Middle East war and El Nino compound rising food prices | The National

Households to face higher prices for food even after war in Iran eases

A new ECIU report based on 30+ years of UK data finds that food prices fall just 7% of the original shock within two years, restoring only 35% of affordability — a "rocket and feathers" dynamic driven by the Middle East conflict and El Niño. For operations and procurement leads, this confirms that food-linked cost pressures on staff compensation and catering budgets are structural, not transient, requiring longer-horizon planning rather than short-cycle relief assumptions.