THE CHEF FROM HELL

~ All The News That's Fit To Eat ~

What's the buzz this week?  Let's see....

As we continue our coverage of the global food price crisis, there is a lot of finger pointing going on as consumers rage against the high prices they're seeing at the markets.  One of the targets of their ire is the farmers.  Here's a response to that from the Salt Lake Tribune:  "Farmers Don't Reap Benefits From Higher Food Prices --- Today, less than 2 percent of America's population is producing for our nation's and world's food and fiber needs. As consumers, we continue to enjoy high-quality, safe and abundant food at the world's lowest cost. We have been blessed with processed and fresh food products in our corner grocery stores that have traveled an average of 1,200 miles before ultimately reaching our kitchen tables."  Read More...

The recent gaff by President Bush and Secretary of State Rice (i.e. blaming the spike in food prices on India's growing middle class) has naturally angered many folks in India.  From the VOA News site:

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~ All The News That's Fit To Eat ~

What's the buzz this week?  Let's see....

In the wake of our reports on the food price crisis comes news of food rationing.  Is this the tip of the iceberg (lettuce)?  From BBC News:  "Wal-Mart Restricts Rice Purchases --- Sam's Club, Wal-Mart's cash-and-carry division, says customers can buy a maximum of four bags per visit.  The limit applies to jasmine, basmati and long grain white rice.  The international price of rice has risen by 68% this year and Wal-Mart said the restrictions were 'due to recent supply and demand trends.'   With food prices rising, customers have been buying basic goods in bulk.  Wal-Mart said it was not restricting the amounts of flour or oil customers can purchase 'at this time'."

From the Washington Times:  "Americans Hoard Food As Industry Seeks Regs --- Farmers and food executives appealed fruitlessly to...

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~ All The News That's Fit To Eat ~

What's the buzz this week?  Let's see....

Last week's World Food News focused on the rising food prices that are becoming a fact of life across the globe.  Here's a glimmer of hope from the News Scotsman site:  "How Potatoes Could Save The World --- As wheat and rice prices surge, the humble potato is being rediscovered as a nutritious crop that could cheaply feed an increasingly hungry world.  Potatoes, which are native to Peru, can be grown at almost any elevation or climate: from the barren, frigid slopes of the Andes to the tropical flatlands of Asia. They require very little water, mature in as little as 50 days and can yield between two and four times more food per hectare than wheat or rice.  The shocks to the food supply are very real and that means we could potentially be moving into a reality where there is not enough food to feed the world,' said Pamela Anderson, director of the International Potato Centre in Lima, a non-profit scientific group.  Like others, she says the potato is part of the solution to the hunger caused by higher food prices, a population that is growing by one billion people each decade, climbing costs for fertiliser and diesel, and more cropland being sown for biofuel production."  Read More...

This item from the NewsOk.com site caught my eye:

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~ All The News That's Fit To Eat ~

What's the buzz this week?  Let's see....

Last year in World Food News, I spent a lot of time relaying stories concerning food recalls and this year's constant theme seems to be the rising food prices that are becoming a global fact of life.  From the Farmer's Guardian site:  "Hundreds Of Thousands At Risk As Food Crisis Grows ---  Speaking in Washington at the weekend, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, managing director of the IMF urged governments to acknowledge the severity of the crisis, warning that it could eventually lead to

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