Ongoing threats to global food security have sparked major anxiety among nations and consumers over recent weeks.
With approximately 1.4 to 2 billion people or about 20% to 25% of the global population depending heavily on imported food for their basic survival, any shift in the global food chain will immediately affect millions across the world.
Over recent months, global food security has been threatened by a horrifying foodborne parasite outbreak affecting fruits and vegetables in the United States, an allergic reaction to red meat, ransomware attacks on large supply chains and the blockage of main shipping lanes such as the Strait of Hormuz.
According to Apostle Jeffrey Shuttleworth, this unprecedented attack on food was prophesied long ago and is likely to intensify.
“It is part of the playbook of the enemy,” said Apostle Shuttleworth, the senior pastor at the Tarrant Circuit of Churches and the Freedom Come Ministries International (FCMI).
More than 40 states in the US have have been hit with outbreaks of cyclosporiasis, an unpleasant intestinal illness with extreme diarrhoea, which has sickened thousands and resulted in the hospitalisation of more than 300 Americans. The source of the outbreaks is still being investigated, but some cases have been linked to contaminated iceberg lettuce, parsley and cilantro.
Since the outbreaks, many householders have grown wary and distrustful of food outlets. A CBS News-YouGov poll released July 26 indicates that roughly 40% of Americans are cutting back on the purchase and consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables.
Apostle Shuttleworth also points to the attack on beef, which is a critical part of the diet of many households. He noted that ticks have been weaponised to cause the alpha-gal syndrome, a serious medical condition that triggers a life-threatening allergic reaction to beef and other red meats.
The United States is the largest beef-consuming nation, accounting for 22.4 percent of total global beef consumption, with overall global consumption projected at 59.5 million metric tonnes. To date, at least 450,000 Americans have been diagnosed with the serious life-threatening alpha-gal syndrome.
Globally, countries import and export approximately 5,000 trillion kilocalories of food, including meats and vegetables, every single day. This breaks down to an average of about $5.5 to $6 billion in food crossing international borders every 24 hours.
Disruptions to shipping lanes and delays at points of exports could mean sure starvation for millions across the world. Already, cyber-attacks are heavily impacting centralised food production links in the United States, Canada, and Australia. These nations rely heavily on large, digitised corporate networks for meat processing, dairy production, and grain logistics.