[Radix] Fwd: Preparations for food crises?

[Carl Southwell]

To a certain degree, preemptive food hoarding is encouraged in
disaster-prone areas.  FEMA suggests keeping a two-week food supply on hand
(see http://www.fema.gov/pdf/library/f&web.pdf ).  In addition, every state
and U.S. territory has stocks of commodity foods that include the National
School Lunch Program, the Emergency Food Assistance Program, and the Food
Distribution Program on Indian Reservations.  In an emergency, USDA can
authorize states to release these food stocks to disaster relief agencies to
feed people at shelters and mass feeding sites. If a Presidential
declaration occurs, states can, with USDA approval, distribute commodity
foods directly to households (including the use of disaster food stamps)
whenever normal commercial food supply channels such as grocery stores have
been disrupted, damaged or destroyed. (see
http://www.fns.usda.gov/fdd/programs/fd-disasters/ ).

Educating the public about disasters and disaster preparedness is one method
of mitigating attempts to hoard after disasters strike.

Carl Southwell
On Wed, Jun 18, 2008 at 1:17 PM, George Kent <kent at hawaii.edu> wrote:

> Radixers --
> I got no reply to this, so I'll try a variation on the theme.
>
> One of the first indicators that a food crisis is anticipated is food
> hoarding. When it gets to a high level, it may be possible to institute some
> sort of rationing scheme, but there is a need to prepare for that. Has
> anyone seen good plans, or at least ideas, on how to limit hoarding through
> means short of rationing, and how to conduct rationing if and when that
> becomes necessary?
>
> Food systems would show decisive breakdown when people start resorting to
> violence to get food, by breaking into stores, stealing farm produce, etc.
> Where is the planning to deal with the possibility of breakdown of food
> systems?
>
> Aloha, George
>
>
>
> Begin forwarded message:
>
>  *From: *George Kent <kent at hawaii.edu>
> *Date: *June 12, 2008 12:08:34 PM HST
> *To: *radix at ecie.org
> *Subject: **Preparations for food crises?*
>
> Radix pals --
>
> Amid the current worldwide talk about a food crisis, there are some people
> imagining the possibility of extreme food shortages in the US. See, for
> example,
> http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=29974028
>
> What can you tell us about the current status of planning for a food crisis
> in the US, at the federal level or the state level?
>
> I think the key to disaster planning regarding food would be food storage.
> Warehouses in the US generally hold no more than a few days worth of food.
> However, there would also have to be a rationing plan of some sort, since
> the impulse to hoard would be so strong. We recently had a run on rice here
> in Hawai'i, provoked by rumors about short supplies. The run would be much
> bigger in a true crisis.
>
> There is now rapidly escalating trade in food commodity futures. That is
> just another form of hoarding.
>
> I think the probability of a serious food crisis in the US is relatively
> low, partly because each state has multiple food sources and backup from the
> federal government. However, food crises certainly are imaginable. It would
> be irresponsible for the states and the federal government to not have food
> crisis plans in place.
>
> So, what is the current state of preparation for food crises? Do we have
> any good model plans anywhere?
>
> Aloha, George
>
> +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> Professor George Kent
> Department of Political Science
> 2424 Maile Way, Saunders 610
> University of Hawai'i
> Honolulu, Hawai'i 96822
> USA
>
> Phone:    1 808 396-9422
> Cell:         1 808 389-9422
> Fax:          1 808 956-6877
> Email:       kent at hawaii.edu
> Website:   http://www2.hawaii.edu/~kent
> Skype ID: geokent
>
>
>
>
>
>
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-- 
Carl Southwell

Contact me at :
carl.southwell at gmail.com
southwel at usc.edu
carl at iriskmanager.com
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