As Mrs M complains about the rising cost of staple foods such as bread and milk the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) - has warned the industrialised countries that unless they increase yields, eliminate barriers and move food to where it is needed most, a global catastrophe could result.The recent food crisis is believed to have pushed 100 million people into hunger worldwide. Poorer countries are faced with a 40% increase in their food imports bill this year, and experts say some countries' food bills have doubled in the past year.
According to the World Food Programme higher food prices are rooted in increased energy costs, rising demand from economic growth in emerging economies, the growth of biofuels and increasing climatic shocks such as droughts and floods.
The map below shows how the rising cost of food is affecting countries ballance of trade. Balance of tarde is the difference between the cost of exports and the cost of imports for a country.
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