USA and Canada

      Wheat prices expected to peak this winter

The tightness in high protein wheat markets bodes well for spring wheat prices, but farmers might have to wait until mid-winter to see the peak, says an analyst.

Brennan Turner, chief executive officer of the crop marketing hub Combyne, said this year is reminiscent of 2007-08.

Canada had a similar disappointing level of spring wheat production back then, and export prospects were also about the same.

Prices at the beginning of that year’s campaign were about the same as they are today.

They started to steadily climb when the calendar flipped to 2008, peaking at a whopping US$24 per bu. on Feb. 25 before dropping back down to the $9 level by the end of the year.

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Ag game changing and the intelligence is inside

Artificial intelligence is on the cusp of causing a sea change in agriculture that promises to quickly challenge conventional crop-production and farm management techniques.

Many components required to build autonomous, smart agricultural equipment for vegetable and grain production in North America are already proven technologies.

Sensors including camera, lidar, and radar, as well as components that enable the electrification of machines such as hydraulic pumps, batteries and control systems are also far more available now compared to a few years ago.

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Supply chain problems contribute to fertilizer worries

Matt Conacher has important advice for western Canadian farmers.

“Over the next few months buy a good portion of your fertilizer needs and, if you can, bring it to farm to assure your supply,” said the senior manager of fertilizer with Federated Co-operatives Limited.

All macro-nutrients are in short supply for a variety of reasons, resulting in the highest fertilizer prices in history.

Nitrogen fertilizer production is being curtailed all over the world due to a myriad of factors like sky-high natural gas prices in Europe, a hurricane in Louisiana and energy outages in China.

On top of that, supply chain logistics are a mess.

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Tough Western Canadian harvest means less grain on the dock in Thunder Bay

The Port of Thunder Bay is feeling the impact of a reduced shipments of Prairie grain as the Western Canadian harvest is suffering through a ten-year low.

Monthly grain loads were down 30 per cent in September, according to the Thunder Bay Port Authority, which said in a news release that this mirrors the estimates by crop analysts of a 30 per cent reduction in crop yields in 2022.

The port authority registered 640,037 tonnes of grain through Thunder Bay last month, down from 935,881 tonnes during September 2020.

The authority said year-to-date grain shipments through Thunder Bay are now five per cent below their five-year average.

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October WASDE holds a mixed bag for the grain markets

The October World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates were bearish for the row crop sector but positive for wheat.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture increased soybean yield by nearly 1 bushel per acre over September to 51.5 bushel per acre in the report issued on Tuesday, Oct. 12. The largest production changes are for Iowa, Minnesota and Nebraska. Harvested acres were left unchanged from last month at 86.4 million acres but production was increased to 4.448 billion bushels which was up 74 million bushels from September.

However, with the increase in carry in from the September quarterly stocks that pushed ending stocks to 320 million bushels, which is a 135 million bushels increase.

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New Zealand

New technology will change the way farming is managed in the future

A Kiwi brought you the electric fence, what future local technology leaps will change the way farming is managed?

Seaweed feed additive can reduce methane production – the future is…almost here

Studies have shown that the red seaweed Asparagopsis can inhibit methane production when given as feed additive to cattle, and it has been hailed as a product that will save the planet.

However, says Johan Svenson, science and group manager for algae and bioactives at the Cawthron Institute, despite media hype about it, this seaweed still needs to be studied at a number of levels and a commercial solution is some way off.

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Choosing the right farm animals for your lifestyle block

Just as animals come in all shapes and sizes, so too do the lifestyle blocks they are kept on, and some animals are better suited to smaller blocks up to 10 hectares than others.

With more and more Kiwis pulling up sticks to move to the country, more important than ever is that the right animals are kept on smaller sections.

Kate Brennan is a goat farmer who runs lifestyleblock.co.nz, a website where people can seek advice on the practicalities of a lifestyle block. She says proper research is the key when it comes to finding the right animals for your land.

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Market for high-quality sunflower oil creates new opportunity for farmers

Farmers could earn extra money by growing sunflowers as a rotational crop in the summer, new research from the Foundation for Arable Research has found.

Demand for hi-oleic sunflower oil, a quality oil with a high smoke point, was growing. The oil is low in saturated fat and high in monounsaturated fat, the foundation said.

