Ace has left the country, being in need of food (6)
I believe the answer is:
hungry
'in need of food' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'ace has left the country' is the wordplay.
'ace' becomes 'a' (abbreviation).
'has left' indicates named letters should be taken away.
'the country' becomes 'hungary' (Hungary is an example).
'hungary' with 'a' removed is 'HUNGRY'.
'being' is the link.
(Other definitions for hungry that I've seen before include "Needing to be fed" , "Infertile" , "hoping for a bite?" , "Desirous" , "Wanting fare" .)