Caritas Calls for Global Action as Hunger Persists Despite Production Abundance

On World Food Day 2026, Caritas Internationalis issued a stark warning that hunger remains a global crisis even as the world can produce enough food for everyone. While the number of hungry people fell for a third consecutive year, 645 million still faced hunger in 2025 and over 2 billion suffered moderate to severe food insecurity. Caritas cites conflicts, disrupted supply chains, rising fertilizer costs and an anticipated severe El Niño as drivers that could push 50 million more into acute hunger by 2027, according to the World Food Programme. The organization stresses that food insecurity stems from inequality, war, environmental degradation and political choices, not from a lack of food. It urges governments, international bodies and donors to protect the right to food, invest in small‑holder farmers—especially women and youth—support climate‑resilient approaches, and reverse the decline in development and humanitarian funding. Caritas calls for a shift toward locally led, equitable, and sustainable food systems that place people and the planet before profit.