16 million American kids battle hunger, says Scarlett Johansson

Los Angeles: About 16 million American children battle hunger, unsure when their next meal will come from, actress Scarlett Johansson says, calling for an end to hunger in the country.

The 30-year-old actress also drew on her own experiences to raise awareness about an issue that is often swept under the carpet in the US.

"My family grew up relying on public assistance to help provide meals for our family," femalefirst.co.uk quoted her as saying.

"Child hunger in America is a real and often overlooked problem, but one that together, we can fix.

"The are 16 million children struggling with hunger in America.

"That's one in five daughters, sons, neighbours and classmates who don't know where their next meal is coming from, yet billions of pounds of good food go to waste every year. It's time we do something about it.

"Together we can solve hunger. Together we're feeding America," Johansson added.

The actress' ‘Avengers’ co-star Jeremy Renner has also recorded a message for charity Feeding America.

"As an American, it's hard to hear that we have a serious hunger issue in our country. And as a parent it's even harder to hear one in five of our kids struggles with hunger, especially when billions of pounds of good food are wasted every year," he said in his video clip.