The 2018 UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report reveals a sad and urgent reality: World hunger is on the rise again. The report shows a third consecutive year of increase, with the number of undernourished people worldwide increasing to nearly

821million last year.

Additionally, an estimated 1.9billion people are overweight, with this proportion of the global population facing the accompanying risks of illness, disease and death based on their diet and health status.

These alarming figures come at a time when the world has the capacity to produce 17% more food per person today than it did 30 years ago. The situation in SA is no better, as poverty is seemingly on the increase.

Statistics SA's 2016 general household survey shows 7.4million people reported experiencing hunger.

One wonders how this is possible, as SA is among the top 10 most food-secure countries on the continent.

This is determined mostly by analysing the percentage of malnourished children and the extent of external food aid. Moreover, the government has tried to support children born from unemployed households by providing a support grant of R380 a month per child.