A bulk wholesaler of food to consumers is now limiting its sales of long grain rice because of a rush of demand:

Sam’s Club warehouse division said on Wednesday it is limiting sales of Jasmine, Basmati and long grain white rice “due to recent supply and demand trends.”

The news came as rice prices surged, with U.S. rice futures hitting an all-time high Wednesday on worries about supply shortages.

On Tuesday, Costco Wholesale Corp, the largest U.S. warehouse club operator, said it has seen increased demand for items like rice and flour as customers, worried about global food shortages and rising prices, stock up.

Sam’s Club, the No. 2 U.S. warehouse club operator, is limiting sales of rice to four bags per customer per visit, and is working with suppliers to ensure the products remain in stock.

How are things going to look in 2012? When I started this site I didn’t really want to be right, but its looking more and more like a global conflict over food, energy, and global political hegemony is inevitable.

Read more here: Wal-Mart’s Sam’s Club limiting rice purchases.