Food prices at 9-month low as slow staples demand offset war disruptions

The continued decline offers some relief to households grappling with a cost-of-living crunch. The index is down for seventh month, its longest slump in 9 years, and food inflation has begun to slow

Global food prices steadied in October, as supply disruptions wrought by the war in Ukraine were partly offset by slowing demand for staples.
 

Good weather has bolstered supplies of crops like barley, and soaring inflation is curbing trade of goods from cheese to pork. That has helped buffer supply shocks from the Black Sea and brought a monthly food-cost index from the United Nations 0.1% lower in October, holding at its lowest since January.

The continued decline offers some relief to households grappling with a cost-of-living crunch. The index is down for an seventh month, its longest slump in nine