Export bans abroad threaten to push sky-high food prices even higher

Soaring food prices both in the U.S. and abroad have prompted countries to ban exports of core agricultural commodities, pushing up domestic food prices and leading agronomists to wonder what additional crops could face supply constraints on their way to grocery stores.

Food inflation in the U.S. is already at a 40-year high, with the annual index for consumer food prices up 9.4 percent in April — the largest 12-month increase since 1981 —according to the Department of Labor.

Meat, poultry, fish and egg prices increased by more than 14 percent over the last year, the biggest jump since 1979.