food supply news stories on Newser

Climate Change Makes Animals, People 'Shrink'

Neal Colgrass — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 16:36:49 CDT

Plants, polar bears, and people are among the living things likely to shrink thanks to global warming, scientists say. Drawing on several scientific papers, the Telegraph reports that warmer, drier weather makes plants and animals get smaller, which reduces food supplies for those higher up the food chain. "The consequences...

Japan Death Toll Passes 10K

Matt Cantor — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 06:00:00 CDT

A sad milestone out of Japan: Two weeks after the quake struck, its official death toll has broken the 10,000 mark—and that number is still on the rise, with more than 17,400 missing. Police estimate the toll will surpass 15,000 in the hardest-hit prefecture alone. Among...

Honeybees Stung by Bad Winter, Pesticides

Mary Papenfuss — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 04:05:00 CDT

Beleaguered honeybees are having a harder time than ever before after an especially harsh winter and heavy pesticides discovered in their hives and pollen. A massive die-off of the valuable creatures is topping off 4 years of troubling population declines. Scientists are trying to nail down the exact mechanism causing...

US Food Safety Not Improving: Feds

Nick McMaster — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 16:02:01 CDT

The safety of the US food supply from disease or contamination has not significantly improved in recent years, the New York Times reports today. A survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that occurrences of major illnesses from tainted food have held steady for the past 3...

Haitians Turn to Mud Cakes to Fill Empty Bellies

Rob Quinn — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 06:08:22 CDT

Impoverished Haitians have been reduced to living off mud cakes, the Guardian reports. The cakes of clay and water—long eaten by poor pregnant women seeking calcium—are increasingly the only food many families can afford. The global fuel and food crisis has hit Haiti, and half the population is...

US Predicts Bumper Crops Will Ease Food Crisis

Rob Quinn — Sat, 10 May 2008 09:11:09 CDT

Farmers worldwide will reap record-breaking harvests of wheat and rice this year, the US projects, and the news is expected to ease some of the worldwide concern about food prices. The USDA says good weather will bring bumper crops that will replenish depleted stocks, Reuters reports. Analysts warned, however, that...

Bush: $770M Needed For Food Aid

Harry Kimball — Thu, 01 May 2008 15:40:07 CDT

Amid rising food prices and overtaxed international reserves, President Bush proposed a new $770 million aid package today, Reuters reports. The money is part of a supplemental $70 billion measure that also includes Iraq war funding and would require a vote in Congress.

Another Key Shortage: Fertilizer

Katherine Thompson — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 10:02:17 CDT

One of the less touted factors behind the global food crisis is a shortage in chemical fertilizer, which has helped boost crop yields dramatically and particularly benefited the developing world. But while growing demand is unlikely to be met for many years, the environmental impact of producing and using chemical...

Costco Sees High Demand for Basics Rice, Flour

Will McCahill — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 21:56:17 CDT

Costco is seeing unusually high demand for basics such as rice and flour, Reuters reports, a development the warehouse giant attributes to customer uncertainty over global food shortages. The company, which sells to individual shoppers as well as restaurants, has put limits in place for those items at some stores....