The L.A. Times called the present global food crisis "A Perfect Storm".(April 1, 2008)

The U.N. is struggling to meet the needs of millions of people from Central America to Africa to Asia to the Philippines and back to South America who are desperate. It was reported that the Belgian director of procurement for the U.N.'s World Food Program was in total exasperation over the price of white beans -"White beans at $1,160" a metric ton presently is "complete madness", he said. Two years ago white beans could be bought for $235 per metric ton in Ethiopia markets.

The crisis is escalating quickly as the WFP director is sounding the global alarm. Millions of people who 6 months ago were not going with out food are now scavenging for food and many do not eat daily.

Rising fuel prices are contributing to the rising food costs. This in turn is leading the world into the first major food shortage since World War II, which many people around the world do not remember. Not only are prices going higher and higher, in many cases the droughts around the world have yielded smaller harvests.

Food riots in the last few months have broken out in Senegal, Morocco, Mexico and Yemen. WFP predicts riots are close to breaking out in Morocco, Guinea, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Senegal, Yemen, Pakistan and Indonesia as their food reserves are gone.

Government officials in the Philippines have been "raiding warehouses" in Manila seeking out black market traders who are hoarding rice.

Rice prices continue to surge on the commodities market weekly, rising 30% in one day. Many rice importers have suspended rice exports or cut them drastically, such as Egypt, Cambodia, India, Vietnam and the world's largest rice exporter Thailand.

The huge pestilence problem in Southeast Asia has damaged rice, bamboo and other major food crops that are large exports for the Asian nations.

The 10 year drought afflicting Australia is making their crops lands dust bowls.

The long snow laden and extremely cold winter in China (45 days of bitter cold and snow)has added to food problems there. So China has stopped exports of essential food commodities.

The western expansion of corporate business in India and China has created sudden wealth for many people in these countries and changed their eating practices. The Chinese are consuming more meat, in fact the statistics show that consumers there are eating 150% more meat since the 1980's. But, that increases the need for more grains

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