Page "Food" Paragraph 67

It is rare for the spikes to hit all major foods in most countries at once.

Food prices rose 4 % in the United States in 2007, the highest increase since 1990, and are expected to climb as much again in 2008.

As of December 2007, 37 countries faced food crises, and 20 had imposed some sort of food-price controls.

In China, the price of pork jumped 58 % in 2007.

In the 1980s and 1990s, farm subsidies and support programs allowed major grain exporting countries to hold large surpluses, which could be tapped during food shortages to keep prices down.

However, new trade policies have made agricultural production much more responsive to market demands, putting global food reserves at their lowest since 1983.