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☆ World food price index falls back to two-year low -FAO
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, Sept 8 (Reuters) - The United Nations food agency's world price index fell in August to a new two-year low, reversing a rebound seen the previous month, as a decline in most food commodities offset increases for rice and sugar. The Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) price index, which tracks the most globally traded food commodities, averaged 121.4 points in August against a revised 124.0 for the previous month, the agency said on Friday. In a separate report on cereal supply and demand, the FAO forecast world cereal production this year at 2.815 billion tonnes, down slightly from a previous estimate of 2.819 billion. The revised forecast was nonetheless up 0.9% on 2022 and matched record output from 2021, the FAO said. Reporting by Gus Trompiz; Editing by Hugh LawsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Gus Trompiz, Hugh Lawson Organizations: United, Agriculture Organization's, FAO, Thomson Locations: United Nations, Ukraine

☆ World food price index back at two-year low despite rice surge -FAO
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Megan Varner/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsPARIS, Sept 8 (Reuters) - The United Nations food agency's world price index fell in August to a new two-year low, reversing a rebound seen the previous month, as a decline in most food commodities offset increases for rice and sugar. The Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) price index, which tracks the most globally traded food commodities, averaged 121.4 points in August against a revised 124.0 for the previous month, the agency said on Friday. The July reading was initially given as 123.9 in a rebound from a two-year low in June. The drop in the overall index reflected declines for dairy products, vegetable oils, meat and cereals, despite a jump in FAO's rice benchmark to a 15-year high following Indian export restrictions, the agency said. In contrast, the agency's rice index surged by almost 10% month-on-month as India's decision in July to ban Indica white rice exports disrupted trade at a time of tight availabilities ahead of new-crop harvests, FAO said.

Persons: Megan Varner, Gus Trompiz, Hugh Lawson, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: Community Assistance Center, REUTERS, Rights, United, Agriculture Organization's, FAO, El, European Union, Thomson Locations: Atlanta , Georgia, U.S, United Nations, Ukraine, Oceania, Canada, FAO

☆ Top economist Paul Krugman says food inflation has mostly been caused by Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Jennifer Sor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Food inflation has mostly been brought on by Russia, top economist Paul Krugman said. The Nobel laureate pointed to accelerating food prices over the past year, with the Food and Agriculture Organization's Food Price Index rising to 123.9 in July. But the primary driver of "foodflation" exists outside of the US -- and lies largely in the hands of Russia, Krugman argues. Russia's invasion of Ukraine also spiked fertilizer prices, as the nation is one of the world's largest exporter of fertilizer. Still, Russia's impact is still "at the top of the list" for culprits driving food inflation.

Persons: Paul Krugman, Vladimir Putin, Krugman, Biden, That's, Putin Organizations: Service, Soaring, Food, Agriculture, That's, Observers, Cleveland Fed Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Kazakhstan, Odesa, Europe

☆ World rice price index jumps to near 12-year high in July, UN food agency says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MUMBAI, Aug 4 (Reuters) - The United Nations food agency's rice price index rose 2.8% in July from a month ago to their highest level in nearly 12 years as prices in key exporting countries jumped on strong demand and India's move to curb the exports, the agency said on Friday. The Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) All Rice Price Index, which tracks prices in key exporting countries, averaged 129.7 points in July against 126.2 points for the previous month, the agency said. The July score was almost 20% higher than the last year's 108.4 points and the highest since September 2011, it said. The agency's overall world food price index also rose in July, rebounding from two-year lows. India, which accounts for 40% of world rice exports, last month ordered a halt to its largest rice export category to calm domestic prices, which climbed to multi-year highs in recent weeks as erratic weather threatens production.

