Sharply rising food prices have often meant trouble for governments, especially when people expect better and the cost of food is a big fraction of average household consumption. In the U.S., where grocery costs are a small fraction of the average budget, it is hard to imagine the effect of sharply rising prices for bread or rice, cooking oil, and other essential foods. It's seldom been enough for out-of-touch regimes to say, "let them eat paistries" (or brioche, as Marie Antoinette put it in the face of the French revolution).
In what countries is a big fraction of the average household budget gobbled by purchases at the produce market, bakery, and butcher? Based on data from Nomura, Business Insider claims that the highest percentage occurs in Nigeria (70%). and that every North African nation is among the top 25. (Disclosure: I once spent a year in Tunisia after it won independence from France and before it hosted the Palestinian leadership). The first of the recent headlines about riots against the regime came out of Tunisia (36% of household consumption spent for food) and Egypt (48%). Algeria has not been quiet (53%). All are in North Africa, along with Morocco and Libya.
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