Turmoil predicted as global food prices continue rising

WORLD food prices reached their highest level ever recorded in January and are set to keep rising for months, the UN food agency said yesterday, warning that the hardest-hit countries could face turmoil.

Rising food prices have been cited among the driving forces behind recent popular revolts in north Africa, including the uprising in Egypt and the toppling of Tunisia’s long-time president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

And in its latest survey, the Food and Agriculture Organisation said its index, which monitors monthly price changes for a variety of staples, averaged 231 points in January — the highest level since records began in 1990.