*Safety at the table* On a similar note, food aid is not just about feeding the hungry — it’s a global national security imperative <https://t.devex.com/dc/kyXVoDpAY__Vu56MNr4POhclVMjy-fPC1nQx1DZzXLn4CSOkiU8giCSZ33e3aDJnDp008F7AbdLfHArGM2_R4VktPlIRXVy0u3lLkQIYe7beyTCuDCkHzr-mNhJDTPhkq4P-xoQgAxJrUHMIdpIV_9fFdGpBJiPh2sKpEUh6HGgPJ1zfaukkO4twi9BMm4bM0kuTVMISQQx5DA1vc6VB06ewBjYz_x3KSD2mZ8nf9ayWvKLbQMioMn_bEogz0YAMMBlOgT93cZAcDwe4hrV8uA==/Njg1LUtCTC03NjUAAAGYszLyFvkDUArGnlRk4K8HZAnB9ZEWmVmW9fOHwKz8x_zC5wua6o1cB7QGa5t-qRVFXd93Jt0=>, argue Michael Werz, senior adviser for North America and multilateral affairs to the Munich Security Conference, and Amadée Mudie-Mantz, an MSC policy adviser. “Food security *demonstrates the inherent link between development and national security* particularly well. Persistent food insecurity undermines stability in many contexts and can exacerbate or even lead to conflict,” they write in a Devex opinion piece. “Conversely, conflict and pervasive insecurity negatively impact food security by disrupting agriculture and food supply chains. This is exacerbated by the use of food as a weapon of war <https://t.devex.com/dc/kyXVoDpAY__Vu56MNr4POv8t-6rdHnnjnEGO3jnVagh6uQr8P8t-qGqeWvo6uY0Txgx3nH7NeKM_BIa1nVjZKQ1uw9TXtCBoKfOYUNw_P8two1CLupxBn-3dH_PcNssNeL1rhXaZgi7D2_L_IDJsAHsXyXpTbZ0mJmpX9f80d96-txicZEsJVoPtkCc2cavwKM447EVbE7R4GNo3SubnMGcoRgShXxwMDe4waG7vO3V668eeYd7zFhme5mxDDSrX/Njg1LUtCTC03NjUAAAGYszLyFvkDUArGnlRk4K8HZAnB9ZEWmVmW9fOHwKz8x_zC5wua6o1cB7QGa5t-qRVFXd93Jt0=> .” They note that when calculating the costs of ad hoc emergency aid, health care, and the military to deal with the spillover effects of hunger, studies by the Food and Agriculture Organization <https://t.devex.com/Njg1LUtCTC03NjUAAAGYszLyFhj5DGp6R6yaJhmn8WWO6gN4gqbG1GPps8h60wCdj_Bh70_JLqTCJ6kHN5vjcLgiB80=> show *a benefit-cost ratio of up to 7:1* for anticipatory action interventions. *Opinion:* It’s time to redefine security to include development <https://t.devex.com/dc/kyXVoDpAY__Vu56MNr4POhclVMjy-fPC1nQx1DZzXLn4CSOkiU8giCSZ33e3aDJnDp008F7AbdLfHArGM2_R4VktPlIRXVy0u3lLkQIYe7beyTCuDCkHzr-mNhJDTPhkq4P-xoQgAxJrUHMIdpIV_9fFdGpBJiPh2sKpEUh6HGgPJ1zfaukkO4twi9BMm4bM0kuTVMISQQx5DA1vc6VB06ewBjYz_x3KSD2mZ8nf9ayWvKLbQMioMn_bEogz0YAML_w0gBW46FrptvYt4zbJ6w==/Njg1LUtCTC03NjUAAAGYszLyFvkDUArGnlRk4K8HZAnB9ZEWmVmW9fOHwKz8x_zC5wua6o1cB7QGa5t-qRVFXd93Jt0=>