For months now, global food shortages have been described in the media as “looming”. But it’s now becoming pretty obvious that the qualifier no longer applies, as the reserves of staples such as rice and grain continue to dip lower, and food-related riots are occurring with frightening regularity in developing nations around the world.

The reasons for the shortages are numerous, of course, and all three major papers today offer their take on the facts, and what they mean for the future. In the Globe and Mail, Eric Reguly looks at why food costs are climbing and what (if anything) can be done about it, while Michael Coren profiles a poor street vendor in Jakarta who sells food to others but can barely afford to buy any for his own family. In the National Post, Kevin Libin explores the connection between the rise in biofuels and the growing food crisis. And in the Toronto Star, Lynda Hurst wonders if maybe there are - or soon will be - too many people for the planet to feed.

With all of that doom and gloom, it seems almost frivolous to do a summary the less-serious food coverage in today’s papers, but hey, maybe it’ll lighten the mood a bit.

In the Post:

• Gina Mallet enjoys the dim sum at Lai Wah Heen, but can’t figure out why people get so excited over shark fin.
• Allison Hanes investigates the rise of the socially-concious carnivore.
• Zosia Bielski checks out the massive restoration project that is affecting the famous “Five Thieves” strip of gourmet food shops in Rosedale.
• Jon Bricker and Kate Swoger discover chiu chow, a unique style of cooking from China’s Guangdong province, at the fittingly named Chiu Chow Boy in Scarborough.
• Vanessa Farquharson suggests some food and drink to pair with some of the highlight films at the upcoming Hot Docs festival.
• Margaret Swaine looks at a few wines that are environmentally friendly in their production and/or packaging.
• Amy Rosen debunks some myths about microwaves.
• Bonnie Stern whips up flourless dessert treats for Passover.

In the Star:

• Amy Pataki doesn’t like Nyood, dude.
• Gord Stimmell lists his five best values from today’s Vintages release.
• Mark Bittman agrees with Amy Rosen that microwaves aren’t so bad.
• Sean Gordon looks at the attention that Montreal’s restaurant scene is garnering from foodies south of the border.

In the Globe:

• Joanne Kates is the first newspaper food critic in town to really, really like Four.
• Beppi Crosariol explains that the old “if it grows together, it goes together” adage about pairing food and wine doesn’t always hold true.
• Cicely Ross profiles Nourish Tea, an organic and fair-trade tea company that Toronto’s Chris Draper runs from his mom’s basement.
• Kate Maclennan downs a Roughrider, a signature cocktail at Vancouver’s The Greedy Pig.
• Cinda Chavich heads on down to Louisiana to suck the guts out of some tasty crawfish.
• Sasha Chapman reports on innovative community food centre The Stop.