Hunger

The hunger indicator is shown above the hotbar, to the right of the health bar.

Hunger is a player-specific feature that regulates certain abilities (health regeneration and the ability to sprint), the value of which is managed by the player's activity.

Description

The player's hunger value is shown on the heads-up display in the form of a hunger bar (aka food bar), which is similar to the health bar. It is located above the hotbar, opposite to health bar and represented by ten ham shanks ( × 10). One half of a ham shank () represents one hunger point or half-unit of hunger, thus the full bar consists of twenty hunger points. It is replenished by eating food or having the Saturation effect, and decreased by actions such as sprinting, digging, or attacking.

Various levels of the player's hunger control health regeneration (or depletion) and the ability to sprint. When hunger is at least 18 (), the player's health regenerates. If it falls to 6 (), the player loses the ability to sprint. If the hunger bar is at zero, the player's health depletes. The specific effects are described in the Effects of hunger section.

The hunger value does not drain on Peaceful difficulty and regenerates if it is not at the maximum value.

An aspect of hunger not shown on the hunger bar is called food saturation and controls the decreasing of the hunger value. It depends on what the player has eaten last. There is also a food exhaustion value that controls the decreasing of the food saturation level. The exact mechanics that control the overall hunger value are described in detail in the Mechanics section.

Certain foods have a chance of inflicting the Hunger effect on the player upon consumption, causing the player's food bar to deplete faster and turn a yellow-green color (). These foods are pufferfish, raw chicken (30% chance), and rotten flesh (80% chance). A husk also inflicts Hunger when it attacks a player.

Mechanics

The hunger system utilizes four variables to control players' abilities, the values of which are stored in the player.dat format:

• foodLevel: The player's current hunger level, shown on the hunger bar. Its initial value on world creation or respawn is 20 ( × 10).
• foodSaturationLevel: The player's current saturation level, which determines how fast foodLevel depletes and is controlled by the kinds of food the player has eaten. Its maximum value always equals foodLevel's value and decreases with foodLevel. Its initial value on world creation or respawn is 5.
• foodTickTimer: This variable is used when foodLevel either exceeds 17 (), or is at zero. It increases on every tick, and whenever it reaches 80 (4 seconds), it resets to zero and 1HP is added or deducted, depending on whether the player is saturated or starving. If the player has a full 20 ( × 10), ¹⁄₆ of 1HP times the player's foodSaturationLevel is restored, up to a maximum of 1HP, when foodTickTimer reaches 10 (¹⁄₂ second), and foodTickTimer is reset to zero.
• foodExhaustionLevel: The player's current exhaustion level, which determines how fast the foodSaturationLevel depletes. Its value is increased by the player's actions (see Exhaustion level increase for specific values). The initial value is zero. When it reaches a value of at least 4, the total value is decreased by 4 and one point is subtracted from foodSaturationLevel, or foodLevel if foodSaturationLevel is at zero.

The above variables can be queried in-game with the following command: /data get entity <player's name> <variable>‌.

As a visible sign that the saturation is used up, the hunger bar starts to shake or jitter periodically. When the saturation level is at zero, once the exhaustion value reaches 4, the total hunger value is decreased by 1 (). Eating food replenishes both hunger and saturation levels (see Food level and saturation level restoration for specific values), with the hunger level being replenished first, which also increases the maximum allowed saturation level. For example, if a golden carrot (giving 6 () and 14.4 saturation points) is eaten by a player whose hunger bar is at 9 () and saturation is below 1, its value increases to 15 (), and the golden carrot's saturation potential is fully used. However, if the hunger level is 8 (), its value increases to 14 () and only 14 saturation points are used.

