‘Act now’ on food prices peril

The impact of rocketing food prices on the millions of people suffering from hunger demands urgent action from Churches and political leaders, Methodists have warned.

The global food crisis, described by some as the “silent tsunami”, has made basic staples unaffordable for many living in poverty. An estimated 854 million people worldwide do not have enough to eat each day, with 90 per cent of these living in developing countries.

The World Bank has now forecast that the rapid increase in food prices could add as many as 100 million people to this count, resulting in an international catastrophe. As food costs reach a 25-year high, an international summit held in Rome last week saw the UN set out measures to deal with this crisis.

Christians are also being urged to address the issue. According to general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Methodist the Rev Samuel Kobia, the “scandal of hunger demands the immediate attention of the Churches”.

Source: The Methodist Recorder (12/6)
http://www.methodistrecorder.co.uk/mrhlines.htm