As rains elude the US causing a catastrophic drought, the UK seems to be badly hit by soaring food prices as staples like bread, pasta and meat have become dearer, forcing some parents to starve in order to feed their children.

British farmers said that heavy rain and lack of sunshine has wrecked havoc with the harvests. The severe British summer has worsened the situation as the government is forced to import even common vegetables like potatoes and peas from as far as South Africa, Guatemala and Israel. More than 35 states in the US have been drought-ridden, as cultivable land larger than Belgium and Luxembourg combined has been abandoned.

Cost of animal feeds has gone up indicating that meat prices will also shoot up in near future. Fuel bills are expected to rise this winter with some suppliers already increasing their charges. Prices of soya beans which are used to make oil and used as animal feed, snacks and other food products, also sky-rocketed yesterday. People are facing the heat as their incomes are under high inflationary pressure.

According to the British Retail Consortium (BRC), around two-thirds of the America has been badly hit by drought. An emergency meeting has been called upon by the G20 group to discuss the world food supply problem owing to the effects of the drought.

The worst-hit are the families struggling to make two-ends meet due to the worst recession seen in decades. Tory MP Laura Sandys, whose Kent constituency consists of many poor families, said that supermarkets must be encouraged to stock cheaper vegetables and fruits to make healthy food more affordable. She suggested that ministers should help retailers who in turn can channel healthy food to poor customers.