food crisis

With the production of African cocoa beans in a serious decline, the future of chocolate is questionable. A crop that's naturally grown in the rainforest, two-thirds of the world's cocoa beans are now harvested in in West Africa. However, the African soil degrades quickly, shortening the lifespan of the plants to 30 years or so. The director of Ghana's Nature Conservation Research Council, John Mason, explains the situation:

I think that in 20 years chocolate will be like caviar. It will become so rare and so expensive that the average Joe just won't be able to afford it. The way we farm is just not sustainable. I'm afraid by the time we wake up to that fact it will be too late. I've worked in Ghana for 25 years and I can show you huge areas that can no longer support a crop.

Drastic changes need to be made in order for the world to meet the chocolate demand. Together with international environment charity Earthwatch, Cadbury (which gets all of its cocoa beans from Ghana) is looking for a solution to the problem. I find this highly disturbing and can't imagine a world without chocolate. How about you? Will you start stockpiling chocolate now?

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On Friday afternoon I was in the ice cream aisle at my local grocery store. Since food is incredibly pricey these days, I was searching for the cheapest vanilla ice cream. As I reached for what I thought was the cheapest, my bff pointed out that it was actually a smaller container with a more expensive price tag! As we all know, ice cream cartons aren't the only items on grocery store shelves that are shrinking, and Time magazine reports on the growing trend:

Soaring commodity and fuel prices are driving up costs for manufacturers; faced with a choice between raising prices (which consumers would surely notice) or quietly putting fewer ounces in the bag, carton or cup (which they generally don't) manufacturers are choosing the latter. This month, Kellogg's started shipping Apple Jacks, Cocoa Krispies, Corn Pops, Froot Loops and Honey Smacks containing an average of 2.4 fewer ounces per box.

Other brands that are offering consumers shrunken products at unchanged prices are Tropicana, Wrigley's, Hellman's, and Country Crock. Have you noticed any of these smaller products at your supermarket?

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• Rumor has it the next season of Top Chef will be filmed in New York City. — Snack

• Does a menu's font affect your culinary decisions?— Time
• A robot theme is perfect for a child's summer birthday party. — Hostess with the Mostess
• Take vegetarian chili to a whole new level by grilling the vegetables. — The Recipe Girl
• McDonald's celebrates freshness with a lettuce billboard. — Slashfood
• Ten tips for making painless pizzas. — Smitten Kitchen
• An update on the tomato salmonella outbreak. — FitSugar
• Miss Tastespotting? Check out these websites to get your food porn fix. — The Kitchn

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The world must produce 50 percent more food by 2030, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon told world leaders yesterday at a summit hosted by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome.

The UN leader urged nations to minimize trade barriers, and to produce more food. Pope Benedict XVI had a slightly different message, noting that the world already has the means to solve the problem. The Pope said: "hunger and malnutrition are unacceptable in a world which, in reality, has sufficient production levels, the resources, and the know-how to put an end to these tragedies and their consequences."

While they meet about how to solve the immediate hunger crisis caused by rising food costs, world leaders don't want to look like a bunch of foodie hypocrites. To see what they'll be eating, read more

Starving and desperate North Koreans flee their homes for relative paradise in China. But as this astonishing footage shows, the journey to China is nightmarish. Naked North Koreans swim across a freezing river, often trading drugs or women with corrupt boarder police.

North Korea is facing a grave food shortage and hunger crisis right now. During the 1990s, 1 million of the country's 23-million citizens perished during a famine caused by a mismanaged farm sector and flooding. Another disaster appears on the horizon. Unfortunately, North Korea's isolationist character, as well as South Korean political demands, are preventing South Korea from providing crucial food aid. Thus, many people have no choice but to flee.

China does not consider North Koreans refugees but rather economic migrants. To find out what that means for the escapees, read more

Saudi Arabia made an impressive $500 million donation to the United Nations World Food Program, the UN announced Friday.

The country, benefiting from high oil prices while many others feel the pinch, is doing its part to help assuage the developing global crisis caused by rising food prices. The effects have been seen all over the world. In Mexico, the government is preparing for a backlash against rising tortilla prices, in Suburbia, USA, big box stores have rationed staples, and in Haiti the government collapsed over the crisis.

Saudi Arabia produces 9 million barrels of oil a day and oil prices have now topped $130 a barrel. You don't even have to do the math to know that's a whole lot of revenue.

The UN World Food Program, the world's largest humanitarian operation, set a goal of $755 million to be raised by all its member agencies. Thirty-two countries added to the Saudi donation, contributing a total of $960 million, exceeding the target significantly. Hopefully the money will quickly help the 130 million of people in hunger as a result of rising food prices.

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Fearing political backlash, Mexico's government is promising citizens that it will do what it can to keep tortilla prices right where they are. According to Mexico's National Chamber for the Tortilla and Dough Industry, prices will rise 18 percent in the coming weeks.

The government, sensing troubling inflation and massive protests, is planning to offer financial support to offset the price of transportation and warehousing, according to BBC.

The high costs of corn and gasoline are causing the spike. Hording of corn by producers is also putting a strain on supply. Tortillas, being such a staple, have ability to influence Mexico's national economy. Bloomberg News reports that a 40 percent jump in tortilla prices would probably force the central bank to deliver a significant interest rate hike.

Can you think of a food staple for which an 18 percent rise in price would cause massive street protests in your neck of the woods? Is it surprising that food prices would have a direct impact on the bank's interest rates? What food would cause the government to intervene in the States?

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