World food prices jumped to new record high in March as the war in Ukraine rattled grain and vegetable oil markets, the UN food agency said on Friday.

The Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) food price index, which tracks the most globally traded food commodities, averaged 159.3 points last month versus an upwardly revised 141.4 for February, reported Reuters.

The February figure was previously put at 140.7, which was a record at the time.