ROME (Reuters) - The U.N.'s food agency wants to relaunch the debate on biofuel policies and look at ways to make them more flexible to reduce the risk of food crises, the director of its trade and markets division told Reuters on Friday.

"We are trying to get some international debate going on this subject," the Food and Agriculture Organization's David Hallam said by telephone.

"Our main point is not that there shouldn't be biofuels policies,= but that there should be more flexibility," he said.

Global alarm over a potential repeat of the 2007/08 food crisis has escalated after data from the FAO showed food prices had jumped 6 percent in July. Widespread drought has led to a surge in grain prices as the U.S. Agriculture Department has slashed its corn production estimates.

(Reporting By Catherine Hornby, editing by Jane Baird)