Global food prices in 2022 hit record high amid drought, war

ROME (AP) — Global prices for food commodities like grain and vegetable oils were the highest on record last year even after falling for nine months in a row. Russia’s war in Ukraine, drought and other factors have driven up inflation and worsened hunger worldwide. The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said Friday that its Food Price Index dipped in December. But its data shows that the index hit the highest level last year since FAO records began in 1961. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February created a food crisis because the two countries were leading global suppliers of wheat, barley, sunflower oil and other products, especially to nations in parts of Africa, the Middle East and Asia already struggling with hunger.