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Vilsack: Hunger, nutrition issues continue to increase

The CEO of the World Food Prize Foundation says there’s a rising number of challenges impacting the availability of food for those in need.

Tom Vilsack tells Brownfield, “Oftentimes food is being used as a tool in war and warfare, which is sad and unfortunate. Sometimes it’s a lack of distribution capacity, sometimes it’s a food loss or food waste that occurs that results in people not having access to adequate nutrition.”

He says the issue of affordability is another concern.

“They need a little bit of help and assistance and depending upon the nature of the government that’s in charge, they may or may not have access to that kind of assistance.”

Vilsack says extreme weather events can also lead to a loss in food production.

“It’s a combination of many, many factors which really requires an all hands on deck approach to this issue of food insecurity and nutrition insecurity.”

Vilsack says food security leaders from around the world will gather in Des Moines, Iowa later this fall to examine how diverse industries and sectors can unite to address these challenges from the ground up.

The discussions will be part of the 2025 Borlaug International Dialogue, hosted by the World Food Prize Foundation.