Who eats more?

US president George Bush's recent remark that India's large middle class is contributing to rising food prices around the world met with resistance from the Indians.

(Graph: Courtesy IHT - click for a larger view)

Now they are blaming that the food problem has "clearly" been created by Americans, who are eating 50 percent more calories than the average person in India. More in IHT:

If Americans were to slim down to even the middle-class weight in India, "many hungry people in sub-Saharan Africa would find food on their plates." The money Americans spend on liposuction to get rid of their excess fat could be funneled to famine victims instead.

Americans eat an average of 3,770 calories per capita a day, the highest amount in the world, according to data from the UN Food and Agricultural Organization, compared to 2,440 calories in India. They are also the largest per capita consumers in any major economy of beef, the most energy-intensive common food source, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The United States and Canada top the world in oil consumption per person, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.