The global history of hunger and nutrition

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FOA World Food Summit, Rome, November 1996

Myths and Root Causes: Hunger, Population, and Development: By Peter Rosset, John Gershman, Shea Cunningham & Marilyn Borchardt, Food First, 17 March 1995. An assessment of the situation twenty years after the World Food Conference in Rome. After massive amounts of aid and millions on development assistance, the goals have not been met. What practical alternatives exist? Root causes and exacerbating policies are often obscured by myths that make it difficult for us to see clearly.
The causes of global famine; 50th Anniversary of the FAO: By Michel Chossudovsky, 19 October 1995. The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) celebrates in Quebec City its fiftieth anniversary. IMF and World-Bank sponsored macro-economic reforms imposed on developing counties have been responsible for the destruction of local level food self-sufficiency and the outbreak of famine.
How TNCs Influence Global Food Standards: By Natalie Avery, Third World Network Features, 24 October 1995. The author says that the food industry plays a major role in setting international food standards. This role will become further entrenched with the GATT calling for international harmonisation of food standards under the Codex Alimentarius Commission.
Global Food Surplusses Generate Famine: By Michel Chossudovsky, Third World Network Features, 28 December 1995. Famines are a result of a global oversupply of grain staples. Famine has become a worldwide phenomenon: death and starvation are striking simultaneously in all major regions of the world. Low levels of food consumption and malnutrition are also increasingly hitting the urban poor in the rich countries.
High-fat foods slow the brain: Nando, 3 June 1996. Fatty foods slow down the brain and impair mental function, but they also make people more sociable. Addictive drug like experiences and cravings sought by those on the Standard American Diet.
Fighting the dried-milk multinationals: The bottle that kills: By Claire Brisset, Le Monde diplomatique, December 1997. Despite the risks, and an international code designed to stamp out abusive commercial practices, the dried-milk companies continue to use their powers of persuasion to get women to give up breast-feeding and buy their products. Particularly in the third world, where this is frequently an issue of life and death.
Hunger Index Creeps Steadily Up: By Jorge Pina, IPS, 26 November 1998. The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) warned the world financial crisis is threatening improvements in food security seen in Latin America and Asia. Since the beginning of the decade the number of people suffering from hunger in the world has never stopped growing.