UN: Hunger Affects Record 1B

United Nations food officials warn that a record 1 billion people worldwide aren't getting enough to eat, the BBC reports. The UN said the number of people affected by hunger—defined as getting less than 1,800 calories daily—has jumped by 100 million people over the last year because of the "devastating combination" of wars, high food prices, drought, and the global financial crisis.

Food prices are down from their peak last year but remain "stubbornly high" in many areas, the UN said, warning that the hunger crisis poses a serious risk to world peace. "A hungry world is a dangerous world," said the head of the UN's World Food Program. "Without food, people have only three options: They riot, they emigrate or they die. None of these are acceptable options." (More hunger stories.)