These foods could soon be in short supply due to the war in Ukraine

The world could be facing a food crisis with prices soaring and crops at risk due to the war in Ukraine, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation has said.

Food prices were already high due to unpredictable weather, in part because of climate change, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now with the invasion of Ukraine, the world’s food systems could be tipped into disaster. Exports are blocked, people can’t work the land in Ukraine and farmers can’t get the vital supplies they need to continue growing food.

So which foods will see the biggest impact from the war in Ukraine?

Wheat is the key component of these everyday foods.

Almost a third of the world’s wheat is supplied by Russia and Ukraine, known as Europe’s breadbasket. Ports are closed and infrastructure is in chaos, meaning different sources of this vital crop need to be found. With farmers in Ukraine unable to plant their crops, a shortage of wheat could also be on the horizon.

At the moment, finding different suppliers means prices are going up and the cost of wheat has already hit record highs. More than 50 countries depend on the two nations for their wheat and this staple makes up around a fifth of the world’s calories and protein.

Some of the biggest importers of wheat from this region are in North Africa including Nigeria, one of the world’s poorest nations. These countries are bearing the brunt of the crisis while already financially weakened by the pandemic.

Shortages or cost increases for wheat mean an impact on essential food items such as bread, pasta and cereals.

Russia and Ukraine account for around 70 to 80 per cent of global exports of sunflower oil. The sunflower itself is Ukraine’s national flower.

The EU imports around 200,000 tonnes of Ukrainian sunflower oil