DUBAI: The price of the weekly shop is set to surge as global food prices rocket.

The world’s food import bill is set to rise 12 percent from a year ago to $1.72 trillion according to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization.

The trend is a particular concern for Gulf economies which import most of their food.

As the region recovers from the pandemic, food imports for meat products in particular are expected to rise.

“In Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the possible revival of tourism and an increase in inbound workers could lead to higher poultry imports, given that the hotels, restaurants and foreign workers consume about 60 percent of imported meat products,” the FAO said.

Among the findings in the latest Food Outlook report, issued twice a year, is that the average worldwide consumer price of protein in May 2021 was 23 percent above its May 2020 level. Calories, in prices, meanwhile, were up 34 percent year-on-year and hit their highest level since February 2013.

The difference reflects stronger price rises for wheat, coarse grains and vegetable oils compared to meats, dairy products and fish, the FAO said.

Regional supermarket groups have reported bumper earnings over the last year as consumers stocked up on essential items during lockdowns and restaurants were closed. However the continued rise in food prices even as the global economy emerges from the pandemic is set to fuel further inflation.

World meat output in 2021 is forecast to expand by 2.2 percent, to 346 million tons, reflecting an anticipated rebound in meat production in China, where expansions are expected across all meat types, the FAO said.