Effects of hunger

Various hunger levels lead to various effects on the player:

• When the hunger bar is at 20 () and there is any saturation left, health regenerates 1HP every ¹⁄₂ second.‌
• When the hunger bar is at 18 () or more, health slowly regenerates 1HP every 4 seconds.
• When the hunger bar is at 17 () points or below, the player does not naturally regenerate health.
• If the hunger bar is at 6 () points or below, then the player cannot sprint.
• When the hunger bar is at 0 (), the player's health depletes at a rate of 1HP every 4 seconds (this makes sleeping impossible). On Easy difficulty, the player's health stops dropping at 10HP, on Normal, it stops at 1HP, and on Hard, it keeps draining until either the player eats something or starves to death. Resistance and armor do not reduce starvation damage.

Switching to Peaceful difficulty eliminates all penalties above, and rapidly restores the player's hunger bar and health.

Exhaustion level increase

Any action not listed here does not increase exhaustion level. For example, normal walking doesn't increase exhaustion, and therefore does not decrease saturation or the food bar.

Action	Exhaustion level increase	Units
Swimming	0.01	per meter
Breaking a block	0.005	per block broken
Sprinting	0.1	per meter
Jumping	0.05	per jump
Attacking an entity	0.1	per attack landed
Taking damage that is normally protected by armor	0.1	per distinct instance of damage being received
Hunger	0.005	per tick, per Hunger status effect level
Jumping while sprinting	0.2	per jump
Regenerating health by having × 9 or higher and having gamerule naturalRegeneration set to true	6.0	per 1HP healed
Hunger from raw chicken or rotten flesh, or taking damage from husks.	3.0	full 0:30 duration of Hunger I, at 0.1 per second
Hunger from pufferfish	4.5	full 0:15 duration of Hunger III, at 0.3 per second
Getting pushed by flowing water	-	-

