The World Food Programme has warned that El Niño could push an additional 49 million people into acute food insecurity across 45 countries by the end of 2027.

Th WFP stated this on Friday to commemorate this year’s World Food Day.

“WFP estimates that the 2026–2027 El Niño could push an additional 49 million people into acute food insecurity across 45 countries by the end of 2027,” it stated.

“Together with extreme heat and drought in major producing countries, these shocks pushed the FAO Food Price Index to an almost four-year high in September. That month, 16 countries recorded food inflation above 15 per cent, up from ten in January.”

The humanitarian organisation said the WFD marks an important moment to stand with 266 million people who faced acute hunger worldwide last year, and with the staff and partners who reached them in some of the most dangerous places on earth.

The WFP said its operations and innovations reached 132.5 million people in 75 countries and territories last year.

It added, “Innovation is helping WFP reach people facing hunger faster and at lower cost: from forecasts that trigger assistance before a drought or flood strikes, to digital tools that get help to families within days, to amphibious vehicles that reach communities where roads end.”

Noting that this year’s occasion came at a perilous moment marked by tensions in the Straits of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandeb, the organisation said the development affected food production and trade at the same time, pushing up the cost of fuel, fertiliser, transport and food.

“These shocks could reinforce one another, and on top of conflict, displacement and deep cuts to humanitarian funding, they threaten to push millions more people into acute hunger.

“Humanitarian supply chains are not spared from the disruption. WFP cargo bound for Yemen, Sudan and the Horn of Africa, where food assistance is a lifeline for millions of people, has been affected,” it explained.

The organisation advocated innovative ideas, early action, and sustained funding to reach people facing hunger, warning that conflict, extreme weather, and disruptions to global trade were pushing food further out of reach for millions of families.