I wish some of this recent discussion had been placed in the Future of Food, Agriculture, and Aquaculture thread. Still, not a big problem that it was posted here instead.
Getting back to the immediate issue of food prices and the current impact of that situation:
Millions More Kids Going Hungry Since GOP, Manchin Killed Expanded Child Tax Credit
by Kenny Stancil
May 20, 2022
Introduction:
(Common Dreams) A new analysis out Friday confirms that the number of U.S. households with kids that report not having enough food to eat has surged in the months since corporate Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia joined Senate Republicans in refusing to extend the expanded Child Tax Credit benefit beyond mid-December.
Data from the Household Pulse Survey (HPS), a nationally representative internet survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, shows that from April 27 to May 9, 15% of households with children reported food insufficiency—defined as sometimes or often not having enough food to eat in the past week. In early August, the percentage of families with kids that reported struggling with hunger was roughly 9.5%.
Food has become more expensive in recent months as a handful of corporate grocery giants and meat, egg, and dairy conglomerates have raised prices while cutting frontline worker pay and raking in record profits amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. But Manchin and the GOP's decision to allow the enhanced CTC benefit to expire at the end of last year is making it even harder for millions of families to make ends meet.
Right-wing lawmakers let the enlarged CTC lapse despite ample evidence that the popular measure improved the lives of children nationwide. In January, the first month since July 2021 that eligible families didn't receive a monthly payment of up to $300 per child, 3.7 million kids were thrown into poverty.
caltrek's comment: I think that this is yet one more example of how the Democrats (excluding Manchin and Sinema) are so much better than the Republicans. It still continues to amaze and depress me that others insist on maintaining that there is an equivalency of the two parties.
By invading ukraine, Vladimir Putin will destroy the lives of people far from the battlefield—and on a scale even he may regret. The war is battering a global food system weakened by covid-19, climate change and an energy shock. Ukraine’s exports of grain and oilseeds have mostly stopped and Russia’s are threatened. Together, the two countries supply 12% of traded calories. Wheat prices, up 53% since the start of the year, jumped a further 6% on May 16th, after India said it would suspend exports because of an alarming heatwave.
The widely accepted idea of a cost-of-living crisis does not begin to capture the gravity of what may lie ahead. António Guterres, the un secretary general, warned on May 18th that the coming months threaten “the spectre of a global food shortage” that could last for years. The high cost of staple foods has already raised the number of people who cannot be sure of getting enough to eat by 440m, to 1.6bn. Nearly 250m are on the brink of famine. If, as is likely, the war drags on and supplies from Russia and Ukraine are limited, hundreds of millions more people could fall into poverty. Political unrest will spread, children will be stunted and people will starve.
By invading ukraine, Vladimir Putin will destroy the lives of people far from the battlefield—and on a scale even he may regret. The war is battering a global food system weakened by covid-19, climate change and an energy shock. Ukraine’s exports of grain and oilseeds have mostly stopped and Russia’s are threatened. Together, the two countries supply 12% of traded calories. Wheat prices, up 53% since the start of the year, jumped a further 6% on May 16th, after India said it would suspend exports because of an alarming heatwave.
The widely accepted idea of a cost-of-living crisis does not begin to capture the gravity of what may lie ahead. António Guterres, the un secretary general, warned on May 18th that the coming months threaten “the spectre of a global food shortage” that could last for years. The high cost of staple foods has already raised the number of people who cannot be sure of getting enough to eat by 440m, to 1.6bn. Nearly 250m are on the brink of famine. If, as is likely, the war drags on and supplies from Russia and Ukraine are limited, hundreds of millions more people could fall into poverty. Political unrest will spread, children will be stunted and people will starve.
By invading ukraine, Vladimir Putin will destroy the lives of people far from the battlefield—and on a scale even he may regret. The war is battering a global food system weakened by covid-19, climate change and an energy shock. Ukraine’s exports of grain and oilseeds have mostly stopped and Russia’s are threatened. Together, the two countries supply 12% of traded calories. Wheat prices, up 53% since the start of the year, jumped a further 6% on May 16th, after India said it would suspend exports because of an alarming heatwave.
