Action Against Hunger

Action Against Hunger is a France-originated humanitarian organization focused on reducing hunger and the underlying causes of malnutrition. Known in France as Action Contre la Faim, it operates as part of an international network whose work combines emergency relief, public-health interventions, nutrition science, water and sanitation programs, livelihoods support, and advocacy. The organization is not a consumer product company; its public-facing identity is built around humanitarian programs, research, fundraising, and campaigns that mobilize governments, institutions, businesses, restaurants, and individual donors. The organization was established in 1979 by French doctors, scientists, and writers. Nobel Prize-winning physicist Alfred Kastler served as its first chairman. Its early work included assistance to Afghan refugees in Pakistan, communities affected by famine in Uganda, and Cambodian refugees in Thailand. During the 1980s and 1990s, the organization expanded into additional crisis-affected areas in Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, the Balkans, and other regions. This development helped move its role beyond short-term food distribution toward integrated responses addressing nutrition, health, water, sanitation, food access, livelihoods, and resilience. A major part of Action Against Hunger’s institutional identity is its technical contribution to the treatment of acute malnutrition. Its scientific work helped advance therapeutic milk formulas such as F-100 and later ready-to-use therapeutic foods. These peanut-based therapeutic products can be administered in community and household settings without cooking or refrigeration, making them useful in areas where hospitals, electricity, and safe preparation facilities are limited. The organization’s nutrition work is generally integrated with screening, treatment, maternal and child health, water and sanitation, and community education rather than treated as a stand-alone food-delivery activity. The international network developed significantly from 1995 onward. It has headquarters or national entities in France, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, India, and Italy. France, Spain, and the United States are described as operational headquarters that manage field interventions directly. Other network members concentrate more heavily on fundraising, research, monitoring and evaluation, communications, or advocacy, while regional offices and logistics platforms support cross-border operations. This federated structure allows the network to combine local fundraising and institutional relationships with shared technical standards and operational capacity. The organization’s principal program areas are nutrition and health; water, sanitation and hygiene; food security and livelihoods; and emergency response. Its country activities have included work in fragile and conflict-affected settings across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Europe, the Caribbean, and Latin America. In addition to direct field programs, Action Against Hunger seeks to influence policy and financing related to hunger, malnutrition, humanitarian access, and global health. Its public campaigns include Restaurants Against Hunger and Love Food Give Food, which use partnerships with the food and beverage sector to raise awareness and funds. The French entity therefore functions both as the organization’s country-rooted institutional base and as one component of the wider Action Against Hunger network. The network reported activity in 56 countries in 2022, with more than 8,990 employees and assistance reaching approximately 28 million people according to the cited reference material. These figures describe the international organization rather than a separately reported France-only brand. Its current positioning is that of a science-informed, operational humanitarian organization seeking to address immediate nutritional crises while also improving the systems, resources, and living conditions that determine whether communities can achieve lasting food security.

Action Against Hunger was founded in France in 1979 by a group of doctors, scientists, and writers during a period when humanitarian organizations were increasingly developing specialized responses to famine, displacement, and political crisis. Physicist and Nobel laureate Alfred Kastler served as the organization’s first chairman. Its initial operations supported Afghan refugees in Pakistan, people affected by famine in Uganda, and Cambodian refugees in Thailand. During the 1980s and 1990s, the organization widened its geographic reach and program scope. It worked in crisis environments across Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, the Balkans, and other regions. Rather than limiting its activity to the delivery of food, it developed programs addressing the health, environmental, economic, and social factors that contribute to hunger. Nutrition treatment was paired increasingly with safe water, sanitation, disease prevention, food access, and support for household livelihoods. The organization’s scientific and technical work became particularly influential in acute-malnutrition treatment. Its Scientific Committee contributed to the development and use of therapeutic milk formulas, including F-100. These products were designed for children with severe acute malnutrition and became part of the technical repertoire used by major humanitarian agencies. Later, ready-to-use therapeutic foods, usually energy-dense peanut-based pastes, made it possible to treat many children in community or home settings without refrigeration or complicated preparation. This helped shift nutritional treatment from a predominantly facility-based model toward wider community delivery. From 1995 onward, Action Against Hunger developed an international network to increase operational, financial, and technical capacity. National headquarters or entities were established in France, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, India, and Italy. France, Spain, and the United States became operational headquarters responsible for directly managing interventions in countries of operation. The United Kingdom developed a strong role in research, monitoring, evaluation, and advocacy, including Hunger Watch activities. Canada focused substantially on fundraising in North America and national-level engagement, while Italy combined fundraising with public campaigns. The network also created regional and logistical structures, including a West Africa Regional Office in Dakar, a Horn and Eastern Africa Regional Office in Nairobi, and logistics platforms associated with Lyon, Paris, Barcelona, Dubai, and Panama. These arrangements supported procurement, movement of supplies, program coordination, and specialization among national members. The network’s model allowed individual national entities to maintain local fundraising and public identities while coordinating technical and operational work across borders. By 2022, the organization reported work in 56 countries, with more than 8,990 employees and assistance reaching around 28 million people. Its four broad areas of work were nutrition, food security, water and sanitation, and advocacy. In practice, these areas were delivered through integrated programs involving nutrition and health, water and hygiene, food security and livelihoods, and emergency response. The organization has worked in countries affected by conflict, displacement, famine, natural disasters, chronic poverty, and weak public services. Action Against Hunger has also invested in public engagement and private-sector partnerships. Restaurants Against Hunger and Love Food Give Food connect the organization with the food and beverage industry, restaurants, consumers, and donors. Such campaigns seek to turn public concern about hunger into fundraising and awareness. The organization’s advocacy work similarly seeks to influence humanitarian policy, nutrition financing, governance, and responses to the structural causes of food insecurity. The French organization remains the historical and institutional origin of the broader network. Its contemporary identity combines direct humanitarian operations with scientific expertise, public advocacy, fundraising, and partnerships. The organization’s central strategic premise is that hunger requires both immediate treatment and longer-term interventions that improve health, water access, household income, food systems, and community resilience.

