
Harpo Productions, Inc./George Burns/AP
Drew Barrymore announced her $1 million donation for hunger relief on the 'Oprah Winfrey Show.'
Drew Barrymore donates $1 million to UN's World Food Program to fight world hunger. The actress spoke of the world's abundance, then asked, 'Isn't it crazy that people are still dying because they can't get enough to eat?' The agency says it needs $500 million more than it budgeted this year because of the rising food and energy prices.
CBS News; The Associated Press 2008-03-03 (entry)
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Rich world's greed for biofuels pushes food prices out of reach for poorest neighbors. Wealthy countries must first ensure the hungry are fed, but Congress, too, must take a hard look at the effect of corn-based ethanol on food supplies - just as new energy bill requires exam of environmental effects. And it must move toward ending commodities subsidies.
The editors
The New York Times 2008-03-03 (entry)
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Skyrocketing grain prices hit world's poorest while devastating budgets of emergency feeding programs. Administration has no plans to cover the shortfall in farm/food bill, still in negotiations, so food aid workers look at reducing number of countries served and amount of food delivered. Meanwhile, emergency requests increase.
By Anthony Faiola
The Washington Post 2008-03-01 (entry)
While many farmers profit, skyrocketing food prices spark riots as they devastate the world's poorest people and the over-burdened government relief programs that are their last resort. Market shelves in Pakistan, Burkina Faso, Senegal and other countries are stocked with food many locals can no longer afford, adding to prospects for chaos.
By Vivienne Walt
Time magazine 2009-02-27 (entry)
Eating crickets, caterpillars and grubs, all rich sources of protein and minerals, can stave off famine, experts say. First step is organizing unregulated, small bug food operations. Possible uses include grinding them into meal then adding to cakes, or adding insects to animal feed. Side benefit would be harvesting crop-hungry swarms of locusts and crickets.
By Michael Casey
The Associated Press; The News-Tribune (WA) 2008-02-24 (entry)
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As food and fuel prices go up, so goes the need for help. Demand for food stamps is up, strain shows at food banks and religious groups in Rhode Island step in to help. But need is great, and winter 'is the bleakest time for people trying to make ends meet,' says one worker. Another says 'we're seeing middle income people feeling the pinch. The quality of life is diminishing.'
By Gloria Russell
The Westerly Sun (RI) 2008-02-03 (entry)
Though most of us can't ignore hunger, writing grants and scooping soup won't solve policy problems, Mark Winne writes in "Closing the Food Gap: Resetting the Table in the Land of Plenty." It's time, he says, to get our heads above the plate and look at the bigger frame. 'We need to say very clearly: We want to end hunger. That will mean a real paradigm shift.'
By Susan Campbell
The Hartford Courant 2008-01-03 (entry)
Adjusting crop choices, fertilizer, land use and governance could stave off food shortages as predicted droughts and shifting rainfall patterns reduce crop yields across poor areas of south Asia and southern Africa. Changes expected within 20 years; majority of world's one billion poor depend on agriculture for their livelihoods, Stanford researcher says.
By Mason Inman
National Geographic News 2008-01-31 (entry)
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Like oil, production of meat, which involves 30 percent of all ice-free land, contributes to global warming, deforestation, water pollution and possibly antibiotic resistance, as well as hunger in poor regions. With U.S. protein consumption well above dietary guidelines, switching to mostly plants would benefit the Earth, our waistlines and animals involved.
By Mark Bittman
The New York Times 2008-01-27 (entry)
Thailand, UN, pledge to help Bangladesh, which faces serious food shortages in face of skyrocketing rice prices after damage of Cyclone Sidr. After paperwork is completed, shipment of rice will take two weeks to reach Bangladesh from Thailand, official says.
By Mizan Rahma
Gulf Times (Qatar) 2008-01-06 (entry)
UN commits $126 million over one year in emergency assistance to feed more than a million Iraqis displaced by war in their country. Refugees within Iraq will receive wheat flour, white beans and vegetable oil; those who fled to Syria will be given rice, lentils and vegetable oil.
United Press International 2008-01-05 (entry)
Rationing can stave off starvation for a while, experts say. Then there are desperate measures, including biscuits of butter, bouillon and dirt in Haiti; roasted mice in Malawi, lentils containing a known neurotoxin in Bangladesh; sieved seeds from anthills in Africa; and strapping flat stones across stomachs to lessen the pangs in Eritrea.
By Donald G. McNeil Jr.
The New York Times 2004-05-23 (entry)
Beans, lentils and cooking oil are among emergency food stores on the way to the 100,000 Kenyan refugees who could face starvation after post-election violence that has killed 300. But 75 food-laden trucks, and humanitarian flights, have been stopped because of safety concerns.
By Madeline Chambers
Reuters 2008-01-04 (entry)
To help the hungry, Forgotten Harvest workers rescue perishable and prepared food from restaurants, grocery stores, bakeries and others, then move fast to get it to soup kitchens, pantries and shelters across Detroit.
