This may force homemakers to make sub-optimal choices on the foods that are purchased for households. Which may, in turn, have a negative impact on the country's long-term health-as more and more people turn away from vegetables. The rising cost of both locally produced and imported food may also lead to an increase in rates of malnutrition among the most vulnerable in the society: the very young and the very old. Clearly, the unfolding scenario calls for imaginative Government intervention aimed at lessening the bite of both increasing local vegetable prices and the imported staples. While price controls are not a feasible option, the Government should consider increasing the incentives to farmers, ensuring that rural access roads and bridges are quickly brought up to speed and increasing the number of farmers' markets throughout the country. The Government should also seek to increase the level of competition among local importers of foreign food as this has been identified by Central Bank research as contributing to this country having higher food prices than some of our more developed neighbours.