London (CNN) -- World food prices rose to an all-time high in January, according to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The FAO's Food Price Index measures the cost of a basket of basic food supplies -- sugar, cereals, dairy, oils and fats and meat -- across the globe.
The index rose by 3.4% in January -- the seventh monthly increase in a row -- to its highest level since records began in 1990.
The cost of sugar, cereals, dairy and oils and fats all went up last month, while meat prices remained steady.
FAO economist Abdolreza Abbassian said high prices were likely to persist in the months to come.
Rising commodities costs are one of the major factors behind a growing wave of civil unrest across the Middle East and North Africa.
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