Global food commodity prices
136.0 points
+1.5% month on month in September 2026; 5.8% above a year earlier.
FAO Food Price Index · 2 Oct 2026
What the index does—and doesn't—say Food systems, clearly explained
Food supply under pressure.
Facts before fear.
What is happening to the world's food supply—and what does it mean for prices, farmers and households? We connect the evidence, explain the trade-offs and show what to watch next.
A high price, a local shortage and acute hunger are related—but they are not the same thing.
THE FOOD SYSTEMOne chain.
Many pressure points.Production · Trade · Access
Many pressure points.Production · Trade · Access
Follow evidence from field to table
The latest verified picture
Three numbers. Three different stories.
Current indicators matter—but each measures something different.
Global cereal production forecast
2.979 billion tonnes
Forecast for 2026: 2.1% below the 2025 record, but still the second-largest harvest on record.
FAO Cereal Brief · 2 Oct 2026
Read the global cereal outlook People facing acute food insecurity
266 million
People across 47 food-crisis countries and territories experienced high levels of acute food insecurity in 2025.
Global Report on Food Crises 2026
Why hunger can coexist with supply These figures are not directly interchangeable: one is an international commodity-price index, one is a production forecast, and one measures acute food insecurity in analyzed crisis settings. Sources and definitions.
Start with the evidence
Analysis worth your attention
Clear answers to the questions behind the headlines.
Are high food prices proof the world is running out of food?
Not necessarily. Learn how production, local availability, purchasing power and supply-chain costs fit together.
Read the explainerA near-record harvest can still leave millions hungry. Here's why.
What FAO's 2026 cereal forecast tells us—and what it cannot tell us about access to food.
Read the outlookHow a fertilizer disruption today can affect food prices months later
Follow the lag between farm inputs, planting decisions, crop yields and the food reaching markets.
Understand the chainPractical without panic
Know what to watch.
Know what to do.
Useful tools and checklists can turn a complex headline into a calm, informed decision.
01How to read a food-crisis warningSeparate early signals from confirmed shortages.↗02How food moves from farm to tableFind pressure points along the chain.↗03Food-budget impact calculatorModel a price change with your own basket.↗04Build a resilient household food planWaste less, plan meals and avoid panic buying.↗
How we work
Evidence first.
Certainty only when earned.
Food-supply stories are often compressed into dramatic claims. We separate facts, forecasts and scenarios; link to original sources; explain what a statistic measures; and update time-sensitive pages when the evidence changes.
Read our editorial methodology