Consumers around the world are feeling the pinch of high food costs and many have changed their eating and shopping habits, according to the Food Marketing Institute’s U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends report for 2008.

As concerns about rising food costs continue to grow, consumers can take some simple steps to save money on their grocery bills. Here is the 22 ways to fight rising food prices to lower your grocery bills.

1. Eat at Home
2. Shop With a Plan - prepare a shopping list before you leave home
3. Put on Blinders - keep to your planned list of needed foods
4. Eat Before You Shop - When you are hungry, likelihood that you are going to fill you cart with unnecessary and expensive purchases
5. Avoid Prepared Foods - kids increase the shopping time, Every extra minute increases the likelihood of extra items
6. Skip the Bottled Water
7. Shop Without the Kids
8. Buy in Bulk
9. Use Store Reward Cards
10. Use Coupons
11. Buy Locally -Locally grown or produced food is often available at a cheaper price
12. Look Down - To find less expensive items, look down.
13. Avoid the End Caps and Checkout Temptations
14. Compare Prices and Stores
15. Shop for Sales
16. Watch “Best Before” or “Sell By” Dates
17. Substitute Recipe Items
18. Keep Your Kitchen Stocked
19. Shop Infrequently
20. Pay Attention To Time
21. Pay In Cash - To avoid interest on the Credit card purchase(if you are a late payer)
22. Check Your Bill

[Yahoo- 22 Ways To Fight Rising Food Prices ]

Lenders making small loans to poor people in developing countries should be subject to regulation to prevent abusive practices, according to the World Bank.

The International Finance Corporation (IFC)’s ‘responsible microfinance initiative’ follows growing concern about the high rates charged by some lenders and comes amid fears rising food prices could hamper poor people’s ability to repay debts. The IFC plans to develop these principles in partnership with financial institutions and in consultation with a consortium of public and private development agencies. … according to The Financial Times.

Growing world economies, rising food demand and expansion of corn for producing bio-fuels has caused food inflation.

Indian Finance Minister P. Chidambaram blamed countries like the US for diverting food grains such as corn for producing bio-fuels, which led for to soaring food grain prices globally.

India banned exports of Edible Oils and even raised rice export prices to control rising prices.

He said the price food grain prices has soared worldwide to record levels in the last year, but diverting food for fuel had also contributed to increase in food prices.

“It has been estimated that nearly 20 % of corn grown in the United States is diverted for producing biofuels, As citizens of one world, we ought to be concerned about the foolishness of growing food and converting it into fuel,” Finance Minister P Chidambaram said in Singapore.

India banned exports of all edible oils due to the rising domestic prices and control inflation. The ban will be in place till March 16, 2009.

Rising prices caused the Indian government to ban exports of rice, sugar, wheat, pulses and skimmed milk powder– even raised rice export prices. Ban on exports is another step to control inflation.

Finance Minister Chidambaram yesterday said the government would take steps to curb food prices that have driven up inflation to a nine-month high, reported Bloomberg.

Other edible oils being exported from the country include mustards oil, cottonseed oil and sesame seed oil.