Global food prices climb to near four-year peak in September, UN agency reports
The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization said the Food Price Index hit its highest level since November 2022 in September, driven by logistics snarls and weather worries.
In September, the Food and Agriculture Organization recorded a Food Price Index of 136.0 points, the highest since November 2022. The surge reflects logistics bottlenecks in the Strait of Hormuz and a war-related decline in Black Sea trade, which pushed wheat futures to a three-year high. Anticipation of a severe El Niño has lifted international sugar prices to an 18-month peak.
Although cereal, sugar and vegetable-oil prices rose, meat and dairy quotations slipped. FAO chief economist Maximo Torero cautioned that sustained pressures may soon affect retail food prices, hitting countries that rely heavily on food imports. A separate FAO report kept the 2026 global cereal harvest forecast at 2.979 billion metric tons and trimmed expected cereal trade for 2026/27 by 0.7 percent due to constrained Black Sea shipments.
Why it matters
Rising food prices threaten affordability for millions, especially in nations that import most of their staples.
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