PrintAll These Articles About Rising Food Prices are Making Me Depressed, Hungry
Australian droughts are killing rice fields. Flour prices are up. Hops shortages mean crazy-expensive beer soon. Maybe grocery stores aren't selling milk for $450 a gallon yet, but dramatic food shortages are happening globally, and the backlash is huge. After last week's fatal riots in Egypt, Cameroon, and Haiti, the World Bank stepped up Monday with a 2,500-page report on the growing international crisis, listing 33 countries in serious danger.
No wonder both Slate and the Washington Post ran pieces yesterday on the conflict. And they weren't written by the expected economist or agripolitical writer. Both were food writers who might typically ogle over truffle oil or Anthony Bourdain.
This is officially a big deal. According to Condoleezza Rice this morning, President George W. Bush threw down $200 million in U.S. emergency food aid on top of an already spent $350 million. These funds will temporarily ease global hunger, but the greater picture is depressing and already making us hungry.
There are too many factors at hand. Biofuel, crop failures, the Energy Policy Act of 2005, currency shifts, the Chinese eating more meat. All reasons raised in a Green Tech Blog post. It's been confirmed. The sky is falling, metaphorically, and though we're tempted to hide in a closet and eat cookies until the situation diffuses, that's not really happening. Especially with wheat prices shooting up. Cookies will undoubtedly cost $3 million dollars soon. Per crumb!
About the author: Erin Zimmer, our Washington, D.C., correspondent, is a new media analyst and frequently writes for Washingtonian, DCist, and other local publications. While Georgetown's food columnist, she investigated the cafeteria's omelet station, Hoya coffeeshop's cultish pumpkin muffins, and what exactly the basketball players ate.
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13 Comments:
This is officially the most tragic post Serious Eats has ever published.
Erin Zimmer at 3:16PM on 04/17/08
We're going to need a unicorn chaser!
Raphael at 3:25PM on 04/17/08
I would agree. Most posts of cheery and funny.
vegoftheweek at 3:50PM on 04/17/08
Yeah, this news is humbling. All the more reason to shop at farmers' markets and/or grow your own fruits and vegetables.
bster18 at 4:06PM on 04/17/08
very scary...why does it feel like even moving to a deserted island is not going to help??
chonga815 at 4:32PM on 04/17/08
This could be a blessing in disguise. Let's tear up all those disgusting strip malls and replace them with small cooperative community owned farms. Instead of spending thousands of dollars on gym memberships you won't use, go work a few hours a week on your new local community farm where the McDonald's and Home Depot used to be. Instead of your tax dollars subsidizing big business and corporate executives' vacations to the Caribbean, your money could go towards your community. You will get in shape, go will get your hands dirty, you will grow fresh food for yourselves and your neighbors, and you will reclaim the land in your area.
simon at 6:02PM on 04/17/08
Instead of growing grass in the front and back yard grow a garden....
Markbb at 9:39AM on 04/18/08
What was most startling to me in the past few weeks was learning that the grain supply (that for a number of years has always been stockpiled for the purpose of helping other countries in worse shape than ourselves) had been depleted.
While it may be difficult for us it is much worse for others in other parts of the world. There are parts of the world that are not fertile - and the challenge stands: How and where to find the food to keep those people alive also, from the resources enjoyed by we who are luckier.
Karen Resta at 9:50AM on 04/18/08
We need FoodBoy to come to our rescue!!!
modysoul at 9:59AM on 04/18/08
simon's got the right idea. Why do we need 8 stripmalls with Subways, nail salons, and cleaners within a two mile radius of each other? Drives me nuts. I've always thought that idea would bite us in the collective butt one day!
Mnemosyne at 1:48PM on 04/18/08
Such a complicated issue and SO many factors not mentioned...
Regionally ill-considered agriculture -- e.g., irrigated high-water-demand crops like rice, wheat, cotton in Australia (the Earth's second most arid continent), California, etc. -- is it drought or poor planning?
Unchecked population growth in regions unable to sustain large populations -- e.g., many if not most LDCs (least-developed countries or fourth-world countries)
Political corruption and/or civil unrest and/or human rights abuses -- e.g., dictatorial governments in LDCs intentionally starving their people, choosing not to build infrastructure, etc.
LDCs largely shut out of the world food market by agri subsidies in developed nations -- e.g., USA, EU, etc.
Increasing desertification of the African continent -- note, due not to so-called climate change, but poor agricultural practices like deforestation, overgrazing, etc.
Starvation in most LDCs has been shown to be due to political corruption and widespread poverty much more than actual food production issues. Food aid from Western nations relates to excess agricultural product (which ties to subsidies) more than the recipient countries' actual needs.
Throwing food at the problem is not the solution, but that's what the U.N. and developed Western nations will do. We have a long history of treating symptoms rather than curing the underlying illness.
LoCo at 2:32PM on 04/18/08
How many years out of the history of civilization has this not been the case?
srhcb at 10:03PM on 04/18/08
I am with K. Resta. We should be thankful for what we have. There are people in worse situations.
bster18 at 3:29PM on 04/21/08