The widely accepted idea of a cost-of-living crisis does not begin to capture the gravity of what may lie ahead. António Guterres, the un secretary general, warned on May 18th that the coming months threaten “the spectre of a global food shortage” that could last for years. The high cost of staple foods has already raised the number of people who cannot be sure of getting enough to eat by 440m, to 1.6bn. Nearly 250m are on the brink of famine. If, as is likely, the war drags on and supplies from Russia and Ukraine are limited, hundreds of millions more people could fall into poverty. Political unrest will spread, children will be stunted and people will starve.
Just read around the annoying "subscriber" box while you scroll down.
It can't be scaled up in time.
The article is not trying to say that. This crisis, just like skyrocketing oil prices led to offshore and shale oil extraction, is creating an opportunity to channel greater amount of investment flows into indoor farming technology, particularly in wheat production.
To know is essentially the same as not knowing. The only thing that occurs is the rearrangement of atoms in your brain.
Record Heat, Snow Impact Crops Across the Country
by Craig Levitt
May 25, 2022
Conclusion:
(The Produce News) Warm weather and rain are also forcing central Florida to wrap up its tomato season a week early, adding pressure to a reduced Mexican supply. Within the next two weeks, Quincy, FL, and south Georgia should pick up production and provide relief to the vine-ripe and the mature green round markets, Campbell said. Tomato markets in Florida are currently at $19.
Plum and grape-type markets are also priced higher due to short supply. Plum-type tomatoes are just barely short of a 10-year high, and grape-type prices are at a nine-year high. “Baja, Mexico, should pick up production over the next couple of weeks and ease overextended Roma and grape tomato supply. Additionally, June usually marks the increased availability of locally grown tomatoes as more domestic regions come online for the summer,” Campbell said.
Campbell reported that Brussels sprout prices are up for the seventh week due to low supply. He said extreme heat in Mexico is causing plants to bolt and reducing overall yields. Supply is expected to stay lean for another two weeks until domestic production picks up.
Celery prices are down slightly; however, supply is still on the leaner side this week. Lime prices are also off, down for the fifth straight week. “Prices are now a very reasonable $16 and may even drop further,” said Campbell.
Parsley prices are still at a 10-year high as recent heat in California triggered seeders and continues to cause shortages across the industry. “As a result, expect prices to stay elevated for the immediate future,” said Campbell.
caltrek: So, Democrats have been warning about the negative impacts of global climate change for years, if not decades. A problem Republicans have ignored and concerning which they have been in denial. Democrat Joe Biden gets elected into office as the problem seriously adds to inflation woes. So, who gets blamed for said inflation?
Assuming higher import volume will result in lower (or at least stabile) prices, there is some good news:
Record Avocado Supplies Coming from Peru
by Tim Linden
My 26, 2022
Introduction:
(Produce News) The first shipments of Peru’s ample avocado supplies landed on U.S. shores in late March. The latest projection points to the country’s avocado exporters sending almost 240 million pounds of fruit to the U.S. market by the time the last piece of fruit is sold sometime in October, which would be about a 25 percent increase over 2021 and the largest volume the South American country has ever shipped to the United States.
The bulk of those supplies will arrive in the U.S. market from mid-June through September. Relaying input from each of the importing countries, the Hass Avocado Board publishes a weekly snapshot of shipments with both projections looking forward and accurate shipments reports as they occur. The “Volume Date & Projections” report on the HAB website reveals that the first 140,000 pounds of Peruvian fruit were shipped to the U.S. market during the week ending March 27. Until mid-May, supplies trickled in, never topping 500,000 pounds in any given week. As a point of reference, the U.S. market consumes about 50-55 million pounds per week on average.
