Commodity markets at the end of August are sending mixed signals. Sugar and Brent are correcting lower after a stronger rise, while cocoa remains at a high level. For several raw materials, a reliable weekly benchmark is also unavailable, so for Q4 purchasing it is more important to work with a comparable reference, an exact specification and a fresh supplier offer than to react to an isolated price figure.
Sugar after the correction: do not lock in the entire Q4 yet
Sugar: -6.7%. ICE London White Sugar #5, front-month Oct’26, closed on 28 August at USD 514.40/t, approximately EUR 442/t at the ECB exchange rate. A week earlier it was at USD 551.60/t.
It is important not to confuse futures with the physical European market. The average physical price in the EU was approximately EUR 501/t for June 2026, therefore still above the exchange reference. The Rootie indicative range for futures is EUR 486-530/t.
For Q4 purchasing, this means one simple thing: do not lock in the entire volume just because the season is approaching. The price is currently falling and physical suppliers may adjust to the exchange movement with a delay. It is more reasonable to work with shorter offer validity periods and monitor one or two more closes.
Brent fell by 5.4%: room for new logistics offers
Brent: -5.4%. The front-month contract closed on 28 August at USD 89.31/bbl compared with USD 94.39 on 21 August. The spot price on 31 August was around USD 90.55/bbl.
For buyers, this is the opposite signal to last week. If a supplier passed higher fuel costs into the delivered price, it now makes sense to request a recalculation. However, do not lock in transport blindly for a long period — the route, delivery window and specific volume must be confirmed first.
Cocoa remains high, but we cannot reliably measure the weekly movement of powder
Cocoa: high level without a reliable weekly benchmark for powder. Cocoa beans were at approximately USD 6,634.61/t on 28 August. However, this is not the price of cocoa powder and these two references cannot be interchanged.
The latest traceable spot reference for cocoa powder with 10-12% fat content was approximately EUR 4,909/t UK FOB for June 2026. The Rootie indicative range for powder is EUR 5,400-5,900/t.
For cocoa, therefore, do not make a decision based on the headline futures number. Lock in an offer only against the exact specification — fat content, alkalisation, origin, packaging — and with short validity. For this product today, specification accuracy is more important than a fabricated weekly trend.
Potato starch: monitor the quarter, not the week
Potato starch: stable quarterly benchmark. ChemAnalyst reports a value of USD 989/t for Germany FOB Hamburg for Q2 2026, approximately EUR 849/t. This index is updated quarterly, so a weekly increase or decrease cannot be correctly derived from it.
The Rootie indicative range is EUR 934-1,019/t. For an actual enquiry, verify the grade, batch, expiry and DAP or FCA terms before communicating the price to the customer.
Sunflower oil: distinguish between FOB, CIF and EU wholesale
Sunflower oil: slight decline on FOB, but not a broad market price decrease. EU FOB offers for September were approximately USD 1,460/t as of 24 August, while the national average in Bulgaria was around EUR 1,440/t in August.
The Rootie range for EU wholesale refined is EUR 1,580-1,720/t. CIF Rotterdam RBDW can be significantly lower, approximately around EUR 1,300/t. These levels are not interchangeable. Every offer must therefore make it clear whether you are comparing FOB, CIF or a physical wholesale price with delivery.
Caraway and STPP: price without specification is not enough
Caraway: stable, but strongly dependent on origin and processing. Finland FCA Dordrecht is around EUR 2,170/t, UK EU sortex clean FOB London around EUR 1,840/t and Egyptian conventional caraway approximately EUR 1,700/t. The Rootie range for Finland FCA Dordrecht is EUR 2,385-2,600/t.
For spice purchases, therefore, always confirm origin, purity, grinding and packaging before comparing prices.
STPP: no reliable weekly EU benchmark. Chinese food grade FOB is around USD 850-960/t. After adding insurance and a distribution margin, the indicative level is approximately EUR 870-920/t DDP EU.
There is no single public EU quotation, so there is no point in presenting an artificial weekly change here. Before making an offer, confirm the technical data sheet, E451 certificate, MOQ, packaging and payment terms.
What this means for individual segments
- Bakeries and confectioneries: Sugar futures are softening, while the physical EU market remains above EUR 500/t. Do not lock in the entire Q4 this week; work with shorter pricing windows.
- Chocolate producers: Cocoa remains volatile and there is no reliable weekly public quotation for powder. Price only against a specific specification and with a short maximum offer validity.
- Dairies: Monitor potato starch through quarterly development, not an artificial weekly percentage. For puddings and ice cream, plan purchases by quarter.
- Fitness and muesli: For maltodextrin and oils, always monitor origin and the pricing level. EU wholesale and CIF Rotterdam are not the same benchmark.
- Gastro and oils: For sunflower oil, compare only equivalent offers with the same Incoterm and delivery location. For rapeseed, monitor current futures and physical offers separately.
- Logistics: Lower Brent creates room to review fuel surcharges. Recalculate the delivered price, but lock in transport only after the route and delivery date are confirmed.
Practical steps for buyers this week
- Request two comparable offers for sugar and sunflower oil by Friday with the same Incoterm, volume and delivery date.
- Price cocoa and sugar only against a confirmed specification and short validity — approximately 5-7 days for cocoa and 7-14 days for sugar.
- For STPP, caraway and tapioca, request the technical data sheet, origin, purity, grinding or a sample test before comparing EUR/t.
- If the buyer is sourcing multiple commodities, combine them into one request with one clear CTA. This speeds up both comparison and supplier response.
Why Rootie works this week
This week, Rootie records 3 closed contracts, 180 tonnes of aggregated volume and an average saving of 8% compared with the spot price. The difference does not come only from finding the lowest price tag, but mainly from comparing the same reference, specification, Incoterm and genuinely available logistics.
Need help timing your purchase?
Send us the commodity, specification, volume and delivery location. We will compare fresh offers and set a short or regular purchasing window.
Sources: ECB EUR/USD · WSJ White Sugar #5 · Reuters · Trading Economics · Procurement Resource · ChemAnalyst · TESEO / European Commission Agridata · Vegoils Market Summary · Commodity Board · ECHEMI · IMARC · EU Sugar Dashboard / Tridge · Barchart