Rising food prices are worrying governments across the world

The UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, said the first task was to feed the millions who were now going hungry because of soaring food prices.

The task force, chaired by Mr Ban, will be made up of the heads of UN agencies and the World Bank.

The UN believes 100 million people are going short of food, and the World Food Programme says it will need an extra $755m (£380m) this year.

'Unprecedented challenge'

"The challenge is having multiple effects with its most serious impact unfolding as a crisis for the most vulnerable," it went on.

The cost of staple foods like rice, grain, oil and sugar are all at least 50% higher than they were this time last year.

The cost of staples such as rice have increased considerably

The meeting in Berne was also attended by the head of the World Bank, Robert Zoellick, and the head of the World Trade Organisation, Pascal Lamy.

Mr Zoellick urged countries not to use export bans to protect food stocks.

"These controls encourage hoarding, drive up prices and hurt the poorest people around the world who are struggling to feed themselves," he said.

In a statement after the meeting, the World Bank said that it would double its lending for agriculture in Africa over the next year.

It said it was also considering providing quicker and more flexible financing for poor countries.

The BBC's Imogen Foulkes in Berne says in the long term the UN wants an end to what it calls trade distorting agricultural subsidies, and measures to address the damage to food production caused by climate change.

The food crisis threatens economic growth, social progress, and even political security.   UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon

The World Food Programme (WFP) has said an extra 100 million people need food aid because of higher prices.

Food has become increasingly expensive, triggering unrest in several countries.

Challenges

The Haitian Prime Minister was forced from office earlier this month after the soaring cost of rice and beans triggered violent disturbances in the capital Port-au-Prince.

A host of countries across Asia have suspended rice exports amid fears that insufficient domestic supplies could lead to acute instability.

Mr Ban had called for emergency measures to ensure that the most needy people across the world have access to basic foods in the coming months.

Unless this happens, he warned, the crisis will escalate and pose real threats to "economic growth, social progress, and even political security".

The WFP has launched a massive fund-raising appeal, saying it needs an extra $755m to purchase the necessary food to meet its obligations.