HUNGER remains a chronic problem in Asia, with 55 million more people undernourished in 2022 than before the Covid-19 pandemic, the United Nations’ Food & Agriculture Organisation (FAO) says in its latest assessment of food security in the region.

Most of those living without enough to eat are in south Asia, and women tend to be less food-secure than men, the report says.

The study focuses on food supply, consumption and dietary energy needs and is designed to capture a state of chronic energy deprivation that stunts growth and saps productivity and quality of life.