Global Crisis in Food Prices Increases Vulnerability of Children

Westport, Conn. (April 25, 2008) - Skyrocketing prices for key food staples, including rice and grain, are forcing more of the world's poor children to go hungry and endangering their current and long-term well-being, according to Save the Children, a leading international humanitarian agency.

Global food prices have risen 83 percent over the last three years, and rice prices have shot up 141 percent since January alone, according to UN Food and Agriculture Organization.

The increasing pressure on family budgets will have adverse ripple effects on the health, education and safety of children, said Charles MacCormack, president and CEO of Save the Children US.

"We know from experience that higher food prices most adversely affect impoverished families, especially children," MacCormack said. "The increasingly high cost of food is pushing more families into poverty and forcing them to make difficult decisions on how to spend their money. Parents may cut back on the amount and quality of food for their families; pull children from school and send them to work; reduce spending on health care; or sell key productive assets in order to cope with their newly dire economic circumstances."

Serious health issues also may arise if the children do not get the nutritious food they need to develop.

"Young children, especially those under the age of 2, are most vulnerable to the impacts of prolonged hunger - which can not only result in weight loss, but makes children more susceptible to illness," he said. "In the long term, hunger and undernutrition result in permanent negative effects on physical and cognitive growth, from which children never recover. At worst, malnutrition is directly or indirectly associated with close to 60 percent of all deaths of children under 5 years old around the world, and even mild malnutrition places children at a greater risk of death when compared to well-nourished children."

Save the Children has already seen its long-term food programs - including those in Darfur - affected by this growing crisis. The agency is working to fund and implement "safety net" programs for families severely affected by the current emergency, especially newly vulnerable populations in urban areas and young children.

However, it takes more than food to fight hunger - and to protect children. Existing shortfalls of food aid for vulnerable children and families must be fully addressed and may need to be expanded as at-risk populations increase. Increased investment in long-term solutions will play a critical role in preventing and mitigating food crises. And reforms of food aid will increase its effectiveness and efficiency, and prioritize the needs of hungry people around the world.

"The survival and well-being of vulnerable children depend on meeting current and impending food shortages and on addressing the root causes of food insecurity," said MacCormack. "This crisis is going to get worse before it improves, and it is critical that families and communities have the food they need now and the tools to prepare for and respond to future food emergencies."

Read more about our response to the global food crisis:
Children of Ethiopia and around the world affected by the global food crisis
What We Do: Global food crisis