Global food prices have hit an 18-month high, signalling further hikes in the grocery sector for UK shoppers.

Soaring costs for staples such as cheese, sugar, vegetable oils and wheat have risen steadily since the start of the year, with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s food price index hitting 127.4 in October, the Financial Times reported.

This figure marks a 5.5% increase on the same period last year and the highest level since April 2023.

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The UN found rises among most categories, including a 7.3% month-on-month hike for vegetable oils, a 2.6% increase for sugar, and a 1.9% rise for dairy products.

While food costs remain below record March 2022 levels, in the UK, inflation of food and non-alcoholic drinks rose to 1.9% from 1.3% in September – the first increase since March 2023.

However, last month the BRC-NielsenIQ Shop Price Index found that inflation had slowed for some products, including meat, fish and tea, as well as chocolate and sweets “as retailers treated customers to spooky season deals,” according to the trade body’s CEO Helen Dickinson.