hunger news stories on Newser

15% of Americans Use Food Stamps

Polly Davis Doig — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 10:52:05 CDT

A record 45.8 million people—that's a staggering 15% of Americans—sustained themselves via food stamps in August, reports the Wall Street Journal . That number was up 1.1% over July, notes Business Week , and 8.1% over the year prior. In terms of sheer numbers, Texas and California...

New Sesame Street Muppet Is Poor and Hungry

Rob Quinn — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 02:28:00 CDT

Sesame Street has got a hungry, impoverished new character—and it isn't Oscar the Grouch or the Cookie Monster. Lily, a 7-year-old girl whose family often struggles to get enough to eat, will appear in the show's prime-time special "Growing Hope Against Hunger" this Sunday, reports Entertainment Weekly . The Wal-Mart-sponsored...

Somalia Famine's Brutal Toll: 29K Kids Dead in 3 Months

Kate Schwartz — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 07:42:06 CDT

The UN has said that the famine in Somalia has killed tens of thousands, and the first specific estimate to emerge paints an even more heartbreaking picture. More than 29,000 children under the age of five have died in just the last 90 days in the southern part of...

5 Hunger-Crushing Foods You've Never Heard Of...

Sarah Whitmire — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 09:32:05 CDT

They're not your typical salad fodder, but each of these vegetables (and one lucky fruit) is playing a role in the fight against world hunger. The Christian Science Monitor gives the rundown: Guar : Because of the nitrogen-fixing bacteria in this legume's roots, farming guar is great for improving the quality...

Food Prices Will Double by 2030: Oxfam

Matt Cantor — Tue, 31 May 2011 06:00:19 CDT

The cost of food staples is set to more than double over the next two decades, Oxfam says, as we enter a “permanent food crisis." World hunger had steadily decreased for decades, the Guardian reports, but with demand exceeding production, the numbers of hungry people are once again on the...

Hungry Judges Less Lenient

Rob Quinn — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 17:44:05 CDT

If you ever find yourself before a judge, you should hope that he or she is well-fed and well-rested, new research suggests. Researchers analyzed more than a thousand parole hearings in Israel and discovered that judges were much likelier to grant an inmate parole if the hearing occurred soon after...

North Korea Begs West for Food

Kevin Spak — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 11:59:05 CST

North Korea is so hungry that it has, for the moment at least, abandoned its trademark bluster and started begging foreign governments for food, the Washington Post reports. But the US, which was the largest provider of food aid to North Korea until it shut off shipments two years ago,...

UN Relief Can't Keep Up With World's Hunger

Nick McMaster — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 16:36:19 CST

The UN's food aid agency has only about half the money it needs to feed the world's hungry as rises in food prices take their toll, the AP reports. The World Food Program is $2.8 billion short of what it needs, says director Josette Sheera, and the shortfall is...

US Hunger Remains at Record High

Kevin Spak — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 11:49:05 CST

The number of Americans dealing with hunger remained at a record high last year, according to a new USDA report, with 14.7% of US households considered “food insecure.” That’s a hair above the 14.6% that battled hunger in 2008, and the highest level seen in the 15 years...