In mid-May, Peru’s number significantly increased, and volume is expected to grow quickly as summer dawns and matures. Peru shipped almost 2 million pounds the week ending May 15 with volume projected to approach 6 million pounds in the week ending with the publication of this issue. Volume is expected to top 10 million pounds during the week ending June 19 and peak at more than 20 million pounds. For a seven-week period from early July to mid-August, volume is projected to top 17 million pounds each week, representing about one of every three avocados consumed in the United States. Peru is estimating shipments above 10 million pounds on a weekly basis from mid-June through August, tapering off in September and concluding by October 10.
Xavier Equihua, president and CEO of the Peruvian Avocado Commission, believes that this season is a harbinger of things to come. He said Peru continues to increase its own production with the United States being a very important market to Peruvian grower-shippers. Europe is still the number one destination for an avocado from Peru, but Equihua said the U.S. is an excellent market as it is the largest market and growing at the fastest clip.
Distributors of avocados in the United States are like-minded and are upping their Peruvian footprint.
Inflation moderated in April but was still close to its highest level in 40 years.
An index closely followed by economists and investors climbed 6.3 percent last month from a year ago.
By Ben Casselman
May 27, 2022
Updated 9:17 a.m. ET
An important measure of consumer prices showed that inflation slowed in April, but remained close to a four-decade high. ... The Personal Consumption Expenditures price index rose 0.2 percent last month from March and was up 6.3 percent from a year earlier, the Commerce Department said Friday. That is down from a 6.6 percent annual increase in March, which represented the fastest pace of inflation since 1982.
Economists and investors closely watch the index, an alternative to the better-known Consumer Price Index, because the Federal Reserve prefers it as a measure of inflation. The central bank has been raising interest rates and announced that it will begin paring asset purchases in a bid to cool the economy and tame inflation.
The slowdown in inflation in April was largely the result of a drop in the price of gasoline and other energy sources. Gas prices soared in February and March largely because of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, then moderated somewhat in April. They have risen again in recent weeks, however, which could push measures of inflation back up in May. Food prices have also been rising quickly in recent months, a pattern that continued in April. ... Stripping out the volatile food and fuel categories, consumer prices were up 4.9 percent in April from a year earlier. That core measure, which some economists view as a more reliable guide to the underlying rate of inflation, was up 0.3 percent from a month earlier, little changed from the rate of increase in March.
The comparatively tame increase in core prices in the data released Friday stood in contrast to the sharp acceleration in the equivalent measure in the Consumer Price Index report released by the Labor Department this month. The divergence was mostly the result of differences in the way the two measures count airline fares, however, and economists said the Fed was unlikely to take much comfort from the Commerce Department data.
Russia’s War Created a Global Hunger Disaster. Climate Change Is Ramping It Up. by Tom Philpott
June 1, 2022
Introduction:
(Mother Jones) Back in February, Russia invaded Ukraine, turning Europe’s main wheat-growing region—a key source of grain and cooking oil for the Middle East and Africa—into a war zone. Global food prices had already been rising steadily for a year, pushed up by supply chain snarls brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. The war sent them soaring anew, to the highest levels since 1961, when the United Nations began tracking. On top of this, global public-health authorities warn that weather extremes related to climate change are wilting crops and shrinking harvests in alarming ways—setting the stage for what could be the worst hunger crisis in generations.
At a meeting of the United Nations on May 18, Secretary-General António Guterres reported that the number of “severely food insecure people” had doubled in just two years, from 135 million before the pandemic to 276 million today, “with more than half a million experiencing famine conditions—an increase of more than 500 per cent since 2016.” At the same meeting, David Beasley, executive director of the World Food Program, added that without an immediate reduction in the price of food and other necessities like energy, which is also soaring, the number of people experiencing famine could soon balloon to 49 million in 43 countries, a scale of misery not seen since China’s Great Leap Forward Famine of 1949-’51.
