The chefs made the call at this summer’s Nutrition for Growth Summit in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.

The 22 high profile chefs have signed an open letter to the prime minister stating: “It’s a scandal that in 2016 over 3 million children will needlessly die because they don’t have enough food, simply because of where they were born.”

The letter continues: “In the UK, too many children suffer from irreversible health issues as they are affected by being overweight or obese. Millions are being robbed of their potential because of malnutrition, both here at home and abroad.”

Ken Hom (OBE), celebrity chef, author and Action Against Hunger ambassador, said: “For 40 years I have cared passionately about food. It’s an absolute travesty that in this day and age a child dies from hunger every 10 seconds simply because they don’t have access to nutritious food. That is why I am joining chefs across the country who are uniting to turn our passion for food into a voice for change.”

Angela Hartnett (MBE), chef patron for Murano and Cafe Murano and joint owner of Merchant's Tavern, said: “Being a chef, I believe it is crucial to provide children with good nutrition so they can develop and lead a healthy life. Together we can make our voices heard to help ensure every child is able to fulfil their potential.”

Following yesterday’s torch lighting ceremony in Greece, the world is gearing up for this summer’s Olympic Games in Rio where world leaders will gather at the Nutrition for Growth summit to celebrate progress in the fight against child malnutrition and to make new commitments to drive the world towards an end to malnutrition within a generation.

Jean-Michel Grand, Action Against Hunger’s Executive Director, said: “With the new global goals we have, for the first time ever, a global commitment to end malnutrition in all its forms once and for all – and within our lifetime. As part of this the UK Government has committed to improving the nutrition of 50 million people by 2020.

“This is a huge jump in ambition from previous years, when the UK successfully supported 20 million children with nutrition interventions, which should be praised. Now is the time for the Prime Minister to set out a road map of how he is going to achieve this and what money he will put behind this to deliver his plan, providing a healthier and brighter future for the next generation of children.”

Malnutrition is responsible for 45 per cent of preventable child deaths – making it one of the world’s most significant development challenges. Yet it remains vastly under-resourced, receiving only 1 per cent of all global development assistance.