food spending

U.N. Official Says Lower Food Prices Threaten Anti-Hunger Efforts

Dan General, Industry News Release

shopping-in-the-supermarket-checkout food prices
A top United Nationals official says falling food prices harm anti-hunger efforts. The head of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization argues that steps should be taken to guarantee fair incomes and livelihoods for small farmers. That’s seen as a move to prevent setbacks in reaching international goals of eradicating hunger and extreme poverty, according to Politico. An FOA blog post says “low food prices reduce the incomes of farmers, especially poor family farmers who produce staple foods in developing countries.” However, the remarks this week just nearly a month following the most recent FOA Food Price Index that recorded a 15 month high. The September Food Price Index averaged 165.6 points in August 2016, up 1.9 percent from July and almost seven percent above the corresponding period last year. That’s because while prices for grains are retreating, prices for dairy, oils and sugar are increasing. The FOA will release the September Food Price Index Thursday.

From the National Association of Farm Broadcasting news service.