Food and fuel prices are rising around the world and there is no sign of the increase slowing, according to a report in today's Business Times. For many of us this is little more than a minor irritation, made worse by the recent rise in the repo rate, stimulated by increasing inflation as a result of these rises. But, for many people around the world, and around the corner from you, this is something that is going to change their lives - possibly forever. According to the UN World Food Programme this is the first time that food insecurity has arisen not as a result of too little food, but because people cannot afford to buy the food that is on the shelves. There are food riots around the world already - in countries as relatively stable as Egypt - perhaps far more surprising than those in Mozambique or Cameroon. Even in Israel, generally thought of as a prosperous country, the poor are no longer able to put healthy food on their tables. The public health implications of this are enormous. Malnutrition has huge health implications - and the long lasting effects on overall development, and brain development in particular, will have enormous economic implications for the countries most affected. Once again, everything is conspiring to keep the poor very poor. We live in a world of vast inequality - and this is likely to become worse. As our unsustainable economic systems continue to laud the Western approach to material goods, food becomes unaffordable because we are using land to grow crops for biofuel and because huge countries such as China are industrialising and raising demand for staples such as maize. Something has to give - let's hope that we can all start to change our approach to consuming before it's too late.
Bridget Farham Editor https://www.bizcommunity.com