UN tackles looming global food crisis

"Food prices are too volatile and are dangerously high," said Olivier De Schutter, who reports to the UN on the right to food, according to RIA Novosti.

Summer droughts in the United States and Russia caused the prices of staples like corn, wheat, and soybeans to rise sharply. Economists with the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) say it's unlikely the prices will normalize anytime soon.

The soaring food prices prompted France to call for an emergency meeting of the newly formed G-20 Rapid Response Forum, a crisis prevention group of global agricultural policymakers. The meeting was scheduled to take place on Tuesday during World Food Day in Rome, but was cancelled because the group, chaired by the United States, felt it was "not necessary at this time."

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