The case of India, the world’s second-biggest producer of wheat, exemplifies how climate contributes to this mess. Typically, the great bulk of India’s harvest feeds domestic demand, leaving little left over for exports. But five consecutive bumper crops emboldened Prime Minister Narendra Modi to declare in April that his country’s wheat farmers could help offset the Black Sea shortfall, because “we already have enough food for our people.” In early May, he reiterated his vow, adding that “India’s farmers are coming forward to feed the world.” The announcements briefly helped calm markets and stabilize prices.
But even as Modi was talking up the nation’s wheat output, a historic heatwave had descended upon the subcontinent’s breadbasket region…The unrelenting heat parched crops and forced the government to slash its harvest forecast.
caltrek wrote: ↑Thu Jun 02, 2022 3:51 pm Russia’s War Created a Global Hunger Disaster. Climate Change Is Ramping It Up. by Tom Philpott
June 1, 2022
Introduction:
(Mother Jones) Back in February, Russia invaded Ukraine, turning Europe’s main wheat-growing region—a key source of grain and cooking oil for the Middle East and Africa—into a war zone. Global food prices had already been rising steadily for a year, pushed up by supply chain snarls brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. The war sent them soaring anew, to the highest levels since 1961, when the United Nations began tracking. On top of this, global public-health authorities warn that weather extremes related to climate change are wilting crops and shrinking harvests in alarming ways—setting the stage for what could be the worst hunger crisis in generations.
At a meeting of the United Nations on May 18, Secretary-General António Guterres reported that the number of “severely food insecure people” had doubled in just two years, from 135 million before the pandemic to 276 million today, “with more than half a million experiencing famine conditions—an increase of more than 500 per cent since 2016.” At the same meeting, David Beasley, executive director of the World Food Program, added that without an immediate reduction in the price of food and other necessities like energy, which is also soaring, the number of people experiencing famine could soon balloon to 49 million in 43 countries, a scale of misery not seen since China’s Great Leap Forward Famine of 1949-’51.
The case of India, the world’s second-biggest producer of wheat, exemplifies how climate contributes to this mess. Typically, the great bulk of India’s harvest feeds domestic demand, leaving little left over for exports. But five consecutive bumper crops emboldened Prime Minister Narendra Modi to declare in April that his country’s wheat farmers could help offset the Black Sea shortfall, because “we already have enough food for our people.” In early May, he reiterated his vow, adding that “India’s farmers are coming forward to feed the world.” The announcements briefly helped calm markets and stabilize prices.
But even as Modi was talking up the nation’s wheat output, a historic heatwave had descended upon the subcontinent’s breadbasket region…The unrelenting heat parched crops and forced the government to slash its harvest forecast.
I believe people will starve, and I believe that it's going to be worse than most such hunger crises because too many people are struggling to donate to charities that normally soften these blows.
It's going to get bad. Well, worse.
Baby formula plant at heart of shortage reopens
Source: Washington Post
Abbott Nutrition is resuming production at its shuttered Sturgis, Mich., baby formula factory on Saturday, offering hope that a nationwide shortage that had left parents scrambling to find sustenance for their children could ease in the coming weeks.The company said it was resuming production “after meeting initial requirements” that were specified by a May consent decree with the Food and Drug Administration.
“We understand the urgent need for formula and our top priority is getting high-quality, safe formula into the hands of families across America,” Abbott said in a statement. “We will ramp production as quickly as we can while meeting all requirements.” The factory was closed five months ago after an FDA inspection turned up allegedly unsanitary conditions. The factory produced most of the country’s supply of powdered Similac and was the main producer of specialty formulas, so its closure severely curtailed supplies.
The company has said previously it will take two weeks for production to fully resume and another six to eight weeks to get the product on store shelves. The plant will prioritize the production of EleCare, a specialty amino acid-based formula for children with multiple allergies, before it ramps up production of its mainstream products. On Saturday, Abbott said it expected to release EleCare “to consumers beginning on or about June 20.”
