Lobby groups representing the ethanol industry appealed to the Obama administration on Friday to put more federal funding into supporting the industry and to increase the amount of ethanol allowed in gasoline blends to 15%. Currently, the limit stands at 10%. According to this New York Times article, the ethanol industry is flagging amid the downturn in […]
Recent food safety scares in the U.S. have sparked an investigation by The New York Times* into an over-reliance on private (or third-party) food inspectors to certify the safety of food processing plants. In some cases, as in the Peanut Corporation of America scandal, the inspectors were hired by the companies being inspected, leading to […]
Countries hit heavily by food shortages often rely greatly on foreign food aid to prevent starvation. The United States is the leading donor in food aid worldwide, but its food aid policies have come under heavy criticism by analysts. Often this criticism comes as a result of the practice of “dumping,” as described in […]
At the World Affairs Councils of America’s (WACA) Annual Meeting in February, Charles MacCormack , president and CEO of Save the Children, spoke about how the 2008 Global Food Crisis has impacted the UN Millennium Development Goal (MGD) for fighting global hunger. Watch the video of his remarks at the conference and hear him address […]
The BBC Special Report page entitled “The Cost of Food” features a collection of resources on the current global food crisis. The page includes the latest news, analysis, video reports, and image galleries on food security issues. Also contained within the Special Report page are links to a food prices Facts and Figures page, providing […]
According to a new report by the Fairtrade Foundation, farmers in the developing world have come under intense strain amid skyrocketing prices for food, fuel and fertiliser. The report, which includes interviews with farmers’ groups in Uganda, Malawi, Nicaragua, India, Sri Lanka and the Caribbean, claims that houshold budgets for many farmers in these areas […]
The Great Decisions 2009 article on the “Global Food Crisis” identifies U.S. agricultural subsidies as an example of a divisive issue between developed countries and developing countries, particularly as they try to negotiate a fair, free trade system. The U.S. government provides subsidies, or payments, to farmers or agribusinesses (often large-scale, corporate farms) for their […]
As the international community attempts to help Afghanistan rebuild, the Taliban insurgency and illegal opium growing remain among the largest detriments to peace and security. A no less deadly factor that also continues to threaten the well-being of Afghans is hunger. According to a recent article on Eurasianet, Afghans die from hunger and poverty each […]
The United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) released its Crop Prospects and Food Situation report on February 12th with some sobering findings. The report cites the presence of acute food shortages in 32 countries around the world and predicts a potentially disastrous fall in global cereal production. This UN News Centre press release highlights […]
On February 19th, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) program PM aired a segment on a new United Nations report examining the global food crisis. In the piece, ABC interviewed food policy experts about the causal factors of the recent food crisis, including population growth, urbanization, climate change, and the development of biofuels. The experts are also asked […]
As food prices and the demand for alternative fuels increases, so do looming concerns about the effects climate change will have on the global food supply. Food policy experts contributing to this Time online article warn that the continued emission of greenhouse gases, prominent contributors to global warming, could mean that many climates will be […]
UPDATE 4/10/09: The Peanut Corporation plant in Texas fined for conditions that contributed to the salmonella outbreak in the company’s peanuts. On the heels of the Peanut Corporation of America’s president Stewart Parnell’s refusal to testify before Congress, the company filed for bankruptcy. The Washington Post takes a look at the “rise and fall” of the […]
As discussed in the Great Decisions 2009 article “Global Food Crisis,” many food policy analysts have argued against the current, prevalent strategy favored by developing countries for providing food aid. Called “dumping” by its critics, this strategy includes requirements to use the developed countries’ surplus crops as the source of food aid. An alternative strategy […]
The recent salmonella outbreak caused by contamination in peanut plants in the United States has raised new fears about domestic food security. To date, eight people have died in connection with the contamination and 600 hundred have become ill. A recent video from the New York Times recaps the development of the outbreak and challenges […]
One-third of the annual crop yield in the United States is placed into the production of alternative fuels such as corn-based ethanol. The development of this kind of energy, known as “biofuel,” is in large part the result of a desire in the U.S. to shift away from dependence on foreign oil and the harmful […]