The United States, known for its agricultural abundance, is starting to feel the impact of skyrocketing prices for basic foods. As a result, major retailers in New York, New England and the West Coast have begun doing what once would have been unthinkable: rationing rice, flour and cooking oil as demand outstrips supply.
Frustrated customers complained and cursed at a Costco warehouse in Mountain View, Calif., usually stocked with several types of rice. Costco was letting each customer buy one large bag of their dwindling supply of Basmati rice.
The displacement of food crops for ethanol and the sharp increase in the cost of fuel have been major contributors to the staggering rise in food prices around the world. The capitalist system, unable to plan the economy and putting profits before human needs, is the source of this crisis that is now leading to widespread hunger across the globe.