Food level and saturation level restoration

Name	Icon	Food points	Saturation			Effect(s)	Source(s)
			Restored	Quality	Ratio
Apple		4 ()	2.4	6.4	0.6	None	Destroyed/despawned oak or dark oak leaves Stronghold altar and storeroom, village weaponsmith and plains house, igloo and bonus chests Receive 4 for 1 emerald at apprentice-level trade of farmer villager
Baked Potato		5 ()	6	11	1.2	None	Cooking a potato in a furnace, smoker, or campfire Trial Spawner in Trial Chambers.
Beetroot		1 ()	1.2	2.2	1.2	None	Harvesting beetroot crops Farmer villager who drop beetroot after harvesting beetroot crop
Beetroot Soup		6 ()	7.2	13.2	1.2	None	Crafting a bowl together with beetroots village snowy tundra house chest
Bread		5 ()	6	11	1.2	None	Crafting from wheat Monster room, stronghold altar and storeroom, village, mineshaft, woodland mansion and bonus chests Receive 6 for 1 emerald at novice-level trade of farmer villager Farmer villager who drop bread after harvesting wheat Raid gift from farmer villager‌
Cake (slice)		2 ()	0.4	2.4	0.2	None	Consume one slice of cake
Cake (whole)		14 ( × 7)	2.8	16.8	0.2	None	Crafting from wheat, eggs, sugar, and milk Receive 1 for 1 emerald at expert-level trade of farmer villager Buried treasure chest‌ Trial chamber intersection chests
Carrot		3 ()	3.6	6.6	1.2	None	Killing zombies Harvesting carrot crops pillager outpost and Shipwreck supply chest bonus chest‌ Farmer villager who drop carrot after harvesting carrot crop
Chorus Fruit		4 ()	2.4	6.4	0.6	The player may be teleported randomly, as described at Enderman § Teleportation.	Breaking chorus plants. Found in The End.
Cooked Chicken		6 ()	7.2	13.2	1.2	None	Cooking a raw chicken Killing chickens with fire Receive 8 for 1 emerald at novice-level trade from Butcher villager Raid gift from butcher villager‌
Cooked Cod		5 ()	6	11	1.2	None	Cooking a raw cod Killing cod with fire‌ Killing dolphin with fire Rare drop from guardians and elder guardians when killed with fire‌ Receive 6 for 1 emerald + 6 raw cod at novice-level trade from fisherman villager buried treasure chest‌
Cooked Mutton		6 ()	9.6	15.6	1.6	None	Cooking raw mutton Killing sheep with fire Raid gift from butcher villager‌
Cooked Porkchop		8 ()	12.8	20.8	1.6	None	Cooking a raw porkchop Killing pigs or hoglins with fire Receive 5 for 1 emerald at apprentice-level trade from butcher villager Raid gift from butcher villager‌
Cooked Rabbit		5 ()	6	11	1.2	None	Cooking raw rabbit Killing rabbits with fire Raid gift from butcher villager‌
Cooked Salmon		6 ()	9.6	15.6	1.6	None	Cooking a raw salmon Killing salmon with fire‌ buried treasure chest‌ Receive 6 for 1 emerald + 1 raw salmon at apprentice-level trade from fisherman villager
Cookie		2 ()	0.4	2.4	0.2	None	Crafting from wheat and cocoa beans Receive 18 for 3 emerald at journeyman-level trade from farmer villager
Dried Kelp		1 ()	0.6‌ 0.2‌	1.6‌ 1.2‌	0.6‌ 0.2‌	None	Cooking kelp in a furnace, smoker, or campfire Crafting from dried kelp block Raid gift from farmer villager‌
Enchanted Golden Apple		4 ()	9.6	13.6	2.4	* Regeneration II for 20 seconds‌ Regeneration II for 30 seconds‌ Absorption IV for 2 minutes Resistance for 5 minutes Fire Resistance for 5 minutes	Desert pyramid, monster room, woodland mansion, mineshaft, and ancient city chests. This is the only food item in the game that is not renewable (except via ominous vault)
Golden Apple		4 ()	9.6	13.6	2.4	* Regeneration II for 5 seconds Absorption for 2 minutes	Crafting from an apple and gold ingots Desert pyramid, monster room, mineshaft, stronghold altar, woodland mansion, igloo, and big ocean ruins chests
Glow Berries		2 ()	0.4	2.4	0.2	None	Collected from cave vines