Shawn D. Lewis
The Detroit News 2007-12-07 (entry)
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Prices of everyday, nutritious foods are slipping out of reach while those of some junk foods are dropping, two-year study of supermarkets finds. Best buys, researchers say, are frozen and canned vegetables, which often have equal nutrition as fresh foods, but are cheaper.
By Lynda V. Mapes
The Seattle Times 2007-12-05 (entry)
Government adds fruits, vegetables and whole grains, then reduces quantity of dairy and eggs in Women, Infants and Children nutrition program for poor families. The changes, in response to new dietary guidelines, are first of significance in nearly 30 years.
By Frederic J. Frommer
The Associated Press 2007-12-05 (entry)
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Food pantries in Chicago and other cities across the country struggle to serve working poor during peak season as fuel and food costs rise. Federal assistance has diminished because there are fewer surplus commodities for USDA to buy, then distribute.
By Lisa Black and Kathryn Masterson
Chicago Tribune 2007-11-22 (entry)
With fuel oil prices rising in rural Maine, life for elderly gets harder. Former workers, many in the state's food industries - fish, lobster, clams, sardines, potatoes, blueberries - are eating beans and biscuits and can't afford bingo at the VFW but figure that others are worse off.
By Erik Eckholm
The New York Times 2007-11-24 (entry)
Regarding the government's report on food insecurity, know that it's not the same as true hunger, that most occurrences are episodic, and that many people reporting food insecurity are obese, not because they can't afford beans or milk, but because they eat too much sugary, fatty food and exercise too little.
By Robert Rector
National Review 2007-11-21 (entry)
After one meal of turkey with all the trimmings, 35 million Americans resume their places in line at soup kitchens, food banks and food stamp offices. It's time to rethink our devotion to food donation, and concentrate on ending poverty.
By Mark Winne
Washington Post 2007-11-18 (entry)
Supplies of clean drinking water dwindle, raising chances of cholera and diarrhea for survivors in Bangladesh. Deadly typhoon, which followed disastrous springtime floods, has affected about 2.74 million, killed about 242,355 livestock and ruined up to 75 percent of crops.
By Jay Shankar
Bloomberg News 2007-11-19 (entry)
Six-year-old child killed and 11 people wounded as villagers' demand for food turns into rock-throwing and police open fire in response. The refugees had been driven from their homes three weeks ago by fighting between government forces and rebels in Congo.
Reuters 2007-11-05 (entry)
Soaring food prices blamed on both biofuels craze and oil prices hit Africa hard, but focused effort on promoting farming, which provides both sustenance and income in rural areas, could help poor participate in the global economy.
By Alistair Thomson
Reuters 2007-11-02 (entry)
Food aid, a key provision of the farm/food bill, saves lives in natural disasters and emergencies, but it also addresses chronic hunger and fosters long-term development overseas and needs half the funds reserved for those projects, say Catholic archbishop and bishop.
By Wilton D. Gregory and J. Kevin Boland
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 2007-11-02 (entry)
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Georgia reaches one millionth meal served through its venison donation program; hunger-relief organizations have fed 65,000 a year with meat distributed through the state's association of food banks.
Dawson Times (GA) 2007-10-22 (entry)
To butcher donated venison for Minnesota's food pantries, Minnesota legislature sets aside $160,000 and raises price of non-resident hunting license $5; hunters can also keep their deer but donate $1, $3, or $5 to the food shelf cause when they buy deer license at electronic license stations.
By John Cross
The Free Press (MN) 2007-10-27 (entry)
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UN pleads for terror-free delivery of emergency food to millions of hungry Afghan refugees; humanitarian group counts 30 attacks on food convoys this year, up from five last year, and food losses of a ton.
The Associated Press; International Herald-Tribune 2007-10-29 (entry)
Inadequate food supply pushes some African women to engage in high-risk sex, a university study found. When struggling to feed their households, women in Botswana and Swaziland were more likely to sell sex, suggesting that promoting access to food may reduce AIDS.
By Josh Eveleth
Public Library of Science 2007-10-22 (entry)
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Juggling higher rent, food and energy bills, U.S. families living paycheck-to-paycheck are eating more pasta and peanut butter to make ends meet; convenience stores report increased sales of emergency food items like milk and eggs and food pantries scramble to close the gaps.
By Anne D'Innocenzio
The Associated Press; Business Week 2007-10-19 (entry)
Food prices, already protested in Niger, Guinea, Yemen and Mexico, could trigger riots, warns Jacques Diouf, UN food chief; food costs require the bulk of poor citizens' incomes, with more than 2 billion living on $2 a day and vulnerable to price hikes in cereals, vegetable oils and dairy.
By David Brough
Reuters 2007-10-24 (entry)
Poverty will compromise adequate nutrition in case of flu pandemic in Kansas City, report says; many citizens can afford only three-day stockpile of food rather than recommended two-week supply, and if schools close, poor children would be deprived of their only hot meal of the day.
