The prime minister has called for international action on rising food prices.
Gordon Brown on Thursday called on the G8 group of leading economies to look for solutions to a crisis which could cause food shortages across the world.
He said the problem of hunger was now growing again, and could begin to reverse the progress being made on international development.
Brown is asking his Japanese counterpart, the current chairman of the G8, to convene talks with the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and United Nations to work on a common strategy.
And he suggested that concluding a deal on world trade talks would help in the longer-term.
Brown said: "Rising food prices threaten to roll back progress we have made in recent years on development.
"For the first time in decades, the number of people facing hunger is growing.
"The international community needs a fully co-ordinated response. We need both short-term action to deal with immediate hardship, and a medium-term response which will provide a framework for tackling the opportunities and challenges."
