THE covid-19 pandemic's impact on hunger around the world could be worse than when food prices spiked calamitously in 2007 and 2008, a leading food security expert has warned. Unlike during the crisis 13 years ago, when the root of the problem was a scarcity of food, the big issue this time is economic downturns hitting the ability of millions of people to be able to afford food, Martin Cole at the University of Adelaide in Australia told New Scientist. "I think this has the potential to be more significant than the last time around. Not because of [food] availability, but because the big unknown is the extent and longevity of the global recession. That has the potential to push millions of people into extreme Dovertv and we know that has a big impact on food security," said Cole. The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) last month cautioned that the coronavirus crisis could double the number of people in acute food insecurity this year, to around 265 million globally. Maximo Torero at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says the current situation is substantially different to the 2007-08 food security crisis, with a key issue being difficulties moving food around in the face of trade and travel restrictions in many countries.
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