Global food prices soared by 10 percent in July, threatening the food security of millions of poor people around the world, especially countries in the Horn of Africa and the Middle East. The World Bank sounded the alarm in its latest Food Price Watch report released on Thursday. According to the report, from June to July, the price of maize and wheat jumped 25 percent, and soybeans by 17 percent, the highest rises since the global food crisis in June 2008. Regarding the reasons for the sharp rise, financial analysts say that the prolonged drought in the US and Eastern Europe, and a big increase in energy prices resulted in a disastrous grain harvest. The World Bank President Jim Yong Kim said that the food crisis has caused serious problems in particular vulnerable countries in the Africa and Middle East, which are the largest food importers in the world. Kim called on the member governments to introduce appropriate policies and promote hunger relief programs to protect poor people against hikes in food prices.