Between 1990 and 2005 the proportion of children under five who were underweight declined by one fifth. But that progress is now under threat. Rising food prices mean that malnutrition and starvation once again threaten many of those at the bottom of the world’s economic ladder. While recent spikes in prices are unlikely to be permanent, producers should stop wasting food by subsidising biofuels and give the World Food Programme the funds it needs to distribute calories to those who cannot cope by themselves.

International market prices for wheat, corn, soyabeans and dozens of other commodities have doubled or trebled in recent years. The result is poverty – for millions, a doubling of food prices means destitution – and increased malnutrition. World Food Programme officials have told the Financial Times that the agency may have to cut food rations, or even the number of people it reaches, unless donors provide more cash to pay higher prices.