UN says 'food systems are failing', millions expected to enter poverty

As the world begins to come to terms with the coronavirus, the effects of the outbreak are still yet to be fully felt.

One of the coronavirus effects is the distribution of food throughout the globe, and now the United Nations (UN) has warned that "food systems are failing". According to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who announced last Tuesday that nearly 50 million people are expected to enter what has been called "extreme poverty".

More specifically, more than 20 million people across the Horn of Africa are currently struggling to get food distributed to them, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The food distribution issue isn't just in Africa, as problems are also occuring in the United States with the US meat industries reporting that due to the coronavirus outbreak 10 million pigs, chickens and cows could be culled. This is mainly due to over 800 slaughterhouses being forced to close due to the pandemic.

Here's some more statements from Guterres, "We need to act now to avoid the worst impacts of our efforts to control the pandemic. Countries need to safeguard access to safe, nutritious foods, particularly for young children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, older people and other at-risk groups."

"If we do these things and more, as indicated by the brief we are launching today, we can avoid some of the worst impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on food security and nutrition. And we can do so in a way that supports the green transition that we need to make."