Myths and Facts Sources include the UN, FAO, and The Bread for the World Institute. 2010

Myth: The world produces enough food for everybody. In fact, there is enough food for everyone to have 2,800 calories a day, but many people do not have access to food.

Fact: Most, but not all, hungry people live in poor countries.

Fact

Myth: For a short time hunger does not effect people who are healthy, but long term hunger can have devastating emotional and physical impacts.

Fact

Myth: The poor spend most of their disposable income on food and are unable to build savings, so when an emergency happens that they could not anticipate it impacts their food security.

Fact: The Bureau of Labor Statistics has the Unemployment rate in the United States at 8.9%. (That is 27,232,583 people out of work). Creating new employment opportunities is an important Hunger issue.

Myth: Victims of wars and catastrophes (floods, droughts, earthquakes, and other natural disasters) are often faced with hunger and outright starvation.

Fact: This means one out of every five people on earth.

Fact.

Myth: Even in Africa adequate food is produced. The hunger problem is economic and transportation based. In fact, food is regularly exported from Africa to other continents.

Fact: However, while more food is necessary, there will still be no improvement if economic and transportation in the most impoverished parts of the continents are not also addressed.

Fact: Approximately 2.3 million people died due to an economic crisis that was amplified by flooding that rendered the farmland useless.

Fact. However, the portion of undernourished people remains highest in Sub-Saharan Africa at 30% in 2010.(Source: FAO 2010) The pie chart to the right shows the percent of hungry people per region.

Myth: Lack of farmland, poor soil, lack of water, and archaic farming methods cause people to not be able to grow enough food.

Myth: No place in the world is free of poverty and hunger. In 2009, 50.2 million Americans lived in food insecure households, 33 million adults, and 17.2 million children.

Myth: It is actually 10.7%. The poverty line in the U.S. for a 4 person family is $22,050. The average first year teacher in Utah will make $25,000 (with some variation by school and district).

Fact

Fact: This is due in part to reduced eligibility because of the Welfare Reform Act of 1996.

Fact

Fact: The federal budget is 3.55 trillion. Domestic United States aid accounts for less than one-half of 1 percent of the federal budget. That is under 0.5 billion. Consider this…The U.S. gives billion in foreign aid.

Fact: Private programs such as the Salvation Army have provided food and shelter for more than 100 years.

Fact

Fact: The Heifer Project is in 40 countries in around the world— including the United States.

Myth: According to the national Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the average yearly salary in the United States increases as education increases (2001).

Myth: Female-headed households (no male spouse/partner is present) are among those most likely to be affected by hunger. Other at-risk groups for hunger include the homeless, poor families with children, the elderly, people with physical and/or mental disabilities, and undocumented immigrants.

Fact: Wages in developed countries may suffer when their jobs are lost to workers in developing countries who may work for a great deal less.

Fact: But it cannot stop there. Agriculture and sustainable agricultural practices partnered with education are widely accepted as the solution.