The three-year project, which received $90,000 from the Ministry for Primary Industries Sustainable Farming Fund (now called the Sustainable Food and Fibres Future fund), looked at crop options that could raise profitability and provide alternative land uses.

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Comparing pasture-raised beef to grain finished beef and a plant-based alternative identified better human health outcomes for the pasture-raised product, just another key outcome from the science that supports NZ farmers

Over the next few weeks I am taking a look at the research New Zealand scientists are conducting to explore the differences between pasture-raised beef and lamb vs grain-fed beef and lamb and indeed alternative proteins.

The first two weeks I am talking with Agresearch scientist Scott Knowles to get an understanding of what the research is all about and what Scott’s particular involvement is.

This research is in four stages. The first compares the nutritional makeup of pasture-raised beef, grain-finished beef, and meat alternatives. 

Read more here…

Australia

WA farmers enjoy canola fields of gold

CANOLA’S stratospheric rise continues with prices cracking $1000 a tonne.

While prices in four figures have occurred in broadacre crops with smaller overall production, such as lentils and Kabuli type chickpeas, this is a record for a mainstream crop in Australia.

Prices earlier this month touched $1020 a tonne in Western Australia and just crept over the $1000/t mark delivered to crushers on the east coast.

Australian Oilseeds Federation (AOF) executive officer Nick Goddard said the current prices smashed previous highs out of the water.

Using Australian Bureau of Statistics export data, Mr Goddard said the average price was just $579/t as recently as the 2017-18 season.

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Nut export values plummet but volumes up

AUSTRALIA sent more nuts overseas but got less for them overall in 2020/21.

Rural Bank’s Australian Agricultural Trade 2020/21 report which examines the performance of agricultural exports in the financial year, gave a mixed analysis of Australian tree nut exports.

It said the value of Australian nut exports decreased by 7.9 per cent in 2020/21 despite a significant rise in the volume of exports following increased production across most major growing regions.

A substantial rise in global supply saw the average export price for Australian nuts fall by 27.9pc. Australia exported 130,018 tonnes of nuts in that period.

 Read more here…

New peas Taylor made for success

LOST in among the hype surrounding other pulse crops field peas continue to be a quiet achiever in the southern production zone, especially in lower rainfall zones where crops such as lentils are less suited.

Pulse Breeding Australia has released two new varieties set to improve the product offering to field pea producers.

PBA Taylor is a Kaspa type field pea, slightly earlier maturing than the popular Kaspa variety.

The main advantage of the variety is in its strong disease resistance package, with good resistance to both pea seed borne mosaic virus and bean leaf roll virus.

These two viruses are common causes of yield loss in field peas and the resistance package is a key reason why Taylor has consistently been the highest yielding field pea in trials over a range of environments.

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Chinese relations impact table grape and citrus exporters with value drops

TENSIONS with China have hit the Australian table grape export market to the tune of $168.4 million.

While much has been made of the wine sector’s losses due to Chinese tariff increases, the fresh fruit equivalent has experienced the largest decline in export value in 2020/21 of the Australian fruit sector, down 25.8 per cent to $485 million.

The figures were revealed in Rural Bank‘s Australian Agricultural Trade 2020/21 report released last month.

While China remained Australia’s largest table grape export destination, export value to the country declined by 40pc in 2020/21.

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Avocado oversupply is hurting growers

A swathe of new avocado trees coming online across the country combined with good growing conditions and locked down cafes has created an ‘avo-lanche’.

The avo oversupply has driven prices down to $1.10 at some supermarkets.

A swathe of new avocado trees coming online across the country combined with good growing conditions and locked down cafes has created an ‘avo-lanche’.

The avo oversupply has driven prices down to $1.10 at some supermarkets.

Sunnyspot Farms directors Sally and Daryl Boardman, who have 15,000 trees at Ravensbourne, Hampton and Bundaberg, said the situation was tough for growers.

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South America

Uruguayan authorities halt second beef shipment to China which failed to meet quality standards

Uruguay’s Agriculture and Livestock Minister Fernando Mattos explained during the weekend that in addition to a batch of Uruguayan beef turned down by China at the port of destination for containing excessive amounts of fat, a similar case had been detected in the port of Montevideo, which was ready to be shipped.

