Costly meals: World food index ends year where it began after dramatic run

During the year, the index hit the highest since records started in 1990

After a year marred by disruptions from the war in Ukraine and extreme weather, global food prices ended 2022 roughly where they started. A United Nations’ index of food-commodity costs soared to a record in March, shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine crippled vital flows of grain and vegetable oils from the breadbasket nation. Prices then slid as a Black Sea crop-export deal and good harvests in other growers buffered supplies, before steadying toward year-end.

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