The World Bank published on May 16, 2025 its “Food Security Update” report in which it provides a glimpse on the year-on-year change in the food component of a country’s Consumer Price Index (CPI). In details, the report revealed that food price inflation remains elevated across all countries’ income categories, with 87.5% of low-income, 50.0% of lower-middle-income, 47.0% of upper-middle-income and 18.5% of high-income countries having food price inflation levels exceeding 5%. The World Bank noted that real food price inflation (which is defined as nominal food inflation minus overall inflation) has exceeded real overall inflation in 61% of the 157 countries for which both food CPI and overall CPI indexes are available. The report also noted that nominal food price inflation in Lebanon has been following a downward trajectory, casting an annual change of 21.4% in March 2025, down from 51.4% in March 2024 noting that it rose on a monthly basis when compared to the 20.5% level reached in February 2025. This trend is illustrated in chart below:

The report also mentioned that as of May 2025, 9 countries have implemented 10 food export bans on major food commodities in order to prevent additional internal food shortages, while 4 have adopted 4 export-limiting measures.

According to the World Bank, the Lebanese Minister of Economy and Trade held a meeting with representatives from the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Food and Argiculture Organization (FAO) to discuss developing a national food security strategy and reconstruct the Beirut Port Silos. In addition, the report noted that the Minister of Agriculture announced a new coordination mechanism with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon to provide safe access to Lebanese farmers around the southern borders.