The second batch had been found after Mattos had ordered an enquiry earlier this month on beef shipments from the Frigorífico Rosario processing plant which had already failed to meet the required quality standards.

“We confirmed that non-compliant merchandise, which was detected in China, was also found here in Montevideo,” said Minister Fernando Mattos at a press conference at Expo Melo in Cerro Largo this weekend.

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Argentine government slaps more controls on corn exports

Argentina’s Agriculture Minister has decided to up the number of requirements and restrictions on corn exports after the sector reached the exportable balance of 38.5 million tons, it was reported.

Corn producers and exporters complained additional requirements, restrictions and paperwork were set in place for the clearance of their goods to be shipped abroad amid rumours which ranged from an increase in export taxes to a ban -or cap- on international sales.

“Last week more than two million tons were anticipated. It is intended to order the last section of the year. Exports will not be closed, but more data will be requested,” Agriculture Minister sources told the media.

Argentina is “at the limit in the supply” of corn, it was also reported.

 

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Maritime transport crisis affects Catamarca exports of must

Export of Argentine must through the San Francisco Path to Chile from the province of Catamarca have to wait due to the international logistics scenario, it was reported Thursday.

Faced with this situation, provincial authorities were said to be looking for an alternative, which will most likely be the port of Buenos Aires.

Catamarca’s Director of Provincial Exchange Gabriel Molina explained “what is happening in the world is that there are closures of the main ports, there are no containers available, you cannot get reservations in the ports of the Chilean sector, there is a complication in the shipping companies”.

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BRAZIL’S 2021/22 SOYBEAN PLANTING REACHES 10%, AGRURAL SAYS

SAO PAULO, Oct 11 (Reuters) – Planting of Brazil’s 2021/22 soybean crop reached 10% of the estimated area as of Oct. 7, up six percentage points from the previous week and compared to 3% in the same period of 2020/21, agribusiness consultancy AgRural said on Monday.

The sowing was boosted by rain in a large portion of the country, and Mato Grosso and Parana, the major grain-producing states, led the planting progress, AgRural said.

“There was rainfall in a large part of Brazil last week, which favored fieldwork in regions where the planting was already advanced and also allowed the sowing to start in regions where producers were waiting for better humidity conditions,” AgRural said in a statement.

Read more here…

Food Updates

Whey protein transformation: looking to solve waste in the dairy industry

Global consumption of dairy products – and particularly milk products – is increasing, escalating the dairy industry’s production of waste. Here, food expert Evita Achmadi reflects on how we can turn by-product into value product.

According to USDA data, world milk consumption was approximately 190 million tons in 2020. India ranks top of this list, with 81 million tons of milk consumed last year  – a figure which is expected to rise to around 83 million tons in 2021. The European Union (EU) comes next with 33.4 million tons, followed by the US with 21.2 million tons.¹ This rise in milk consumption has encouraged growth in the dairy industry as well as the generation of more waste – the most significant of which is whey, given that this liquid by-product of cheese processing is already integrated into food products. 

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60 percent of Brits keen to grow food at home, says Samsung research

Electronics giant Samsung hopes that connected technology can enable more Brits to grow their own produce at home as it launches the UK’s first urban-farm-to-table pizzeria.

Samsung has today released research which shows that millions of Brits living in towns and cities across the UK are keen to start growing their own food. The findings reveal that 60 percent would like to grow their own produce at home, but it’s Gen Z urbanites who are proving themselves to be the next green-fingered generation, with almost three quarters (72 percent) of 18-24 year olds tending to mini crops or plants on windowsills (23 percent) and bedrooms (20 percent).

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Arla Foods Ingredients open new innovation centre in Denmark

The ingredients arm of food manufacturing giant Arla Foods says the new innovation centre will enable it to “bridge the gap” between research and manufacturing sustainable food.

Arla Foods Ingredients (a subsidiary of Arla Foods)  has opened a new Innovation Centre, which it says aims to step change cutting edge technology and the development of new solutions within a wide range of specialised dairy and whey ingredients to meet the fast-growing global demand for nutritious and sustainable food.

