Lima  - European Foreign Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner voiced concern Friday in Lima that recent high prices for foodstuffs could significantly affect the poorest parts of society around the world.

At the European Union-Latin America-Caribbean (EU-LAC) summit in the Peruvian capital, Ferrero-Waldner said the food crisis constitutes "a regional challenge."

She said that the EU has approved a package worth 117.25 million euros (183 million dollars) for food aid around the world.

Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) President Luis Alberto Moreno said that his institution has granted loans for 27 million dollars to Haiti to keep down prices and has created a special fund to improve agricultural productivity, strengthen social networks and develop new technologies. (dpa)