Hunger. Strikes. Riots. The food crisis bites

Guardian UK ^ | April 13 2008 | Robin McKie and Heather Stewart

[w1andsodidwe]

Across the world, a food crisis is now unfolding with frightening speed. Hundreds of millions of men and women who, only a few months ago, were able to provide food for their families have found rocketing prices of wheat, rice and cooking oil have left them facing the imminent prospect of starvation.

Well thank goodness, now the media can quit yammering about how fat everyone in the world is.

[NRA2BFree]

Coming to a neighborhood store near you in the not so distant future.....

[goldstategop]

Thanks to liberals' obsession with biofuels, millions of people now risk starvation. While they're drink their lattes and debate the merits of the fiction called "global warming" - millions of people now have to go without food. So much for attending to a real global crisis.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[Westlander]

Haven’t these people heard of McDonalds?

[toddlintown]

My wife just came back from India (2nd time) and had a wonderful time. No missed meals, plenty of parties, and I don’t mean company sponsored stuff. Real people.

[traumer]

[kcvl]

Across the world, a food crisis is now unfolding with frightening speed.

B. S.~!

[Fox_Mulder77]

“The spectre of catastrophe now looms over much of the planet.”

As Al Gore laughs all the way to the bank.

[EGPWS]

'When I go to the market and see how little I can get for my money, it makes me want to hit the shopkeepers and thrash the government,' she says.

'My husband and I would argue every night.

Sounds like a personal problem to me....

[blam]

Hunger could lead to revolutions in a number of countries within the next year, IMO.

"Zoellick was also clear that action was now urgently needed. 'In the US and Europe over the last year we have been focusing on the prices of gasoline at the pumps. While many worry about filling their tanks, many others around the world are struggling to fill their stomachs. And it's getting more and more difficult every day,' added Zoellick, who made an impassioned plea to the world's rich nations to provide emergency help, including $500m in extra funding to the UN World Food Programme."

[goldstategop]

The rising costs of basic commodities have made even staple food more expensive. In the Third World, that means people who could afford bread and rice now find them beyond their means.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[goldstategop]

Yep. For most people on the planet - obesity isn't the problem. Starvation is the issue.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[2banana]

Every time we put a gallon of ethanol into our cars - someone in the world gets a little more of starvation...

[EGPWS]

Every time we put a gallon of ethanol into our cars - someone in the world gets a little more of starvation...

We have a winner!

[La Enchiladita]

Also being debated here: Ethanol and Hunger

On the surface, it seems like biofuels are taking food off the table, but what about the cost of oil making food transport more pricey?

[OCC]

Hey, I have an idea how to solve this!

[Ronin]

I have been amazed at how rapidly food prices have been shooting up here in Japan. Everything is up a minimum of 10 to 60 percent in the last six months, and it looks like it is getting worse.

Manufacturers and packagers are trying to be sneaky about it too. A small bag of macaroni that would normally sell for 120 yen now costs 130 yen. A modest increase, but while the package size is the same, the contents have been reduced from 200 to 150 grams.

I am starting to stockpile some things now. I want to have at least 30kg of rice and a good assortment of canned goods stashed away. Call me paranoid if you want, but I have a very uneasy feeling about the way food prices are rising now.

[w1andsodidwe]

Every time we put a gallon of ethanol into our cars - someone in the world gets a little more of starvation...

I am so confused, do we want people to be fat or skinny? I thought starvation was a good thing. I thought eating too much was the biggest problem the world had, right behind Climate Change and of course Overpopulation. Could this actually be the cure for overpopulation. I just want to make the liberal whiners happy.

[La Enchiladita]

I have been amazed at how rapidly food prices have been shooting up here in Japan.

Same here in southern California: produce, meat, staples, condiments, they're all going up and up. I also observed that the same-size-looking container actually holds less. A pint jar of mayo is actually 15 oz.