By Dave Helling
The Kansas City Star 2007-10-24 (entry)
In paradigm shift from corn/soy mix that requires water, anti-hunger groups find success in feeding malnourished and starving children with sweet-tasting paste made from peanuts, peanut oil, powdered milk and powdered sugar, and fortified with vitamins and minerals.
By Debra J. Saunders
San Francisco Chronicle 2007-10-25 (entry)
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Diary of starving man casts unwelcome light on harshness of Japan's policy on level welfare rates; recipients are expected to depend on relatives and use all savings before taking "shameful handout."
By Norimitsu Onishi
The New York Times 2007-10-12 (entry)
Biofuels hunger plus growing middle class in Asia and Latin America drive worldwide demand for corn, wheat and other staples, causing tenacious hikes in grocery bills; grain stockpiles down to 30-year low and humanitarian groups worry about feeding world's poor.
By Scott Killman
Wall Street Journal 2007-09-28 (entry)
Praying to the god of corn has its price: nitrogen waste in the waterways, taxpayer money feeding the industry, low-nutrition meat from animals that eat it, but it provides a fertile field of medical research, and in Mexico, growing corn is the only way one farmer ensures his wife's tortillas have the authentic taste.
By Hugh Dellios
Chicago Tribune 2007-09-09 (entry)
Initiative to address children's needs begins with hunger relief in Iowa town after principal learns that student wasn't fed dinner for three nights in a row; poor nutrition diminishes cognitive and physical growth, and children who feed themselves lack ability to make good choices, expert say.
By Erik Hogstrom
Telegraph-Herald (IA) 2007-09-16 (entry)
As farmers eagerly switch from food crops to those for biofuels, ecological and social factors led by high food prices, meat-rich diets, dropping water supplies, climate change and the growing population threaten vast numbers of people with food and water shortages.
By John Vidal
The Guardian (UK) 2007-08-29 (entry)
Near the site of a murder that ripped a North Carolina town apart, the Anathoth Community Garden now grows, the gift of a black woman to a white church, and now the working poor find food at their door, and the town is finding a new peace.
By Fred Bahnson
Orion Magazine 2007-07-01 (entry)
Seattle's Lettuce Link, which teaches gardening, nutrition and cooking to low-income population, helps fill coffers of food pantries and hot meal food banks whose regular donors are on summer vacation.
By Ann Lovejoy
Seattle Post-Intelligencer (WA) 2007-08-17 (entry)
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For fruit tree owners tired of picking peaches and apples, or plums raining down from their trees, there's Community Fruit Tree Harvest, which connects them to Seattle volunteers who can harvest the fruit and deliver it to local food banks and meal programs.
By Kathy Mulady
Seattle Post-Intelligencer (WA) 2007-08-19 (entry)
Religious brother skips "jogging for Jesus," instead choosing to spend the last 25 years growing potatoes, beans, squash, carrots, beets, raspberries and other staples in a massive garden, most of which goes to community food bank in Canada.
By Andrew Hanon
Edmonton Sun (Canada) 2007-08-20 (entry)
Vietnamese-American watches his former country's leader and listens to the demonstrators chanting for democracy, but to him, the first problem is the hunger of the begging children, and the desperate circumstances that cause a parent to abandon a child.
By Tam Pham
Asia Times 2007-08-16 (entry)
CARE turns down $45 million in food aid from U.S., citing practice of selling tons of often heavily subsidized American farm products in African countries that compete with the crops of local farmers; other charities disagree.
By Celia W. Dugger
The New York Times (may require subscription) (entry)
Religious groups mobilize around the farm/food bill, speaking of justice and the urgent need to fix broken food system, from nutrition programs and energy policy to farmers and the wellbeing of the people they feed.
By Joe Orso
La Crosse Tribune; Associated Press, Wisconsin State Journal 0000-00-00 (entry)
Government's subsidies to the very rich need to be addressed, but Congress should follow lead of the House in tending to nutrition needs of very poor around the world via the Food for Education program in the farm/food bill.
The editors
The Daily News Tribune (MA) 2007-08-28 (entry)
Community activists gather and build a garden for children in apartment complex; the program is part of a larger effort of education on nutrition, food security and self-sufficiency in Ohio community.
By Mike Ludwig
The Athens News (OH) (entry)
Overfishing, poaching and pollution have depleted worldwide fish stocks to 10 percent of normal; for every pound of shrimp harvested, 10 pounds are discarded, along with turtles and dolphins, conservationists report.
By Eviana Hartman
Washington Post (entry)
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In unusual and win-win partnership between county and charity, inmates farm to benefit Milawaukee's poor, who eat asparagus, corn, cantaloupe and green beans in season, and hunger relief group runs the operation.
By Erica Perez
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (entry)
Bush administration's buy-local request for emergency food aid could help Kenyans, some of the world's poorest people, advocates say, but U.S. is mired in domestic farm subsidies and lobbies of shipping interests; aid for agricultural projects lags as well.
By Celia W. Dugger
The New York times (may require subscription) (entry)
