Chávez has accused producers of hoarding supplies and avoidinggovernment imposed price caps and has warned that companies that do not complywith output demands could be permanently appropriated. Eleven companies,including Empresas Polar and Cargill have been targeted. Many producers claimthat they are unable to make a profit while operating under price capsintroduced some years ago, and resulting food shortages have led to numerousspats between the food sector and the government. These shortages, along withthe high cost of living, are a major threat to the president's popularity andChávez has become increasingly radical in his attempts to take control of thefood industry.

Inessence, this gives the government the power to appropriate food producerswithout the approval of the National Assembly. Indeed, at the beginning of March 2009, Chávez ordered military troops to seizecontrol of rice processing mills in his latest attack on the country's privatefood sector. The Venezuela Food and Drink Report provides independent forecasts andcompetitive intelligence on Venezuela's food and drink industry. Despite the current problems facing Venezuela, per capita food consumption (foodand drink, excluding alcoholic drinks) is expected to grow over the next fewyears. This is likely to be driven partly by increased prices owing to rocketinginflation but also by the continued redistribution of the country's oil revenuesto the poorer parts of the population. He said there was only one objection filed with the courtopposing Weil's fee request, from a retired teacher in Arizona.Other fees were unopposed.

The judge in the case, James Peck, approved the request forthe committee, which will include members appointed by Lehman,the U.S Trustee and unsecured creditors It will be chaired byan independent member. Lynn LoPucki, a bankruptcy critic and professor at theUniversity of California at Los Angeles, has said he expectsWeil's fees in Lehman to eventually top $200 million, making itthe most expensive case ever. Weil's $55 million request covered the work of 490attorneys who billed more than 100,000 hours between Lehman'scollapse into bankruptcy on Sept 15 and Jan 31. Indeed, there are now fearsthat there could be a spate of nationalisations, in sectors such as foodproduction.