FAO

The benchmark measure for world food commodity prices remained broadly stable in May, as declines in vegetable oil quotations offset increases in those for cereals and sugar, according to new data released by FAO. The #FAOFoodPriceIndex, which tracks monthly changes in the international prices of a basket of globally-traded food commodities. "While global food commodity markets have remained broadly resilient, rising cereal prices underscore vulnerability to weather-related risks and disruptions in energy and input markets. Continued uncertainty affecting key trade routes, including the #StraitOfHormuz, could reduce fertilizer use and place additional pressure on food prices, highlighting the need for coordinated international action,” said Boubaker Ben-Belhassen, Director of FAO’s Markets and Trade division. https://lnkd.in/eJXTbUpC #FoodPriceIndex

World Food Safety Day reminds us that the top priority is understanding the real scale of impacts of food-borne disease -- and turning that knowledge into solutions.    The FAO - World Health Organization Codex Alimentarius Commission has spent decades translating science into food safety standards that governments, farmers, and producers worldwide can act on, empowering local actors and supporting smallholders.    From burdens to solutions, safe food should be available and accessible everywhere.    Watch the latest The Work We Do episode with Sarah Cahill, Secretary of the FAO – World Health Organization Codex Alimentarius Commission: https://lnkd.in/ek43X6R8   Learn more about Codex Alimentarius Commission here: https://lnkd.in/eqFSFqGG     #WorldFoodSafetyDay #FoodSafety

This week, FAO and IPCC are co-hosting an expert meeting to review the impacts of climate change on agriculture and agrifood systems. The insights and outcomes from these discussions could help inform the IPCC’s Seventh Assessment Report, strengthening the scientific foundation for resilient and sustainable agrifood systems worldwide. The Expert Meeting has brought together more than 80 leading scientists, researchers and practitioners, including from crop, livestock and fisheries and aquaculture sectors, experts on land and water, climate-resilient value chains and agricultural policy. As we look ahead to the next IPCC assessment, it is essential to ensure that agrifood systems, and the solutions they offer, are placed at the heart of climate science discussions. Bringing together science, policy and implementation is key to building more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems for better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life.   🎧 Kaveh Zahedi, FAO Assistant Director-General and Director of the Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment, speaks with Mark Howden AC , Vice-Chair of IPCC Working Group II.   More here: https://lnkd.in/e7bP53qU   #ClimateAction #ClimateScience #IPCC

🌍 Nature is sending clear signals: record-breaking temperatures, extreme weather events and climate-related losses. For the 1.23 billion people who depend on agrifood systems, understanding those signals is essential. This is particularly true during major climate events such as El Niño, which can affect rainfall, temperatures and agriculture and pasture conditions around the globe. Climate information is part of the answer. FAO's climate services translate weather and climate data into practical information so farmers can act before impacts hit, not after. But information only makes a difference if it reaches the people who need it, including farmers in the most remote areas, where the gap between data and decision is still too large to ignore. #NowForClimate #WorldEnvironmentDay

How do chefs keep food safe in their kitchens? 👨🍳 For World Food Safety Day, chefs Rodrigo Pacheco, Tammy Wong, and Sam Tran share the food safety tips they apply every day. Because safe food starts with simple, consistent habits. Stay tuned for more chef tips. #FoodSafety #WorldFoodSafetyDay

At country borders, food inspectors are the first line of defense against food safety risks. Food inspection is a job where a wrong call in either direction — passing a dangerous consignment or blocking a safe one — carries real consequences. In Comoros, where over 80% of food is imported, the stakes are high. A non-compliant shipment moves into homes and schools, onto the plates of children and the elderly. Beyond the human cost, foodborne illnesses drain household budgets and strain health systems. With funding from the European Union, the Government of Ireland and Flexible Voluntary Contributions, FAO is strengthening food safety and control systems, assisting inspectors in making evidence-driven, risk-based assessments. Keeping people safe. This is what is asked of the person standing at the border. 🔗 https://bit.ly/4uTcSKG #WorldFoodSafetyDay

Over one billion people eat potatoes every day. A staple food across continents, they are often consumed fried, mashed, curried, roasted or boiled. Processed into flour, starch, and even beverages, the tuber crop’s reach extends well beyond the kitchen: potatoes have many derivatives, including a biodegradable substitute for plastic.    In sub-Saharan Africa, where hunger and malnutrition remain acute challenges, potatoes offer a powerful opportunity. Around 33 million smallholder farmers — roughly 80 percent— depend on crops like potatoes for both food and income. These farmers produce around 70 percent of the continent’s food supply, typically on plots less than one hectare.   The urgency is clear. According to the 2026 Global Report on Food Crises, out of 266 million people across 47 countries who faced acute food insecurity in 2025, Africa bears a disproportionate share with over 87 million hungry people. About 35.5 million children were acutely malnourished.   Abebe HaileGabriel, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Africa, and Yurdi Yasmi, FAO Director of the Plant Production and Protection Division, explain. https://lnkd.in/edPhZdz7   #InternationalDayOfPotato

Antimicrobial resistance (#AMR) poses a significant long-term threat to food security, livestock production, economic welfare and human health, making it imperative to realign incentives in the global livestock sector before the costs of inaction become much harder to reverse, according to a new scenario-based economic assessment from FAO. Under current trends, driven by growing demand for animal source foods and continued production intensification, global antimicrobial use in livestock is projected to increase by nearly 30 percent by 2040 compared with 2019, according to The future of antimicrobial use in livestock – The economic cost of action or inaction. The report highlights that while antimicrobial growth promoters (AGPs) are associated with clear short-term productivity gains, especially in resource-limited areas, the long-term production losses projected under rising AMR scenarios are much larger. In the scenarios assessed, cumulative livestock production losses under the high-AMR case could reach about $318 billion by 2040, compared with about $53 billion under the most severe AGP phase-out case. “The costs of reducing unnecessary antimicrobial use are often immediate and concentrated, while the benefits of preserving antimicrobial effectiveness are long-term and widely shared,” said Thanawat Tiensin, FAO Assistant Director-General, Director of the Animal Production and Health Division, and Chief Veterinarian. “This is why antimicrobial effectiveness should be treated as a global public good, requiring better alignment between national and farm-level incentives and the global benefits of preserving its effectiveness, supported by investment that makes prevention feasible at scale.”   Press release: https://lnkd.in/eazrrFe3 Download your copy of the report: https://lnkd.in/erR8pcSn

Choices that put food on the table can also build resilience, reduce emissions, halt biodiversity loss and restore degraded land. Through their partnership in 140 countries, FAO and Global Environment Facility are supporting farmers, herders, fisherfolk, forest communities and others to rethink and rebuild agrifood systems. Here are four inspiring examples ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/eSxASi9p

Out now – a new FAO -EBRD study on integrating sustainability-linked loans (SLLs) into agrifood finance. Agrifood systems are under growing pressure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and ensure more sustainable production practices. This report explores how SLLs can contribute to this transition. Between 2017 and 2023, about 5% of global SLL issuance targeted the agrifood sector. This is slightly above the sector’s share of conventional syndicated lending, which reflects the relevance of SLLs for agrifood systems. But as development finance institutions show a growing interest for innovative finance solutions, how can SLLs be adapted to the realities of financing agrifood companies operating in low- and middle-income countries? Check out the report to learn more:  https://lnkd.in/g-xJEQgy