Finding a solution to the Island’s rising food costs will be no easy task for Bermuda’s recently-appointed Price Control Commission.This is the view of economist Craig Simmons, who said he was at a loss to find a way around the high cost of basic staples in Bermuda.Premier Paula Cox tasked the Commission in July to come up with recommendations as to how Government could lower the price of food essentials.The move followed calls by the Bermuda Public Services Union for Government to intervene with a freeze on food costs.Mr Simmons has predicted that costs will continue to rise but described Commission members Lucia Peniston, Daniel Reece and Anthony Richardson as “very capable individuals”.Despite that, “they have a very difficult job,” he said.The Bermuda College senior economics lecturer said the group includes two of his former students.“I’ve had informal conversations with them on this topic, and I think they were in a difficult position for the means to achieve these ends,” he said.The crux of the difficulty, Mr Simmons said, is that Bermuda is a “price-taking country”, with little food-producing capacity of its own.“We have to put up or shut up. We have no control over price in the way that the US does. If you look at George Bush’s ill-fated attempt to use corn as fuel, for instance, it had a profound impact on the price of corn, enough to cause riots in Mexico.”Meanwhile, the number of mouths to feed continues to increase worldwide.“Global population is hitting the seven billion mark this month,” Mr Simmons explained. “I’m not saying that in and of itself is a problem. It’s not so much the number of people as the standard of living that people expect to enjoy.“If we lived off insects, the planet could probably support 20 billion of us. But there are so many people, especially in China and India, who are switching from a vegetable-based diet to eating meat. That increases demand. Five kilos of grain turn into one kilo of meat.”He said that as a comparatively affluent nation Bermuda enjoys purchasing power as long as consumers are willing to pay.“We don’t have to worry about supply, just price. Of course, the poor suffer the most, because a great percentage of their incomes go toward food. But in global terms, Bermudians are doing really well.“In fact, you could say we’re part of the problem. We consume a lot but we don’t want other countries to do the same. We love our cars but we don’t want the Chinese to be driving.”As for lifestyle changes that could potentially reduce food demand, such as vegetarianism or simply eating less, Mr Simmons said: “Bermuda might not make a difference globally, but it still sends a message.”The immediate task of reducing the price of food, he continued, boils down to two options.“One is to trust the market to do that which is right. The other option would be to favour some kind of regulation. With that, you’re walking a difficult line, because you’re talking about regulating private behaviour.“That’s difficult to do and can have unintended consequences. When we talk about price regulation, the question becomes how much? Would it apply to certain goods or to all food products?“It’s not clear at the moment what people mean by regulation, or the degree of regulation that might be imposed. It would require an in-depth study.”Asked what he would do if appointed to the Price Control Commission, Mr Simmons laughed.“Run,” he said.A Government spokeswoman said it was too early to give details on the Commission’s findings.She said the group is still in the process of gathering information from local stakeholders, such as suppliers and retailers.“Anyone who stays in tune with global events will be aware that rising food cost are not unique to Bermuda, but are in fact a global issue due to increasing and changing demands on food,” she added.“The Commission will be taking that into consideration as well as looking into other factors which contribute to both the landed cost and final sales price of essential food items.”