Global Food Crisis - Rice

April 27, 2008

I’ve been watching CNN talk about the Global Food Crisis.

This is now hitting North America.

  • Eggs are up 34.8%
  • Milk is up 13.3%
  • White Bread is up 16.3%

(well I never eat white bread, but I eat whole-grain and multi-grain and sprouted grains and I saw the front page of a local newspaper talking about $10 a loaf bread coming. I already pay $4.55 a loaf for some kamut and spelt breads that I love).

    Food prices are the #2 worry behind the worry over Gas prices.

    Did you see that Sam’s Club, a subsidiary of Costco, is restricting the purchase of rice? Only 4 bags are allowed at a time of the following rice:

    • Jasmine rice
    • Basmati rice
    • Long grain rice

    Wow — with rice being the staple food for more than half the world, this is so serious.

    I also learned that in Indonesia, where they are incorporating a hybrid rice, there is controversy. OK - so it yields 50% more rice. But, at such a price to the people who live there…

    Big corporations sell their hybrid rice to the farmers. They plant it. They harvest it. Then the next year they have to purchase new seeds.

    I think this is so sad. When you think that for centuries and centuries the native cultures have grown their rice, and kept some rice kernels aside to plant the following year - that is the natural way, the way nature intended.

    But now big national corporations who are so greedy want to force the people into purchasing their new hybrid rice kernels every year. I know this doesn’t just happen in Indonesia, but it hit me particularly deeply this morning when I was listening to this. The poor rice kernels from the hybrid rice are so altered, they cannot be even considered “real” any more - because nature will not grow new rice from the hybrid seeds the following year. This is “fake food” in my opinion.

    I eat a lot of Quinoa - my favorite grain (seed), and I certainly hope the big greedy corporations don’t do the same with that wonderful favorite of mine. Quinoa is such a super natural food that can be used instead of rice, and is helpful to reduce unhealthy food cravings.

    Diana Walker, Cravings Coach

    Posted by Diana | Filed Under Healthy Lifestyles 

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