The crisis sparked panic for many parents who rely on formula to feed their children and raised questions about the fragility of the supply chain for a critical food source. Four major companies control 90 percent of the infant formula supply in the United States: Abbott, Gerber, Mead Johnson and Perrigo Nutritionals. Congress and others have heavily criticized FDA leadership, Abbott executives and even the White House for failing to head off the crisis.
Another aspect of rising food shortages and rising food prices is the opportunity for implementation of policies under a shock and awe approach.
Activists in India Object to Distribution of Fortified Rice Through Public Distribution System May 29, 2022
Introduction:
(Janata Weekly) Synthetic fortification of rice is not proven to be effective and can be toxic to many Indians, according to a report prepared by the Right to Food Campaign. The report was released following a three-day fact-finding visit to Jharkhand by the Right To Food Campaign (RTFC) and Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture (ASHA). The activists have urged the Jharkhand government to stop the distribution of fortified rice in the state immediately.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi revealed the ambitious plans of the Government of India to supply fortified rice in all food schemes of India by 2024 in his Independence Day speech in 2021. Earlier in 2019, the Union government had initiated a pilot scheme for “Fortification of Rice and its Distribution under Public Distribution System” for three years, with an outlay of Rs 174.64 crore, and this scheme was expected to unfold in 15 districts of 15 states until March 2022.
One of the stated objectives of this pilot scheme was “to evaluate the provision, coverage and Utilisation of Fortified Rice by the target population as well as the efficiency/effectiveness of the consumption of fortified rice in reducing the targeted micronutrient deficiencies in different age and gender groups.”
What is rice fortification?
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) defines rice fortification as the process of increasing essential micronutrients in rice so as to improve the nutritional quality of the food supply and provide a public health benefit with minimal risk to health. India is a leading rice-producing country, with 22% of the total global rice production. 65% of India’s population consumes rice on a daily basis – the per capita rice consumption in India is 6.8 kg per month. Rice is, therefore, a large source of calories and a core component of agriculture and nutrition in most of India, though it is low in micronutrients.
“Milling of rice removes the fat and micronutrient-rich bran layers to produce the commonly consumed starch white rice while polishing further removes 75-90% of vit. B1, vit. B6, vit. E and Niacin. Fortifying rice provides an opportunity to add back the lost micronutrients but to also add others such as iron, zinc, folic acid, vit. B12 and vit. A,” FSSAI explained in a document on rice fortification.
As Po River Dries Up, Italy’s Food and Energy Supplies are at Risk by Paolo Santalucia
June 17, 2022
Extract:
BORETTO, Italy (AP) — Water is so low in large stretches of Italy’s largest river that local residents are walking through the middle of the expanse of sand and shipwrecks are resurfacing.
Authorities fear that if it doesn’t rain soon, there’ll be a serious shortage of water for drinking and irrigation for farmers and local populations across the whole of northern Italy.
…
(Meuccio) Berselli (secretary general of the Po River Basin Authority) is frantically working on a resiliency plan to guarantee drinking and irrigation water to millions of households and to the Po valley farmers, who produce 40% of Italian food. Parmesan cheese, wheat, and high-quality tomatoes, rice and renowned grapes grow in huge quantities in the area.
The resilience plan includes higher draining from Alpine lakes, less water for hydroelectric plants and rationing of water in the upstream regions.
The Po drought comes at a time when farmers are already pushing both irrigation and watering systems to their maximum to counter the effect of high temperatures and hot winds.
Mexican Government Prodding Its Farmers to Grow More Food by María Verza
June 14, 2022
Introduction:
MEXICO CITY (AP via Latino Rebels) — The corn has begun to sprout on the hillsides south of Mexico’s capital, though it’s unclear whether these shoots will have enough water to grow or whether the farmer will be able to afford the increasingly expensive fertilizer.
What is known is that the government of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador wants Mexicans to produce more of their own food in order to move toward self-sufficiency in key products and to control prices for basic foodstuffs.
