Source: Financial Times, 5th January 2011

Nicolas Sarkozy, France's president, has rightly identified food price volatility as a priority for his country as it chairs the Group of 20 leading economies this year. Figures released on Wednesday by the UN's Food and Agricultural Organisation show that costs for a range of basic commodities have now surpassed their peaks of 2008. With foodaccounting for a large and volatile share of tight family budgets in the poorest countries, rising prices are re-emerging as a threat to global growth and social stability.