FACTBOX - Countries pledge food aid to feed the poor

(Reuters) - The World Food Programme said on Friday it was not yet sure if a proposed $770 million (390 million pounds) in extra U.S. food aid would help it feed the poor and close a budget gap caused by soaring food prices.

The U.N. food agency is seeking to cover a $755 million budget shortfall.

Here is a list of those countries who have pledged food aid:

AUSTRALIA: Australia has increased its pledge by $27.5 million.

BRITAIN: Britain has increased its pledge by $60 million.

CANADA: Canada pledged an extra $49.5 million for international food aid on Wednesday and said it would also allow its money to be used to buy food abroad and not tie it to purchases of Canadian produce.

FRANCE: French President Nicolas Sarkozy said in April his country was doubling its food aid budget in 2008 to almost $100 million.

GERMANY: The Development Ministry has said that Germany had in the last few weeks added 23 million euros (18 million pounds) for food aid, doubling its basic annual contribution of 23 million euros.

JAPAN: Japan announced in April that it would supply around $100 million worth of food aid overseas over the next three months to address the problem of surging world food prices.