Food politics

The Bulgarian Food Safety Agency has initiated inspections of school cafeterias and buffets as the new school year begins. From September 16 to October 11, 2024, inspectors will examine all school-related facilities and catering services that supply food to educational institutions across the country.

Conflict, economic turbulence and extreme weather scuppered efforts to curb hunger last year, with around nine percent of the world's population affected, U.N. agencies said on Wednesday.

About 733 million people may have faced hunger in 2023, a level that has held steady for three years after a steep rise following the Covid-19 pandemic, they said in a report.

Food insecurity worsened around the world in 2023, with some 282 million people suffering from acute hunger due to conflicts, particularly in Gaza and Sudan, U.N. agencies and development groups said on Wednesday.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has called on the Western countries to take steps for meeting the expectations of Russia for the resumption of the grain deal and informed that Ankara is intensifying its contacts with Moscow.

The European Union is considering a proposal for the Russian Agricultural Bank to set up a subsidiary to reconnect to the global financial network as a sop to Moscow, the Financial Times said on Monday.

With the bank under sanctions, the move aims to safeguard the Black Sea grain deal that allows Ukraine to export food to global markets, the newspaper said.

A total of 32 million tons of grain has been transported through the grain corridor established in an effort to mitigate potential food crises arising from the Russia-Ukraine war, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu has announced.

Global food prices fell in December for the ninth month in a row, but nevertheless rose 14 percent in 2022 compared to the previous year to record levels, the World Food Organization (FAO) reported to the United Nations, cited by "Reuters".

World food prices have fallen for a fifth consecutive month, partly thanks to the resumption of exports from Ukraine's Black Sea ports, a UN agency said on Sept. 2.

Sharp price increases in Europe and around the world compared to a year ago

Prices in popular cities worldwide