Food security has become a weighty buzzword, splashed across the front page and throughout news articles since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to the World Bank, "food security is defined when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life."
Unfortunately, over the past several years, there have been an unprecedented number of threats to this, which continue to pop up left and right, affecting people all across the globe.
A shortage of rice is still on the table into the second half of 2023. The world's rice supply has been ravaged by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, as well as damaging weather in major rice producing countries like China and Pakistan.
Momma mia, can it be true? Yes, it can. The pasta problem in Italy actually got so bad this year that the country's government met for crisis talks back in May in order to stop it from boiling over even more.
Hershey set off a panic when it warned of a possible candy shortage leading into Halloween. But, the problem was unique to the chocolate manufacturer—a byproduct of higher demand and supply chain issues.
The saying "there are plenty of fish in the sea" is starting to lose some of its meaning. Fishermen in both California and Alaska have noticed a steep decline in salmon populations over the past year, with Chinook or King salmon taking the largest hit.
The price of flour is already up 8.5% compared to last year, according to the Consumer Price Index, and analysts predict that Americans will continue to feel the effects of a flour shortage into 2024.
Experts still hold out hope that Soft Red Winter wheat—the third major type of wheat grown in the U.S., which is often used for cakes, cookies, and crackers—could help to pick up the slack.