The United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization says world food prices fell 2.4 percent in December.

Thursday's report from the FAO says lower demand and larger harvests of cereals, sugar and oils contributed to the price decline. Altogether, food prices are down more than 11 percent from their peak last February.

While the prices have fallen recently, they remain higher than usual.

The FAO says uncertainties about the global economy, currency markets, and energy prices make it difficult to predict what will happen to food prices in the future.