food shortages

In Europe, they’ve been called Frankenfoods. In India, Africa and other developing areas of the world, they’re viewed by many as miracles.

Major retailers in New York, in areas of New England, and on the West Coast are limiting purchases of flour, rice, and cooking oil as demand outstrips supply. There are also anecdotal reports that some consumers are hoarding grain stocks.

A third day of riots in the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, had by Friday paralyzed the city with looting and violence. The toll includes a U.N. soldier who has been shot and killed in the capital while delivering food to his unit.

A top British Government official has warned that the rush towards biofuels is threatening world food production and the lives of billions of people. According to a report in the Times of London, John Beddington, the British Government's chief scientific adviser, has issued the warning in a statement.