THERE IS NO worldwide shortage of either food or oil. So why are their costs rising?

This is the question which needs answering and the media are the ones who should be doing the asking.

This is the belief of Tom Olsen, UNICEF representative for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, who also said it was a matter of corporate social responsibility.

"We are not short of food globally and some countries actually have a surplus of oil. Somebody is making a profit from all of this, and it may be the time for a difficult debate as to why these things are rising," he said.

He was speaking at a breakfast media event last week entitled A Present And Future Caribbean Fit For Children, the first in a possible series to improve dialogue with media on children's rights and highlight children's achievements and challenges.

Olsen said rising prices affected everyone, which included children, and the media needed to start "digging a little deeper" into these issues.

"Why should it be cheaper to go to KFC or Chefette than to buy healthy food?" he asked.

Olsen said the United Nations (UN) was "extremely concerned" about the issue, saying that UNICEF was a part of the global response. He said each region was required to file a report on the cost of living with the UN. (CA)