# From the Iran War to the World’s Dinner Table: Key Implications for the Global Food Supply Chain

- Link: https://www.thailand-business-news.com/markets/commodities/327563-from-the-iran-war-to-the-worlds-dinner-table-key-implications-for-the-global-food-supply-chain
- Published: 2026-10-15T09:33:00+07:00
- Author: PR Desk

The Middle East conflict presents both risks and opportunities for Thailand’s food
industry. Rising energy and raw material costs, particularly fertilizers and plastic
packaging inputs, are increasing production expenses, while transportation disruptions
threaten supply chains across agriculture, livestock, and fisheries sectors, potentially
slowing consumption of discretionary food products.

However, the crisis may benefit Thai exporters of long-shelf-life foods like ready-
to-eat meals and basic proteins, as countries stockpile for food security. Businesses
are advised to manage logistics risks, diversify export markets, lock in costs through
long-term contracts, and reduce plastic dependence through alternative packaging
materials.

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## The Middle East crisis is a double-edged sword for Thailand’s food industry, posing risks while creating opportunities as the Kitchen of the World.

**The conflict in the Middle East is increasingly having a clear impact on the global
food supply chain and Thailand’s food and beverage industry, both through rising
costs and slowing consumption, as well as through the risk of shortages of raw materials
and production inputs arising from supply disruptions.**

 * Food and beverage production costs have increased in line with higher energy 
   prices, raw material costs, and production inputs linked to energy—particularly
   chemical fertilizer prices, which have surged sharply and face the risk of shortages—
   directly affecting a wide range of upstream players in the food production chain,
   including agriculture, livestock, and fisheries.
 * At the same time, players in the food and beverage production chain also face
   sharply rising energy costs, as well as transportation and logistics costs, significantly
   affecting businesses, especially those with high energy intensity in their production
   processes or with export markets located relatively far away.
 * In addition, the energy crisis is also affecting the supply chain of the packaging
   industry, particularly plastic packaging, as reflected in the surge in plastic
   resin prices in line with upstream raw material costs and the likelihood of shortages
   in the coming period. Such risks affect the manufacturing supply chain of a wide
   range of downstream industries, including food and beverage.
 * On the demand side, although Thailand’s overall food exports to the Middle East
   remain limited, the slowdown in both the global and Thai economies, together 
   with the prospect of accelerating inflation, may dampen or even contract consumption
   of certain discretionary food and beverage products. At the same time, consumers
   are likely to shift their consumption behavior toward more value-for-money products,
   which will affect the competitive landscape. Therefore, cost-efficient enterprises
   with resilient supply chains will maintain a competitive edge.

**The prolonged warfare  is also heightening the vulnerability of global food security.**

 * Currently, a number of countries have begun announcing suspensions of agricultural
   and food exports in order to strengthen domestic food security and build emergency
   reserves for consumption amid a war situation that is likely to be more prolonged
   than expected, resulting in reduced supplies of some certain food products reaching
   the global market.
 * Disruptions to shipping routes or logistics systems would further exacerbate 
   shortages in global food supply and could lead to soaring food prices, thereby
   affecting consumers’ food security, particularly among vulnerable groups, as 
   well as consumers in countries that are net food importers.

**Nevertheless, Thailand may benefit and capitalize on the surging demand for some
certain food categories, **particularly those with a long shelf life, including 
semi-prepared foods, ready-to-eat meals, and low-cost basic proteins,  which are
poised to see a substantial uptick in export volumes from trading partners, including
those in the Middle East, as countries accelerate stockpiling to strengthen food
security and build emergency reserves for consumption should the war persist longer
than expected. This crisis therefore represents a significant opportunity for producers
of certain food products to expand their export markets and generate additional 
revenue.

Source: [Flash / “From the Iran War to the World’s Dinner Table”: Implications for the Food Supply Chain to Watch Closely | SCBEIC](https://www.scbeic.com/en/detail/product/ME-Agro-FB-280426)