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Vilsack says threats to global food system are increasing

The CEO of the World Food Prize Foundation says the hunger crisis continues to expand.

Tom Vilsack, who’s also a former governor of Iowa and former U.S. Ag Secretary, says there are increasing threats to the global food system.

“It’s unacceptable that we have 733 million people in the world today who are food insecure,” he said. “That nearly one out of every 10 people in the world today is malnourished, and sadly nearly 16 million children under the age of five are stunted.”

Speaking at the World Food Prize 2025 laureate announcement, Vilsack said there’s an urgent need for agricultural innovation to avoid a hunger catastrophe in the next 25 years.

“To focus on innovation, to inspire action, to sustainably increase the quantity, quality, and availability of food for all. We emphasize the urgency of the moment and the challenge that faces each and every one of us.”

Vilsack says more than 115 organizations recently endorsed a call from 153 Nobel and World Food Prize Laureates for so-called “moonshot” efforts to address rising hunger worldwide.