World Food Day

Today is World Food Day. A day to "highlight the plight of 923 million undernourished people in the world," so designated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. And this year, the day comes as food prices around the world are rising, meaning more people are going hungry.

923 million--I did the math for you, that's a little less than 15 percent of the total world population, although of course the hunger is not evenly distributed . Undernourished means continuously consuming less food (energy) than is necessary to carry out basic daily tasks and remain healthy, according to the FAO, or in other words, constantly being hungry. This year the focus of World Food Day is on "Challenges of Climate Change and Bioenergy." Because global warming is going to make more people hungry.

This article in the Washington Post blog, A Mighty Appetite, points out that 1.4 billion people in the world live on less than $1.25 a day. In the U.S., $7 a day is the maximum daily allotment for a family of four on food stamps. The article raises the question:

Ever wonder how much you spend a day on food?

Well, I'm pretty meticulous about budgeting, so I went back and looked at what our household of 2 spent on food in September. On average, we spent about $20 a day. For two people. Not four. Shocking, even embarrassing, but eye-opening.