Era of cheap food is over

[FOTD]

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/1231/p13s01-wogi.html

Will market forces correct the situation, as farmers switch to the high-earning crops?


'Soylent Green'


Why Not Give a Vegetarian Diet a Try for the New Year?
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/12/31/6089/


DEVELOPMENT: Food Prices Climbing, With No End in Sight
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=40359

World food stocks dwindling rapidly, UN warns
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/12/17/europe/food.php

Who Does U.S. Food Aid Benefit?
Current policies favor giant shipping companies and agribusinesses over the starving populations they are supposed to serve
http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/3342/who_does_us_food_aid_benefit/

[Ed W]

The Monitor didn't mention the world-wide collapse of bee populations, an insect that's essential to most crop pollenation.

[Steve]

I did not read the link, but I have definately noticed a run up in prices at the local grocery store.  I assumed it was due to high petrol prices, and I am sure this is a part of it.  Everything at the grocery store seems to be getting more and more expensive, on a more and frequent basis. 5 cents here, 10 cents there.  It all adds up.

[Ibanez]

Food crises are generally about distribution mediated by politics and logistics, not overall supply.

Not being able to find salt and vinegar Pringles is my particular cross to bear. Why, Lord, why??

[YoungTulsan]

Ethanol certainly doesn't help.  With the Iowa caucuses fresh in our minds, it should be very apparent why corn gets all sorts of subsidies, and why ethanol is being pushed as some sort of magical green fuel.  Even though it has a net energy loss to produce.  It drives food prices up.  Cattle are generally corn-fed, and corn becomes in much higher demand when it is subsidised as a burning fuel.  Regular fuel prices are a factor in the price of food, since it has to be shipped across country (or from Mexico more and more often  these days) - And we do not just eat the cost increases, we of course eat the cost increases plus whatever percentage is neccesary to maintain a specific profit margin.  If an 80% profit margin is standard, then for every 1 cent cost of shipping goes up, the price goes up 5 cents.

[FOTD]

quote:Originally posted by Ed W

The Monitor didn't mention the world-wide collapse of bee populations, an insect that's essential to most crop pollenation.

It's new fertilizer with a tobacco based chemical to retard insect damage but sadly it acts as a block on bees radar system. I think Dow put the product out. (60 minute story?)

You'd think it was a THC product the way those bees can't find their way home.

[inteller]

quote:Originally posted by FOTD
I think Dow put the product out. (60 minute story?)

You'd think it was a THC product the way those bees can't find their way home.

ever notice how it is always this company putting out **** that does horrible harm to the environment?  These are the same ****ers who gave us Agent Orange and Dursban.

[Johnboy976]

Tell us how you really feel, inteller. []