20 October 2008

Some in Congress Want a White House “Food Czar”

Senators will ask president to appoint someone to feed more hungry people

By Kathryn McConnell
Staff Writer

Des Moines, Iowa — Some members of Congress are calling on whoever becomes president to name a “food czar” in the White House.

In the Senate, Richard Lugar of Indiana and Robert Casey of Pennsylvania have proposed legislation to establish a “food czar.” The proposal would authorize substantial increases in funding for international food assistance and appoint the U.S. Agency for International Development as the lead agency, Senate Foreign Relations Committee staff member Jay Bramigan said at a symposium sponsored by the Partnership to Cut Hunger and Poverty in Africa. 

The symposium was part of World Food Prize week in Des Moines. (See “McGovern, Dole Receive World Food Prize.”)

The senators’ bill will be reintroduced early in the next session of Congress, Bramigan said.

More than 920 million people worldwide don't get enough to eat, and last year the number of undernourished people increased by 75 million because of soaring food prices, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

The challenge is expected to increase in coming years as global food supplies are squeezed by an increasing world population, expanded demand coming from countries with growing economies, and an increase in the use of crops for energy.

U.S. presidential candidates Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain have pledged to address global hunger and poverty, but it is not clear whether they support the establishment of a new position in the White House to lead the efforts.