Cameron accused of failing to address causes of food crisis

David Cameron has been accused by campaigners of 'failing to address the causes of the global food crisis' by suggesting that hunger can be solved by distributing fortified foods to children.

War on Want, the anti-poverty charity, made the accusations as the Prime Minister prepared to host a two-hour hunger event in London.

The charity blamed record levels of hunger on agribusinesses.

The UK government has focused attention on food aid and nutritional interventions, which campaigners claim will do nothing to address the root causes of global hunger.

"The world needs a massive shake-up of farming and food distribution if we are to end the global food crisis" said John Hilary, War on Want executive director.


"Record numbers of people now live with hunger as an everyday reality, yet the big food companies continue to profit from their control over the system. David Cameron’s suggestion that the problem can be solved through handing out high-energy biscuits to children is a distraction from the seriousness of the issue."

Campaigners pointed to evidence from a recent Food Sovereignty report that sustainable farming under the alternative framework of agroecology has 'proved its worth' in tackling both hunger and environmental degradation.

The model has also been backed by Olivier De Schutter, UN special rapporteur on the right to food, who has encouraged all governments to include agroecology in their plans to reduce poverty and mitigate the effects of climate change.