Kallas: “War and El Niño are already translating into increased food prices”

Brussels – War and bad weather: the perfect storm for the cost of living. “The disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz and the blockage of the Black Sea route due to Russian
attacks are aggravated by the impending strong El Niño event,” acknowledges the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, who warns: “This is already translating into increased food prices.” This is not good news for families, consumers and retailers, who face the serious risk of price rises. Food prices, Kallas adds, “could peak in the 2nd quarter of 2027 at around 11 per cent above the
3rd quarter 2026 levels.” 

In short, by June 2027, grocery shopping risks becoming unaffordable compared with what consumers paid at checkout at the end of September this year. The alarm bells are being sounded in the response to a parliamentary question tabled by Sebastião Bugalho (EPP), a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs. It is here that the Commission is being asked to account for the war’s impact on food security. The response provided by the High Representative serves once again to reiterate that, for the European Commission, conflict and instability in the Persian Gulf are attributable to Russia rather than to the United States and Israel that started the war, demonstrating the EU executive’s inability to be firm and decisive with the powerful, and confirming the double standards in foreign policy.

However, Kallas assures that the EU remains vigilant and proactive on food and food inflation. “The issue of food security, due to global trade disruptions, has been discussed during the meetings with the United Nations, with the African Union and within G7 and G20 formats.” The EU will continue to keep a close eye on the situation, the High Representative said, but in the meantime, the spectre of rising living costs is becoming ever closer and more real. This is not good news.