9 January 2014, Rome – The FAO Food Price Index for December, released today, shows only a slight increase from November. However, the FAO Food Price Index for 2013 as a whole now averages 209.9 points, which is only 1.6 percent below 2012. These numbers for 2013 are the third highest on record. The Index is a measure of the monthly change in international prices of major food crops and commodities.