The president’s idea, which involves giving rural families cash payments to grow crops and technical advice, isn’t new, but the ravages of the pandemic, climate change and market turmoil created by the war in Ukraine have given it new urgency. The government wants to head off food insecurity in a country where 44% of the population lives in poverty and where 27.5 million tons of corn are produced, but more than 40 million tons are consumed, according to government data.
Some farmers hope for additional state financial help and subsidized fertilizer. Others are suspicious of government plans. But all hope that this year’s harvest produces enough to feed their families and with luck a bit more to sell in their communities.
While G-7 countries look for global solutions and the United States and development banks prepare a multibillion-dollar plan to ease food insecurity, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization has welcomed Mexico’s efforts toward self-sufficiency in basic foods, but does not expect quick results.
Production at bedeviled baby formula factory halted by storm
Source: AP
By TOM MURPHY and LAURA UNGAR
Severe weather has forced Abbott Nutrition to pause production at a Michigan baby formula factory that had just restarted after being closed for several months, contributing to a national shortage.
Production for Abbott’s EleCare specialty formula has been suspended, but there is enough supply to meet demand until production is restarted, the company said. Abbott had prioritized ramping up production of the specialty formula for infants with severe food allergies and digestive problems who have few other options for nutrition.
Abbott says it needs to assess damage and re-sanitize the factory after severe thunderstorms and heavy rains swept through southwestern Michigan late Monday. Spokesman Jonathon Hamilton said flooding hit a few areas of the factory, but he declined to provide more specific details about damage.
The storm also brought high winds, hail and power failures to Sturgis, Michigan, where the factory is located. The company expects production and distribution to be delayed for a few weeks as it cleans the plant.
A federal waiver that made school breakfasts and lunches free to students regardless of their family’s income is set to expire June 30, eliminating a benefit that has helped millions of schoolchildren at a time when they need it more than ever, anti-hunger advocates say.
The free school meals program began in March 2020 when Congress authorized the U.S. Department of Agriculture to issue dozens of child nutrition waivers, including ones that expanded summer food programs, to provide a lifeline during the pandemic.
The head of the United Nations warned Friday that the world faces “catastrophe” because of the growing shortage of food around the globe.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the war in Ukraine has added to the disruptions caused by climate change, the coronavirus pandemic and inequality to produce an “unprecedented global hunger crisis” already affecting hundreds of millions of people.
“There is a real risk that multiple famines will be declared in 2022,” he said in a video message to officials from dozens of rich and developing countries gathered in Berlin. “And 2023 could be even worse.”
Guterres noted that harvests across Asia, Africa and the Americas will take a hit as farmers around the world struggle to cope with rising fertilizer and energy prices.
“This year’s food access issues could become next year’s global food shortage,” he said. “No country will be immune to the social and economic repercussions of such a catastrophe.”
The head of the United Nations warned Friday that the world faces “catastrophe” because of the growing shortage of food around the globe.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the war in Ukraine has added to the disruptions caused by climate change, the coronavirus pandemic and inequality to produce an “unprecedented global hunger crisis” already affecting hundreds of millions of people.
“There is a real risk that multiple famines will be declared in 2022,” he said in a video message to officials from dozens of rich and developing countries gathered in Berlin. “And 2023 could be even worse.”
Guterres noted that harvests across Asia, Africa and the Americas will take a hit as farmers around the world struggle to cope with rising fertilizer and energy prices.
“This year’s food access issues could become next year’s global food shortage,” he said. “No country will be immune to the social and economic repercussions of such a catastrophe.”
I'm an American, so I know that no matter what, barring some truly apocalyptic shit, I will never starve to death. I'm also a poor American and I greatly fear rising grocery prices as we've already had to make certain cutbacks as is. So my heart goes out to those in countries were simply just being poor like me could actually lead to starving to death. Things are going to get much worse before they get better, and there's no telling how long the lean times will last.