• 2022

  Reported global reach

  [1]Action Against Hungeren.wikipedia.org

  Reference material described operations in 56 countries, more than 8,990 employees, and assistance reaching approximately 28 million people.

• 1995

  International network development

  [1]Action Against Hungeren.wikipedia.org

  The organization began developing a broader international network to increase its global operational, financial, and technical capacity.

• 1979

  Organization founded in France

  [1]Action Against Hungeren.wikipedia.org

  A group of French doctors, scientists, and writers established the organization to respond to severe hunger and humanitarian crises. Alfred Kastler became its first chairman.

• 1979

  Initial refugee and famine responses

  [1]Action Against Hungeren.wikipedia.org

  Early assistance included Afghan refugees in Pakistan, famine-affected communities in Uganda, and Cambodian refugees in Thailand.

A science-informed humanitarian organization combining emergency operations with nutrition treatment, public health, water and sanitation, livelihoods support, research, and advocacy.

• Medical nutrition

  F-100 therapeutic milk

  F-100 is a high-energy therapeutic milk formula associated with Action Against Hunger’s scientific and nutrition work. It is designed for nutritional rehabilitation in cases of severe acute malnutrition, generally within structured health and humanitarian programs. Its importance lies less in consumer branding than in the development of standardized, energy-dense treatment protocols that can reduce mortality when correctly administered and combined with clinical care.

• Medical nutrition

  Ready-to-use therapeutic foods

  Ready-to-use therapeutic foods are energy-dense, usually peanut-based nutrition pastes supplied in individual packages for the treatment of severe acute malnutrition. They can often be used at community or household level and do not require cooking, refrigeration, or complex preparation. Action Against Hunger helped advance the humanitarian use of this treatment model as part of its broader community-based nutrition approach.

• Humanitarian service

  Emergency nutrition programs

  Emergency nutrition programs identify, treat, and prevent acute malnutrition during conflicts, displacement, famine, epidemics, and disasters. Activities may include screening children, supplying therapeutic foods, supporting health facilities, training local workers, and linking nutrition treatment with disease prevention, maternal health, and safe water. These programs form one of the organization’s principal operational offerings.

• Humanitarian service

  Water, sanitation and hygiene programs

  Water, sanitation and hygiene programs seek to reduce illness and malnutrition by improving access to safe water, sanitation facilities, hygiene supplies, and public-health education. Interventions can include emergency water provision, infrastructure rehabilitation, household sanitation, hygiene promotion, and support for local systems. The work is integrated with nutrition and emergency-response programs.

• Humanitarian service

  Food security and livelihoods programs

  Food security and livelihoods activities address the economic and social conditions that determine whether households can obtain adequate food over time. Depending on the context, programs may support income, agricultural production, markets, household assets, or access to food. The objective is to complement emergency assistance with measures that strengthen resilience and reduce repeated dependence on crisis aid.

• Restaurants Against Hunger

  International network

  A recurring partnership campaign involving restaurants and food-sector businesses to raise funds and public attention for hunger and malnutrition programs.

  Outcome. Supports fundraising and public awareness; campaign-specific financial results were not provided.

  Source
• Love Food Give Food

  International network

  A food-industry and consumer-engagement campaign designed to connect food-related activity with donations and awareness of global hunger.

  Outcome. Supports fundraising and advocacy; campaign-specific results were not provided.

  Source

• 1995

  Development of an international networkStrategy

  Background

  The organization sought to increase its global impact by coordinating national entities with different fundraising, operational, research, and advocacy capabilities.

  Action taken

  It developed a network headquartered or represented in France, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, India, and Italy, supported by regional offices and logistics platforms.

  Aftermath

  The network expanded the organization’s geographic reach and enabled specialization among national members while retaining France as its historical base.

  Source

• Adoption and expansion of ready-to-use therapeutic foodsProduct launch

  Background

  Facility-based treatment of severe acute malnutrition can be difficult where hospitals, refrigeration, cooking facilities, and transport are limited.

  Action taken

  The organization helped advance the use of packaged, energy-dense ready-to-use therapeutic foods that can be administered in community and household settings.

  Aftermath

  The approach broadened access to acute-malnutrition treatment and became widely used across humanitarian nutrition programs.

  Source

1. 1Action Against Hungeren.wikipedia.org
2. 2Action Against Hunger official websiteactionagainsthunger.org