Global food prices rose for a third consecutive month in August as extreme weather, geopolitical tensions and disrupted trade logistics increased concerns over staple supplies. The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization said its Food Price Index averaged 133.3 points, up from July’s revised 130.8 and its highest level since November 2022. The index remained nearly 17% below its March 2022 record. Cereals, vegetable oils, sugar, meat and dairy all increased. The cereals index rose 2.2% to its highest since May 2024, while vegetable oils gained 0.6% to their highest since June 2022. Sugar climbed 11.9% to its highest since June 2025, as lower production in Brazil’s center-south region compounded weather concerns in Europe and Asia. Extreme heat and drought affected European maize, sugar beet and livestock prospects, while anticipated El Nino conditions raised concerns over palm oil and sugar production in Asia. Escalating attacks in the Black Sea disrupted grain shipments from Russia and Ukraine, while the U.S.-Iran conflict strained fertilizer flows. FAO also cut its 2026 global cereal production forecast by 3.4 million metric tons to 2.980 billion tons, 2.0% below 2025 and the largest annual decline since 2018, although the total would remain the second-highest on record. Projected cereal stocks for the end of the 2026/2027 season were lowered 1.1% to 947.2 million tons, only marginally above the previous season.