As Haiti’s Hunger Crisis Grows, Gang Violence Disrupts Getting Aid to Children

Meds & Food for Kids produces lifesaving nutrition in Haiti and draws on its experienced transportation team to reach children despite dangerous conditions

ST. LOUIS, MO, UNITED STATES, October 29, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — The number of Haitians facing severe hunger increased by 240,000 since April, according to a new report from the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization. Nearly six million people in Haiti are experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity, including two million facing emergency conditions.

The U.N. said food insecurity in Haiti is “one of the highest levels in the world today,” and expects the number to increase even more.

Gang violence, mass displacement, high food and fuel prices, and El Niño’s impact on agriculture are driving the crisis.

“The hunger crisis in Haiti is growing, and the challenges of delivering aid are growing with it. We are committed to producing the lifesaving nutrition children need and finding ways to get it to them, even under extremely difficult conditions,” said Chris Greene, CEO of Meds & Food for Kids (MFK).

MFK manufactures ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) in Haiti, helping treat children with severe malnutrition while creating local jobs. More than 80 people work at its factory in Cap-Haïten, producing lifesaving nutrition products for the Haitian government and international and local partners. MFK also delivers these products and other critical humanitarian supplies to remote communities throughout Haiti.

“When you import a box of RUTF, you save a child’s life,” Greene said. “When you make RUTF in Haiti, you save a child’s life and help lift a family out of poverty.”

In September, the World Food Programme warned that an estimated 254,000 children aged 6 to 59 months would suffer from acute malnutrition between June 2026 and May 2027. Of those children, 94,000 are expected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition.

Meds & Food for Kids is working to meet the growing demand for RUTF to save the lives of severely malnourished children. But getting food and other essential supplies to those who need them is becoming increasingly difficult as gang violence disrupts transportation across the country.

“Gangs block or control many of Haiti’s national roads, setting up illegal checkpoints and demanding payment for passage. This makes it very challenging to move food, medicine, and other essential supplies,” said Remenson Tenor, Meds & Food for Kids’ chief operating officer. “Because of our experienced transportation team, we know how to navigate these difficulties and get lifesaving supplies to the people who need them.”

The outlook remains troubling. An analysis published by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a global initiative that monitors food insecurity and malnutrition worldwide, projects that 6.35 million Haitians will face severe hunger by mid-2027.

As the crisis grows, MFK continues working to produce and deliver more lifesaving nutrition children need.

To learn more about how MFK is addressing the hunger crisis, watch the recording of MFK’s August Live Zoom Briefing on YouTube.

Beth Hammock
Meds & Food for Kids
+1 314-896-4341
Visit us on social media:
LinkedIn
Instagram
Facebook
YouTube
X

Meds & Food for Kids Live Zoom Briefing, August 2026

Media gallery