{"id":86365,"date":"2026-10-16T03:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-16T01:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/?p=86365"},"modified":"2026-10-16T03:35:36","modified_gmt":"2026-10-16T01:35:36","slug":"how-our-beloved-foods-are-becoming-an-unaffordable-luxury","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/story\/86365\/how-our-beloved-foods-are-becoming-an-unaffordable-luxury\/","title":{"rendered":"How our beloved foods are becoming an unaffordable luxury"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Despite my best efforts to buy local, seasonal food, I have two non-negotiable vices: coffee and dark chocolate. Not a single day goes by, without me knocking back a shot of espresso and devouring a few squares of 90% dark chocolate.<\/p>\n\n

Lately, though, my daily ritual feels less like a simple routine and more like an expensive indulgence<\/a>. And I\u2019m sure I\u2019m not the only one who experiences it. If you buy food at a grocery store rather than growing it yourself, you have almost certainly felt the pinch of rising prices.<\/p>\n\n

\"\u201cChocball\u201d
\u201cChocball\u201d with the ingredients of date palm, almond, cocoa powder, and dark chocolate. This menu is shared by Chef Fin Suparadi Siwapornpitak when Greenpeace Southeast Asia organised \u2018Veggies and why our children deserve good food?\u2019 to encourage parents and schools to provide ecological food to children.
\u00a9 Wason Wanichakorn \/ Greenpeace<\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

A recent analysis by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit<\/a> (ECIU) highlights that in the UK, for example, food prices could be 50% higher than 2021 by November 2026. Globally, the outlook is as gloomy as in the UK. Oxford Economics forecasts food prices could rise up to 11.8% in 2026 and even additional 4.8% in 2027<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n

Before food hits grocery store shelves, its price is set in global trading markets. When wholesale prices jump for raw crops like wheat, sugar, soybeans, and corn, higher prices at the checkout counter are guaranteed to follow. Cereals commodity prices rose 17%<\/a> in one year, while sugar commodity prices increased almost 15%. <\/p>\n\n

Why is food getting so expensive?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

World Food Day\u2019s theme this year reminds us how to \u201cinnovate today to nourish tomorrow<\/a>\u201d, but we should also think about how to nourish people with healthy and affordable food right now. Our modern food system is very fragile. It relies on a long, vulnerable chain of supply that breaks easily when global shocks hit.<\/p>\n\n

These three main drivers are pushing prices up:<\/p>\n\n