To Expensive To Eat?

Food, food prices, and food shortages have been a major topic in the news lately. Prices of basic commodities continue to climb. Commodities like rice are in short supply due to drought in countries like Australia. Declining rice acreage has lead to the closure of the largest rice mill in the Southern hemisphere. When fully operational it was estimated that this mill processed enough rice to feed 20 million people. Click here to take a look at the full article.

The price premium for organic food is causing consternation and in many cases causing farmers and consumers to return to conventional eating and farming practices. These higher prices have also coincided with increased production costs. This article in the New York Times has a nice little graphic which compares the prices of some organic and conventional foods.

Food prices and shortages are more dire in other parts of the world. In Egypt the military has been enlisted to help bake bread. In countries like Haiti people have little choice but to eat patties made of mud with oil and sugar mixed in for flavor.

Can science help? Stay tuned for Monday’s post.