Global food prices, hunger hit record highs

Global food prices for grain and vegetable oil were the highest on record last year, even after falling for nine months in a row, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization said, as Russia’s war in Ukraine, drought and other factors take the blame for inflation and global hunger.

The FAO Food Price Index, which tracks monthly changes in food prices, dipped by 1.9% in December. For the whole year, it averaged 143.7 points, more than 14% above the 2021 average, which also saw large increases.

The December…