FAO Food Price Index

Updated

What it is

The FAO Food Price Index is a monthly measure published by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization tracking international prices for a basket of food commodities — cereals, vegetable oils, dairy, meat, and sugar — relative to a 2014-2016 base period. It is one of the most widely cited gauges of global food-commodity inflation and is used by economists, governments and aid agencies to track supply-side food stress.

Why it matters lately

The index rose to 133.3 points in August 2026 (released September 4, 2026), up 1.9% from July and the highest since November 2022, led by a broad-based increase including an 11.9% monthly jump in sugar. It climbed further to 136.0 in September 2026, up 1.5% from August and 5.8% above a year earlier, driven partly by Strait of Hormuz and Black Sea shipping disruptions, though it remains roughly 15-17% below the March 2022 record peak of about 159-160 points.

Asymmetric Analytics view

Inference (AA): ELSI uses the FAO FPI as the primary external benchmark for calibrating AA's own food-stress and Somalia Food ELSI composites.