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Fortune
Fortune
Diane Brady

WFP Chief Cindy McCain warns that the food crisis is a business crisis: 'Feed them now or fight them later'

(Credit: Rebecca Noble—Getty Images)
  • In today’s CEO Daily: The global food crisis isn’t just about food.
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  • Plus: All the news and watercooler chat from Fortune.

Good morning. The global food crisis is impacting business across the board—from fertilizer producer Mosaic announcing heavy production cuts yesterday to rising food prices. But the greater toll is a human one, with 363 million people at risk of acute hunger this year, according to the UN World Food Programme (WFP), up from 266 million last year, which itself was double the number from a decade ago. WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain came to the role three years ago, knowing she’d have to streamline the organization amid budget cuts. She went on to face a series of food crises spawned by climate change and geopolitical conflicts as President Trump and others slashed funding. Then in October she had a mild stroke, prompting her to announce she’d be stepping down later this month. But the widow of Sen. John McCain knows a thing or two about leading through adversity. She shared a few lessons with me this week:

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