Persons: Rice, Rajendra, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: United, Agriculture Organization's, Thomson Locations: MUMBAI, United Nations, India, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Pakistan, China, Philippines, Benin, Senegal, Nigeria, Malaysia

Several consumer industry trade bodies - whose members use aspartame - on Thursday rejected the IARC’s assessment. Shoppers can find aspartame in Weight Watchers yoghurts, some Snapple drinks and Conagra’s Mrs. Butterworth’s syrups. “Aspartame has been in use as an intense sweetener for more than 30 years in the UK. In 2014 General Mills (GIS.N) swapped the aspartame in Yoplait Light for the sweetener widely known as Splenda. Sweeteners have varying levels of sweetness and price, and are different chemical compounds, making it difficult to simply swap ingredients.

Persons: Health Organization's, Garrett Nelson, Butterworth’s, ” Nelson, ” Tom Sanders, Mills, Richa Naidu, Savyata Mishra, Jessica DiNapoli, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Reuters, International Agency for Research, Cancer, Health, Joint WHO, Food, Agriculture Organization's, CFRA Research, Shoppers, Nutrition, King’s College London, PepsiCo, Thomson

[1/4] Diet Coke is seen on display at a store in New York City, U.S., June 28, 2023. Aspartame, used in products from Coca-Cola diet sodas to Mars' Extra chewing gum and some Snapple drinks, will be listed in July as "possibly carcinogenic to humans" for the first time by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the World Health Organization's (WHO) cancer research arm, the sources said. Pepsico removed aspartame from sodas in 2015, bringing it back a year later, only to remove it again in 2020. Listing aspartame as a possible carcinogen is intended to motivate more research, said the sources close to the IARC, which will help agencies, consumers and manufacturers draw firmer conclusions. But it will also likely ignite debate once again over the IARC's role, as well as the safety of sweeteners more generally.

Persons: Coke, Shannon Stapleton, Health Organization's, JECFA, Nozomi Tomita, Zsuzsanna, Germany’s Bayer, Frances Hunt, Wood, Mars Wrigley, Kate Loatman, –, Jennifer Rigby, Richa Naidu, Michele Gershberg, Mark Potter Organizations: REUTERS, International Agency for Research, Cancer, Health, Joint WHO, Food, Agriculture Organization's, WHO, Reuters, Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour, Welfare, Food Safety Authority, U.S, International, Association, Cargill, International Council of Beverages Associations, Ramazzini Institute, EFSA, Pepsico, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, United States, Europe, Geneva, France, Italy, sodas

JECFA, the WHO committee on additives, is also reviewing aspartame use this year. The first group includes substances from processed meat to asbestos, which all have convincing evidence showing they cause cancer, IARC says. Like aspartame, this means there is either limited evidence they can cause cancer in humans, sufficient evidence in animals, or strong evidence about the characteristics. Pepsico removed aspartame from sodas in 2015, bringing it back a year later, only to remove it again in 2020. Listing aspartame as a possible carcinogen is intended to motivate more research, said the sources close to the IARC, which will help agencies, consumers and manufacturers draw firmer conclusions.

Persons: Coke, Shannon Stapleton, Health Organization's, JECFA, Nozomi Tomita, Zsuzsanna, Germany’s Bayer, IARC, Frances Hunt, Wood, Mars Wrigley, Kate Loatman, –, Jennifer Rigby, Richa Naidu, Michele Gershberg, Mark Potter, Susan Fenton Organizations: REUTERS, International Agency for Research, Cancer, Health, Reuters, Joint WHO, Food, Agriculture Organization's, WHO, Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour, Welfare, Food Safety Authority, U.S, International, Association, Cargill, International Council of Beverages Associations, Ramazzini Institute, EFSA, Pepsico, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, United States, Europe, Geneva, France, Italy, sodas

☆ World food prices fall to two-year low in May, UN food agency says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, June 2 (Reuters) - The United Nations food agency's world price index fell in May to its lowest in two years, as a slump in prices of vegetable oils, cereals and dairy outweighed increases for sugar and meat. The Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) price index, which tracks the most globally-traded food commodities, averaged 124.3 points in May against a revised 127.7 for the previous month, the agency said on Friday. But international rice prices continued to increase in May, partly due to tighter supplies in some exporting countries, said FAO. However, improving weather conditions in Brazil and lower crude oil prices have curbed sugar markets, it added. Wheat stocks were forecast to fall, however, as production was seen declining while demand was expected to be stable.

