Berlin - Thirty-three countries, chiefly in Africa and Asia, are experiencing "very serious" to "grave" food supply problems in what is a "scandal for humanity," two food assistance groups said Tuesday in Berlin.

Presenting the annual Global Hunger Index (GHI) for 2008, the German food relief group Welthungerhilfe and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), the groups warned against neglecting the fate of starving people amidst the current financial crisis.

"Nearly one billion starving people are a scandal for humanity," Welthungerhilfe head Ingeborg Schaeuble said. "In contrast to the banks, they are not to blame for their misery."

In order to meet the Millenium target of reducing the number of hungry people by one-half by the year 2015, then annual additional spending of up to 10 billion euros is necessary.

The report comes two days before the annual UN World Food Day on October 16.

The WHI index lists 88 countries' food supply situation, with 33 countries chiefly from Asia and Africa in the lower positions. The country with the most grave food situation is the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The report cautioned that in view of the current financial crisis, it will be very difficult to mobilize long-term investments required for the urgently needed expansion of agriculture in developing countries.

"This is very bad news for the world's hungry," it said.

The WHI index is a compilation based on three chief criteria including the share of undernourished in the population, the number of children below the age of five who are underweight, and the mortality rate for children under five. (dpa)