Golden Carrot		6 ()	14.4	20.4	2.4	None	Crafting a carrot with gold nuggets Receive 3 for 3 emerald at master-level trade from farmer villager
Honey Bottle		6 ()	1.2	7.2	0.2	Clears Poison	Crafting from honey block Collecting from beehives or bee nests
Melon Slice		2 ()	1.2	3.2	0.6	None	Harvesting a melon block
Mushroom Stew		6 ()	7.2	13.2	1.2	None	Crafting with a bowl and one of each mushroom Using a bowl on a mooshroom
Poisonous Potato		2 ()	1.2	3.2	0.6	Poison for 5 seconds (60% chance)	Harvesting potato crops Shipwreck supply chest
Potato		1 ()	0.6	1.6	0.6	None	Killing zombies Harvesting potato crops Farmer villager who drop potato after harvesting potato crop bonus chest‌ village plains and taiga house, pillager outpost, and shipwreck supply chest
Pufferfish		1 ()	0.2	1.2	0.2 (−4.8)‌	* Hunger III for 15 seconds Nausea for 15 seconds Poison II for 60 seconds	Fishing Killing pufferfish Rare drop from guardians and elder guardian
Pumpkin Pie		8 ()	4.8	12.8	0.6	None	Crafting with a pumpkin, an egg, and sugar Receive 4 for 1 emerald at apprentice-level trade from farmer villager village taiga house chest Raid gift from farmer villager‌
Rabbit Stew		10 ()	12	22	1.2	None	Crafting with a bowl, carrot, baked potato, mushroom, and cooked rabbit Receive 1 for 1 emerald at novice-level trade from butcher villager
Raw Beef		3 ()	1.8	4.8	0.6	None	Killing cows, red mooshrooms, and brown mooshroom village butcher chest
Raw Chicken		2 ()	1.2	3.2	0.6 (-2.075)‌	Hunger for 30 seconds (30% chance)	Killing chickens Cat gift
Raw Cod		2 ()	0.4	2.4	0.2	None	Fishing Killing cod, guardians, elder guardians, dolphins, polar bears Rare drop from guardians and elder guardians village fisher barrel Raid gift from fisherman villager‌
Raw Mutton		2 ()	1.2	3.2	0.6	None	Killing sheep village butcher chest
Raw Porkchop		3 ()	1.8	4.8	0.6	None	Killing pigs or hoglins village butcher chest
Raw Rabbit		3 ()	1.8	4.8	0.6	None	Killing rabbits
Raw Salmon		2 ()	0.4	2.4	0.2	None	Fishing Killing salmon and polar bears Rare drop from guardians and elder guardians Raid gift from fisherman villager‌ village fisher barrel‌ bonus chest
Rotten Flesh		4 ()	0.8	4.8	0.2 (-1.8)‌	Hunger for 30 seconds (80% chance)	Killing zombies, zombified piglins, zombie villagers, husks, drowned, and zombie horses monster room, igloo, woodland mansion, small ocean ruins, village temple, shipwreck supply, desert, and jungle pyramid chests Caught as junk from fishing Cat gift
Spider Eye		2 ()	3.2	5.2	1.6 (-2.2)‌	Poison for 5 seconds	Killing spiders and cave spiders Killing a witch
Steak		8 ()	12.8	20.8	1.6	None	Cooking raw beef Killing cows, red mooshrooms, or brown mooshrooms with fire Raid gift from butcher villager‌
Suspicious Stew		6 ()	7.2	13.2	1.2	The following for 3-11 seconds, depending on the flower used: Regeneration Jump Boost Poison Wither Weakness Blindness Fire Resistance Saturation Night Vision	Crafting with a bowl, red mushroom, brown mushroom, and any flower Feed brown mooshroom any flower then using a bowl on brown mooshroom Receive 1 for 1 emerald at expert-level trade of farmer villager, excluding Fire Resistance, Regeneration, and Wither.
Suspicious Stew (Together with Saturation)		13 ( × 6.5)	21.2	34.2	1.631	Effect of Saturation already added to total points restored	Crafting with a bowl, red mushroom, brown mushroom, and Dandelion or Blue Orchid Feed brown mooshroom a dandelion or blue orchid then using a bowl on brown mooshroom Receive 1 for 1 emerald at expert-level trade of farmer villager
Sweet Berries		2 ()	0.4‌ 1.2‌	2.4‌ 3.2‌	0.2‌ 0.6‌	None	Breaking sweet berry bushes Picking ripe berries from sweet berry bushes (right-click) Taiga village house chests.‌
Tropical Fish		1 ()	0.2	1.2	0.2	None	Fishing Killing tropical fish Rare drop from guardians and elder guardians

