{
  "id": 11398602,
  "title": "World food prices near four-year high in September, UN says",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/02/world-food-prices-near-four-year-high-in-september-un-says",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-10-02T08:42:35.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Investing.com",
    "slug": "investing-com",
    "url": "https://www.investing.com/news/commodities-news/world-food-prices-near-fouryear-high-in-september-un-says-4929127"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In September, the prices of global food commodities surged to their highest level in nearly four years, according to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization. The FAO Food Price Index, which monitors changes in international prices for a selection of food items, reached 136.0 points, a significant increase from the revised 134.0 for the previous month and a peak not seen since November 2022. The escalation in food prices can be attributed to logistics disruptions and weather-related concerns impacting crop markets.\n\nOne key factor contributing to the surge is the looming threat of a severe El Nino weather pattern, which has driven international sugar prices to an 18-month high. Additionally, a war-related decline in Black Sea trade has led to a three-year peak in wheat futures at the beginning of September. The FAO Food Price Index recorded rises in benchmarks for cereal, sugar, and vegetable oil prices during the month. However, quotations for meat and dairy products experienced a decline.\n\nAccording to FAO Chief Economist Maximo Torero, global commodity prices are experiencing a persistent and increasingly broad-based increase. Disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz and the Black Sea, coupled with climate shocks, are putting pressure on energy, transport, and essential food commodities. Torero warns that if these pressures continue, they will soon impact consumer food prices, particularly in countries that heavily rely on food and energy imports.\n\nIn a separate report, the FAO maintained its forecast for global cereal production in 2026 at 2.979 billion metric tons, which is 2.1% lower than the previous year's peak but still the second-largest harvest on record. However, the organization reduced its forecast for world cereal trade in 2026/27 by 0.7% from September. This adjustment is mainly due to lower wheat and maize export expectations, primarily caused by constrained ship navigation routes in the Black Sea.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "ERR News Estonia",
        "title": "Flash estimate: Prices up 0.5 percent in September",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/02/flash-estimate-prices-up-0-5-percent-in-september",
        "published": "2026-10-02T06:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}