Rome: The cost of key foods edged up last month as searing heatwaves and ongoing geopolitical uncertainty impacted energy prices around the world.According to United Nations, data published on Friday from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), a basket of staple foods cost one per cent more in July than a year ago. Food inflation remains a major concern as staple food prices are still above 2025 levels. The report highlights several contributing factors, including climate impacts such as heatwaves and El Niño, which continue to pose threats to harvests worldwide. Additionally, ongoing conflicts and geopolitical tensions are adding to market instability, further exacerbating hunger risks, with millions still facing food insecurity despite some regions experiencing better harvests.Commodities like sugar saw significant price increases, up 5.6 per cent in July, primarily due to worries about the effects of persistent hot and dry weather on crop yields in the European Union and El Niño-related weathe r conditions in major producing countries in Asia, as detailed in the FAO Food Price Index update.Cereals witnessed a 3.4 per cent increase from June, reversing earlier declines, and rose 6.9 per cent above their July 2025 level. Although rice prices remained stable last month, global wheat prices surged by 5.8 per cent due to ongoing disruptions to Black Sea exports caused by the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, compounded by the anticipated impact of recent heatwaves on crop yields in various countries.World maize prices climbed 3.6 per cent, driven by concerns over hot and dry conditions in parts of the United States, along with spillover effects from stronger energy markets amid heightened geopolitical tensions, the FAO reported. The vegetable oil price index reached its highest level since June 2022, increasing by two per cent, linked to demand from Indonesia's biodiesel sector and rising crude oil prices. However, while soy oil prices increased due to robust feedstock demand from the United States, global sunflower and rapeseed oil prices decreased.In related developments, UN-backed food insecurity experts noted that Malawi is experiencing a notable improvement in hunger levels compared to the last two years. This improvement is largely attributed to a good harvest in the 2025/26 farming season following the severe El Niño impacts of 2024/25, as outlined in the IPC update. Despite this progress, approximately 1.9 million people in the southern African nation are still facing crisis levels of acute food insecurity, classified as IPC Phase 3 out of five. The situation is expected to worsen during the October 2026 to March 2027 lean season, potentially pushing 2.6 million people into crisis or level 3 hunger. High food prices, inflation, and below-average staple production are driving acute food insecurity, with forecasts of a strong El Niño during the 2026/27 rainy season underscoring the need for close monitoring, IPC experts emphasized.