ROME, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Global food prices rose in December, with the FAO Food Price Index at a record high, the U.N Food and Agriculture Organisation said on Wednesday, past 2008 highs when rising food prices sparked riots in a number of countries.
Up for the sixth month in a row the index was the highest since records began in 1990, in nominal terms, and topped the high of 213.5 in June 2008, during the food crisis of 2007/08.
The index, which measures monthly price changes for a food basket composed of cereals, oilseeds, dairy, meat and sugar, averaged 214.7 points last month, up from 206.0 points in November.
Reporting by Catherine Hornby; editing by Keiron Henderson
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