UNICEF: Ukraine war raising malnutrition risk in Middle East
By BASSEM MROUE
Associated Press
BEIRUT (AP) — The U.N. children’s agency is warning that rising food prices as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine are increasing the risk of malnutrition of millions of children in the Middle East and North Africa. UNICEF added Thursday that families are struggling to put food on the table during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Ukraine and Russia account for a third of global wheat and barley exports, which countries in the Middle East rely on to feed millions of people who subsist on subsidized bread and bargain noodles. They are also top exporters of other grains and the sunflower seed oil that is used for cooking.
