'About 850 million people are underfed worldwide'

BUDAPEST: About 850 million people worldwide do not have enough to eat, a UN official said here, warning that the number could rise by threefold unless there is a timely response to global climate change.

Africa is the worst off while in Eurasia the biggest concerns are in Central Asia, the Caucuses and the Balkans, European and Central Asian regional director of the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) Maria Kadlecikova told a news conference on Wednesday at FAO's European regional headquarters in Budapest.

Kadlecikova said the main theme of the World Food Day on Oct 16 would be 'The Right to Food'.

In Europe, around 35 million are underfed. In Hungary, the number stands at 200,000. Hungary is planning a food distribution project to the needy to mark the day.

Hungarian Food Bank manager Balazs Cseh said they were planning to deliver food packages to 300,000 people.