As the price of oil soars and bombs strike Middle East oil and natural gas facilities, memories of the OPEC oil embargo of the 1970s resurface for many Americans. That crisis was resolved by simply turning the oil spigots back on; this conflict threatens to blow them up. Dramatic changes in U.S. food production and distribution since the 1970s have created an even greater threat that extends beyond Iran.
The United States remains the world’s largest agricultural exporter, but we now import more food than we export, resulting in a record deficit in agricultural trade. Moreover, imports of highly processed foods from China have increased steadily.
