CRI听力:552 Million Suffer Hunger, Malnutrition in Asia: APEC

APEC says there are more than 800 million undernourished people in the world today. That means one in eight people doesn't get enough food to be healthy and lead an active life.

More than 550 million of the affected people are in Asia. The figures were released at a meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation held in Beijing yesterday.

The meeting called on the world to minimize food waste, which it cited as a main cause of hunger.

Zeng Liying is the deputy director of the State Administration of Grain in China. 

"It will take a long time to change the short food-supply situation in the Asia-Pacific region and the world. But increasing food supply through reducing wastage will save time."

According to the World Food Program, about a third of all the food produced for human consumption each year -- or roughly 1.3 billion tons -- is lost or wasted.

Nearly 30 percent of grains in the Asia Pacific region are wasted each year due to inappropriate production planning, poor storage, or inadequate transportation conditions.