{
  "id": 6283774,
  "title": "Super El Niño and 3 Other Factors Threatening Global Food Prices",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/08/super-el-nino-and-3-other-factors-threatening-global-food-prices",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-09-08T13:09:29.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Newsweek",
    "slug": "newsweek",
    "url": "https://www.newsweek.com/super-el-nino-and-3-other-factors-threatening-global-food-prices-12414724"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "An unprecedented El Niño event, combined with geopolitical conflicts and shipping disruptions, is expected to drive up global food prices in the coming years, according to international organizations and experts. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported that August food prices reached their highest level since 2022 due to the impacts of the historic El Niño. The combination of El Niño, conflicts in Europe and Asia, and extreme weather events like Indonesian forest fires is threatening both food supplies and costs worldwide.\n\nMatin Qaim, director of Bonn University's Center for Development Research, warned that consumers can expect higher grocery bills, as the El Niño's effects on energy, fertilizer, and food prices are expected to persist. The World Meteorological Organization predicts a near 100% chance that El Niño conditions will continue through February 2027, and prepares for an \"exceptional event.\" Goldman Sachs predicts a 15.8% increase in global food commodity prices, with the full impact expected by the second half of 2028.\n\nIndonesia, the world's largest palm oil producer, is experiencing widespread forest fires exacerbated by the El Niño, driving up palm oil futures to over 5,000 Malaysian ringgit per ton (approx. $1,236), up around 24% since the beginning of the year. While the fires' direct impact on palm oil supplies might be modest, the broader El Niño effects on South and Southeast Asian countries could result in noticeable price increases. David Ubilava, an economist at the University of Sydney, cautioned about the significant potential impact of a very strong El Niño.\n\nConflicts in the Hormuz Strait have severely restricted global fertilizer supplies, with exports of urea, ammonia, phosphate, and sulfur from Gulf suppliers plummeting. The FAO warns that these shortages will lead to lower crop yields and tightened food supplies in late 2026 and 2027. World food prices are now at their highest level since 2022, driven by robust import demand, concerns over crop prospects, and ongoing uncertainties in critical trade flows.",
  "summary": "Global consumers “will have to expect having to pay more for their grocery shopping,” one expert tells Newsweek.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "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."
}