Global Food Crisis Expected to Produce Social Unrest

By Susan Jones CNSNews.com Senior Editor

(Editor's note: Corn prices jumped to a record $6 a bushel on Thursday.)(CNSNews.com) -

World Bank President Robert Zoellick says a global food crisis demands the immediate attention of world leaders."As financial markets have tumbled, food prices have soared," Zoellick said in a speech on Wednesday. He said the situation is not expected to get better any time soon -- and he is pushing what he calls a "new deal for global food policy."

"Since 2005, the prices of staples have jumped 80 percent," Zoellick said on Wednesday. "Last month, the real price of rice hit a 19-year high; the real price of wheat rose to a 28-year high and almost twice the average price of the last 25 years."