ABSTRACT

This definition is now widely accepted, but it was not always the case. In the 1960s and 1970s, Malthusian fears that the rapid growth of the world population would outstrip food production and lead to widespread famine meant that food production and availability, rather than access, were the key concerns. Matters came to a head during the world food crisis of the early 1970s, when a combination of poor harvests and reduced food stocks led to rapid increases in the price of food. The price spike proved short-lived, as did the focus on food availability.