Persons: Gus Trompiz, Emelia Sithole Organizations: United, Agriculture Organization's, FAO, El, Thomson Locations: United Nations, Ukraine, Brazil

☆ World food prices rise for first time in a year, UN food agency says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) price index, which tracks the most globally traded food commodities, averaged 127.2 points last month against 126.5 for March, the agency said on Friday. "As economies recover from significant slowdowns, demand will increase, exerting upward pressure on food prices," said FAO Chief Economist Maximo Torero. While the meat index rose 1.3% month-on-month, dairy prices dipped 1.7%, vegetable oil prices fell 1.3% and the cereal price index shed 1.7%, with a decline in world prices of all major grains outweighing an increase in rice prices. World cereal utilisation in the 2022/23 period was seen at 2.780 billion tonnes, FAO said, down 0.7% from 2021/22. World cereal stocks by the close of the 2022/2023 seasons are expected to ease by 0.2% from their opening levels to 855 million tonnes.

☆ World food prices fall for 12th month running in March - FAO
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

ROME, April 7 (Reuters) - The United Nations food agency's world price index fell in March for a 12th consecutive month, and is now down 20.5% from a record high hit one year ago following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) price index, which tracks the most globally traded food commodities, averaged 126.9 points last month against 129.7 for February, the agency said on Friday. The FAO cereal price index fell 5.6% month-on-month in March, with wheat registering a 7.1% drop, maize a 4.6% decline and rice easing 3.2 percent. FAO also raised its forecast for world cereal production in 2022 to 2.777 billion tonnes, just 1.2% down from the previous year. World cereal utilisation in the 2022/23 period was seen at 2.779 billion tonnes, FAO said, down 0.7% from 2021/22.

☆ World food prices hit record high in 2022
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Sybille De La Hamaide | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) food price index, which tracks international prices of the most globally traded food commodities, averaged 143.7 points in 2022, up 14.3% from 2021, and the highest since records started in 1990, the agency said on Friday. Food prices surged after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February last year on fears of disruptions to Black Sea trade. "Calmer food commodity prices are welcome after two very volatile years," FAO Chief Economist Maximo Torero said. Still over the whole of 2022, four of the FAO's five food sub-indexes - cereals, meat, dairy and vegetable oils - had reached record highs, while the fifth one, sugar, was at a 10-year high. The FAO Cereal Price Index index rose 17.9% in 2022 due to factors including significant market disruptions, higher energy and input costs, adverse weather and continued strong global food demand, the FAO said.

☆ World food prices ease further in November, says FAO
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) price index, which tracks the most globally traded food commodities, averaged 135.7 points last month, down from 135.9 for October, the agency said on Friday. Lower readings for cereals, meat and dairy products in November offset higher prices for vegetable oils and sugar, the FAO said. The slight decrease in November meant that the FAO food index is now only 0.3% above its level a year earlier, the agency said. The FAO warned last month that expected record food import costs in 2022 would lead the poorest countries to cut back on shipped volumes. In separate cereal supply and demand estimates, the FAO lowered its forecast for global cereal production in 2022 to 2.756 billion tonnes from 2.764 billion estimated last month.

Last month, the Food and Agriculture Organization's global rice price index rose 2.2% to hit an 18-month high. "The international market has gone up and it will go up further," said Nitin Gupta, vice president for Olam India's rice business. Reuters GraphicsVietnam's unmilled rice output is forecast to hold flat to last year's 43 million tonnes, according to government data. Neighbouring Thailand is aiming to export 7.5 million tonnes this year, up about 7% from its previous target of 7 million tonnes, said Anucha Burapachaisri, a government spokesman. Meanwhile, Pakistan cannot capitalise on India's export curbs after severe flooding ravaged its crop.

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