Venezuela Installs Fingerprint Scanners in Supermarkets

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-31791878

This article raises international issues that I have never considered before. Because Venezuelans have been panic buying groceries, the government is installing 2,000 fingerprint scanners to regulate food purchases. The food shortage is due to the falling currency rates and oil prices, which has lowered their budget for imported foods. However, president Nicolas Maduro has claimed these shortages are due to Colombian food smugglers buying up price controlled foods at supermarkets along the border, and also claims that grocers have been manipulating the length of the queues by only opening limited registers. I had never before considered the idea of food smugglers across borders, but it will be interesting to see if the South American community will follow through with their promise to help ease some of the food shortages.

Allie Grossmann