The Start Of Food Shortages: Wheat Prices Soar Due to Ukraine InstabilityLizzie Bennett Although the physical shipping of wheat has not diminished so far, the prices are shooting up, from $5.50 a bushel at the end of January to $7 a bushel today, a rise of 22%. Russia and Ukraine account for 17% of global wheat exports and there is little doubt that the prices are going to rise much, much higher as Russia fights back against the imposed sanctions by either raising the market price or curtailing the amount it is willing to export. The latter will lead not only to spiraling costs but to shortages of wheat and therefore shortages of all the products, such as bread that relies on a constant wheat supply. Bad weather across Europe and freezing conditions and drought in the United States has fuelled worries over the amount of wheat that will be available. Large rises in food prices, and food shortages have in the recent past triggered revolutions that have toppled governments. It was food riots in Tunisia that started what we now call the Arab Spring, the revolutionary protests that have spread throughout the Middle East. Dont make the mistake of thinking it cant happen in the West, it can, and if the price of basic commodities is out of the reach of the bulk of the population, it will. Related articles: Lizzie Bennett retired from her job as a senior operating department practitioner in the UK earlier this year. Her field was trauma and accident and emergency and she has served on major catastrophe teams around the UK. Lizzie publishes Underground Medic on the topic of preparedness. 