Food poisoning

An example of how eating rotten flesh can cause the food poisoning.

When the player eats raw chicken, rotten flesh, or pufferfish, they have a chance to briefly get the hunger effect. This is called food poisoning.

This turns hunger bar ( × 10) green, and causes the player to lose 1 point () of hunger every 4 seconds, for every level, for the duration of the effect. This is stacked with hunger loss from sprinting, jumping, etc.

Achievements

Icon		Achievement	In-game description	Actual requirements (if different)	Gamerscore earned	Trophy type (PS)
PS4	Other
		Iron Belly	Stop starvation using Rotten Flesh.	Eat a piece of rotten flesh while starving (zero hunger points).	20	Bronze

Video

Note: This video is from Java Edition 1.5, so not all changes were applied.

History

Java Edition Beta
July 19, 2011							The hunger bar is first seen in an image Notch posted to Twitter that showcases his experimentation with world height.
1.8			Pre-release				Hunger was introduced. Food no longer restores health directly, but the player can regenerate if the hunger meter is 90% or over.
Java Edition
1.3.1			12w18a				The exhausation cost of sprint jumping is now 0.2 from 0.8, meaning that constant sprint jumping is a viable means of fast long-distance travel in most situations.
1.6.1			13w23a				Natural health regeneration now increases the food exhaustion level.
1.7.2			13w36a				The exhaustion cost of sprint jumping is now 0.8 (up from 0.2), meaning that constant sprint jumping is no longer viable as a means of fast long-distance travel in most situations.
1.8			14w29a				Hunger now regenerates when depleted if the difficulty is set to Peaceful.
1.9			15w40a				Health regenerates faster when saturation is non-zero.
							Health regeneration increases exhaustion more.
			15w44a				Health regenerates speed bonus from non-zero saturation only applies when the hunger bar is at 20.
			15w49a				Sneaking now increases exhaustion by 0.005/m, decreased from 0.01/m.
1.11			16w32a				Exhaustion rates decreased across the board: Swimming decreased from 0.015/m to 0.01/m, breaking blocks decreased from 0.025/block to 0.005/block, jumping decreased from 0.2/jump to 0.05/jump, sprint jumping decreased from 0.8/jump to 0.2/jump, attacking and taking damage both decreased from 0.3/attack to 0.1/attack, Hunger status effect decreased from 0.5/s to 0.1/s.
							Sneaking and walking no longer affect exhaustion.
							Exhaustion rate from regeneration is increased from 4.0/half-heart to 6.0/half-heart.
							The hunger bar is now visible when riding a boat or a minecart.
Upcoming Java Edition
Combat Tests			Combat Test 5				Saturation is no longer capped by the hunger level of the player.
							Upon eating food, the player's saturation is always set to the food's provided saturation amount unless their current saturation level exceeds what is obtainable from the food.
							High saturation no longer gives a fast regeneration boost.
							Changed food eating speed from 32 game ticks (1.6 seconds) to 40 game ticks (2 seconds).
							The player now naturally regenerates health when above a hunger level of 7 () instead of 18 ( × 9)
							The player now naturally heals every 60 game ticks (3 seconds) instead of every 80 game ticks (4 seconds).
							The player now takes damage from starvation every 60 game ticks (3 seconds) instead of every 80 game ticks (4 seconds) when the hunger bar is empty.
							Natural healing now always drains food points.
							Saturation is not used when healing damage, and is only relevant to other actions that drain the hunger bar.
							The player can now sprint at any hunger value.
			Combat Test 6				Reverted eating speed to 32 ticks (1.6 seconds).
							Eating is now interrupted if something hits the player.
							The player now naturally heals every 40 game ticks (2 seconds) instead of every 60 game ticks (3 seconds).
							The player now takes damage from starvation every 40 game ticks (2 seconds) instead of every 60 game ticks (3 seconds) when the hunger bar is empty.
							Natural healing drains food points 50% slower.
							Reintroduced the rule that sprinting requires more than 6 points of food.
Pocket Edition Alpha
v0.12.1			build 1				Hunger was introduced. Food no longer restores health directly, but the player can regenerate if the hunger meter is 90% or over.
Bedrock Edition
1.18.30			Preview 1.18.20.26				The rate that hunger decreases has been changed to better match Java Edition and can now be changed with behavior packs (add-ons).
Legacy Console Edition
Xbox 360	Xbox One	PS3	PS4	PS Vita	Wii U	Switch
TU5	CU1	1.00	1.00	1.00	Patch 1	1.0.1	Added the food bar and hunger.
TU43	CU33	1.36	1.36	1.36	Patch 13		Food now regenerates health.
TU54	CU44	1.52	1.52	1.52	Patch 24	1.0.4	Exhaustion rates decreased across the board: Swimming decreased from 0.015/m to 0.01/m, breaking blocks decreased from 0.025/block to 0.005/block, jumping decreased from 0.2/jump to 0.05/jump, sprint jumping decreased from 0.8/jump to 0.2/jump, attacking and taking damage both decreased from 0.3/attack to 0.1/attack, Hunger status effect decreased from 0.5/s to 0.1/s.
							Sneaking and walking no longer affect exhaustion.
							Exhaustion rate from regeneration is increased from 0.4/half-heart to 0.6/half-heart.

Issues

Issues relating to "Hunger" are maintained on the bug tracker. Issues should be reported and viewed there.