Unlike certain U.S. retailers who announced rice rationing last week, Canadians will not face restrictions limiting the amount of rice they can purchase. A representative for Wal-Mart Canada said they had no plans to limit sales of rice.

"We do not have restrictions on rice at any of our Canadian stores," said Karin Campbell on Thursday. She would not comment on whether there had been a run on rice at any of their Canadian outlets.

Even though Canada hasn't been hit with the same rise in food prices as other countries, it seems consumers are still taking heed of the situation on the south of the border and are starting to hoard staples such as rice and flour. Food industry representatives are also warning that the supply of fresh fruits and vegetables may dwindle as well.

Bruce Cran, president of the Consumers Association of Canada said he was getting calls in British Columbia that store shelves were being emptied of rice by panicked buyers. "I was in one of the national chains and there was one packet of rice left on the shelf."

"It's a human trait to hoard, but there is only so much food to hoard," he said. "The world crisis is obviously going to have a ripple effect into Canada. My advice is to go speak to your granny and get a canning recipe before she leaves this world."

Thailand watched the cost of rise increase by five per cent last week, pushing the cost to $1,000 per tonne, and India, Vietnam and Thailand have all placed export restrictions on rice .Some experts say that the situation likely won't become so bad that rice will be completely unavailable, but they are advising the cost may be a little difficult to swallow. Food prices in Canada will start to rise steadily even if there hasn't been a dramatic difference just yet, and the higher price tags will probably be sticking around for awhile.

"Right now, the scenario is "Where can I get my rice?'," said Shah, a Kenyan-born Indian immigrant whose firm supplies Loblaws, Wal-Mart, Costco and other chains. "It's definitely a crisis. I don't think it will get so bad that rice won't be available here, but the price will be high. You know, the Asian crowd in North America are major consumers of rice -- breakfast, lunch and dinner -- so they've been stocking up."

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