The Innovation Centre will be the new home for the company’s own international scientists and innovators and will bridge the gap for world class research, clinical trials and collaboration across the globe.

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“Analyse the data” – top food chain actors urge Farm to Fork rethink

The group of European food chain organisations has urged the European Commission to rethink the Farm to Fork strategy so as not to destabilise the continent’s food supply.

A consortium of top agricultural organisations including Copa Cogeca, Fertilizers Europe, and the European Landowners Organisation have come together to question the cost of the European Commission’s Farm to Fork strategy on European farmers.  

The group claims that several recently published studies on the Farm to Fork strategy indicate that the current targets, if implemented as proposed, will come at a considerable cost for EU farmers and the viability of the entire European agribusiness sector.

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USDA hands out funding for National Institute for Cellular Agriculture

It’s hoped the funding will help elevate the US to a position of leadership within the cultured protein sector, which is seen a key solution to reducing the climate impact of the food industry.

The US Department of Agriculture will award Tufts University $10 million over five years to establish the National Institute for Cellular Agriculture: a flagship American cultivated protein research centre of excellence.

USDA awarded the grant as a part of a $146 million investment in sustainable agricultural research projects announced by USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack on 6 October.  This investment is being made by USDA-NIFA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative’s (AFRI) Sustainable Agricultural Systems program — the nation’s largest competitive grants program for agricultural sciences. 

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USA and Canada

        Record corn prices offset lower yields

Corn prices are at exceptionally high levels in Manitoba because of local demand. Feed mills in the province need corn to produce rations. They can either buy corn locally, truck it in from the U.S., or replace it with feed wheat or barley. But those feed grains are also expensive. | File photo

Corn yields are below average on many farms in Manitoba, but producers should pocket a decent profit because of record high prices this fall.

A number of growers have extremely poor yields of 50 to 70 bushels per acre, and others have reported yields around 100 to 130 bu. per acre.

“It’s all over the place. It’s going to be the wonkiest provincial average, ever,” said Morgan Cott, special crops agronomist with the Manitoba Crop Alliance. “I think a happy medium would be someone averaging in the low 100s. Which is pretty amazing, considering the prices they (growers) could be getting this year.”

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Drought results in a drop in North Dakota, Minnesota edible bean production

Total 2021 U.S. edible bean production is estimated at 23.3 million hundredweight, which is 19% lower than 2020, the August crop production report said.

The North Dakota and Minnesota 2021 dry edible bean harvest is nearly in the books, and, as expected, yields are all over the board.

Eighty-three percent of North Dakota’s edible beans were harvested as of Sunday, Oct. 3, 5% less than last year, but 10% more than the five-year-average, according to National Agricultural Statistics Service-North Dakota. In Minnesota, the edible bean harvest was 86% complete as of Oct. 3, the same amount as in 2020 and 5% more than the five-year average, National Agricultural Statistics-Minnesota said.

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Organic Fertilizers Market for North America is Projected to Reach $2.45 Billion by 2026

The “North America Organic Fertilizers Market – Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2021 – 2026)” report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com’s offering.

The North American organic fertilizer market was valued at USD 1,116.6 million in 2020, and it is projected to reach a value of USD 2,456.0 million by 2026, registering a CAGR of 13.4%, during the forecast period, 2021-2026.

The COVID-19 pandemic had a direct and negative impact on the value chain of the organic fertilizer market in the North American region. The lockdown in different countries, including the United States, Canada, and Mexico, affected the export-import scenario and the distribution system adversely.

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Bill Gates’ green tech fund bets on farming robots

Reuters — As many parts of North America struggle under a crippling drought, a California startup that believes robots can grow produce more sustainably has raised US$50 million in a funding round led by Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures.

Iron Ox uses robots that are integrated with a hydroponic system consuming 90 percent less water than traditional farms, said chief executive officer Brandon Alexander.

The company is putting that system to work at a 10,000-sq. foot greenhouse in Gilroy, California, where a self-driving robot named Grover moves pallets of Genovese basil and a robotic arm system lifts the pallets for inspection. Sensors check the water for nitrogen and acidity levels for healthy growth.

