Global food system faces resilience crisis

Global cereal production is on track for its second-largest harvest on record in 2026, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, or FAO. Yet, FAO data also shows wheat prices had already soared to three-year highs in July. Behind the seemingly contradictory data lies the global food system's ongoing "resilience crisis," a systemic fragility that persists even when aggregate supply appears adequate. Though there's no widespread systemic food shortage currently, global food security is facing significant pressures, driven mainly by high energy prices, extreme weather events, and geopolitical conflicts, experts said.