The two bar charts compare the global food price index and the price of oil at four selected milestones from 2000 to 2011. Food is measured in index points, while oil is priced in US dollars per barrel. All figures are approximate rather than annual averages.
Overall, both measures increased considerably between the first and last observations, despite a sharp fall following their 2008 highs. Their subsequent recoveries differed: food exceeded its earlier high by early 2011, whereas oil did not.
At the start of 2000, the food price index stood at about 90 points. It reached approximately 220 at the selected high in 2008, before falling to around 140 in early 2009. By early 2011, it had recovered to roughly 240 points, the highest of the four food values shown.
Oil followed a similar sequence but recorded a larger proportional rise and fall. Its price increased from about $25 per barrel initially to approximately $135 in 2008. It then dropped to around $40 in early 2009 before recovering to about $100 by early 2011, still some $35 below its 2008 high.