GLOBAL food prices surged in August as all five major categories tracked by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) recorded increases, highlighting mounting pressure on food supplies from conflict, extreme weather and trade disruptions.
Al Jazeera reported on Sundy that the FAO Food Price Index rose to 133.3 points, its highest level since late 2022 and the third consecutive monthly increase.
“Climate disruptions, geopolitical tensions and trade logistics disruptions are occurring simultaneously, raising concerns about supplies,” FAO chief economist Maximo Torero said in a statement.
Sugar prices recorded the sharpest increase, jumping nearly 12 per cent from July to their highest level in a year.
Cereal prices rose more than two per cent to their highest level in more than two years, with wheat and maize prices also pushed higher after military attacks disrupted shipments through the Black Sea, a key export route for grain from Russia and Ukraine.
Vegetable oils, meat and dairy products also became more expensive during the month.
Fertiliser supplies are meanwhile facing additional pressure amid the conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran.
The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway through which a significant share of global fertiliser trade passes, has also been affected by the conflict.
The risks to food supplies are being compounded by rising global temperatures and the return of El Niño, a natural warming phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean capable of disrupting weather patterns worldwide.
Heatwaves that swept across Europe during the summer have already reduced crop yields, while El Niño is threatening food production in parts of Asia. - September 6, 2026
