Global food prices surge to 18-month high, says FAO

Global food prices rose in October to their highest level in 18 months, with a sharp increase in the cost of vegetable oil, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) an agency of the United Nations disclosed on Friday.

The FAO Food Price Index, which tracks monthly changes in international prices of a basket of food commodities, reached 127.4 points last month, a two-percent increase from September.

This represents the highest since April 2023 but still 20.5 per cent lower than the peak reached in March 2022 following Russia’s invasion of agricultural powerhouse Ukraine.