UN Says Global Food Prices , for Many Staples , Fell in 2023.<br />On January 5, the U.N. Food and <br />Agriculture Organization reported that <br />global prices for some commodities fell <br />last year from record highs reached in 2022.<br />ABC reports that the FAO Food Price Index <br />for 2023 was 13.7% lower than the 2022 average, <br />but over the same period of time, <br />sugar and rice prices continued to increase.<br />In December, the index fell nearly 10% compared to the same time in 2022. .<br />Despite the price of some food <br />commodities falling, 2023 remained <br />a difficult year for global food insecurity. .<br />The World Food Program warns that , over 333 million people , faced acute food insecurity in 2023. .<br />The cost of both rice and sugar <br />went up in price in 2023.<br />The cost of both rice and sugar <br />went up in price in 2023.<br />The FAO's rice index climbed 21% due to <br />export restrictions imposed by India and <br />the impact of El Niño on rice production. .<br />The FAO's rice index climbed 21% due to <br />export restrictions imposed by India and <br />the impact of El Niño on rice production. .<br />The agency's sugar index reached its highest <br />level since 2011, jumping 26.7% due to <br />low supplies following dry weather <br />damaging harvests in India and Thailand.<br />The agency's sugar index reached its highest <br />level since 2011, jumping 26.7% due to <br />low supplies following dry weather <br />damaging harvests in India and Thailand.<br />According to the FAO, the prices <br />of meat, dairy and vegetable oil <br />all dropped compared to 2022.<br />According to the FAO, the prices <br />of meat, dairy and vegetable oil <br />all dropped compared to 2022.<br />According to the FAO, the prices <br />of meat, dairy and vegetable oil <br />all dropped compared to 2022.<br />Vegetable oil, a major Black Sea export that saw <br />huge increases amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, <br />hit a three-year low, a sign of improved global supply