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Barchart Cuts Crop Production Forecasts and Yield for U.S. and Canada

Barchart, a leading provider of data services, software and technology to global commodity buyers, agriculture, and the food supply chain, has released their October 2021 Yield and Production forecasts for U.S. and Canadian field crops. This latest report indicates a decrease in U.S. crop production for both corn, soybeans and hard red winter wheat, as well as a decrease in Canadian production forecasts for spring wheat and soybeans.

“As we near the end of the 2021 growing season, our forecasts have adjusted to show a decrease in yield for U.S. corn (182.3 bu/ac vs. 183.4 in September) and soybeans (51.3 bu/ac vs. 51.6 bu/ac in September),” said Barchart CEO Mark Haraburda. “We are also seeing a decrease in yield for Canadian Spring Wheat (46.3 bu/ac vs. 47.8 bu/ac in September), while there has been a slight increase in yield for Canadian Soybeans (42.2 bu/ac vs. 42.1 bu/ac in September).”

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New Zealand

ANZ raises forecast for Fonterra milk payment this season

ANZ has raised its expectation for Fonterra’s farmgate milk price this season as dairy commodity prices push higher.

The bank’s agricultural economist Susan Kilsby on Thursday raised her forecast by 50 cents to $8.20 per kilogram of milk solids.

“Dairy commodity prices have trended higher as the season has progressed. Often prices weaken at this time of the season, but this season prices have instead firmed,” Kilsby said.

“While we don’t see further upside in these prices in the immediate term, they are now at a level that delivers a healthy return back to our farmers.”

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Online trading platforms for on-farm livestock provide a safe, transparent selling option, avoiding freight and yard fees, and avoiding the associated animal welfare issues

Livestock trading is a critical element for any farmer, whether they are a commercial breeder selling calves, or lambs on to traders or finishers.

This is a pretty important time as it’s money back in the gate, and it’s something the farmer needs to get right particularly if selling on the open market.

I know a number of beef breeders who with their very well bred Angus or Hereford calves have been selling to the same farmers for generations, it could be a family member, a neighbour, or a good friend. Quite often a price is agreed between the two parties on a per head basis and their per head price may not fluctuate in the same way that the open market can. Of course the other traditional option is sending stock to calf and lamb sales or the saleyards where eager purchasers await.

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New study highlights differences between grassfed and grain-finished beef

A new study indicates that the way New Zealand grass-fed beef is raised has an effect on health and digestion.

The research was done at the Riddet Institute, led by Lovedeep Kaur and Mike Boland at Massey University’s Manawatū campus. It was funded by the Meat Industry Association, Beef and Lamb NZ, the High-Value Nutrition National Science Challenge and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.

Kaur said the research showed that while the composition of animal protein was largely determined by an animal’s genetics, its fat content, especially so-called “good fats”, was mostly determined by what it ate.

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‘Sustainable’ fresh milk comes with costs that will challenge consumers’ natural preference for low prices, despite what they tell pollsters

This week’s GDT result will not be doing anything to improve dairy farmers mood, especially those in the Waikato. The overall weighted average stayed at the same level as the previous auction and while Butter, Cheddar and SMP all had (very) small rises, and WMP a minor drop:

– Butter index up 0.4%, average price US$4,878/MT
– Cheddar index up 0.7%, average price US$4,297/MT
– SMP index up 0.5%, average price US$3,315/MT
– WMP index down 0.4%, average price US$3,749/MT

Read more here…

Australia

National crop big, but unlikely to reach last year’s levels

AUSTRALIA is likely to harvest another massive winter crop but areas of poorer crop mean it is unlikely to challenge last year’s record production.

James Maxwell, Australian Crop Forecasters, said there was still significant intrigue surrounding final production numbers.

“Most years you have a reasonable feel for production figures at this stage and if things are going to move you can be confident whether it is likely to go up or down,” Mr Maxwell said.

“This year all outcomes are still on the table, we could see things move up or down depending on what happens over the next month to six weeks.”

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Rains consolidate big winter crop

Soaking general rains across southern Queensland in the past week will guarantee a massive winter crop harvest.

Falls ranged from 15-45 millimetres across southern Queensland with 20-50mm across the southern half of the Central Highlands. The central Darling Downs received 15-20mm with 20-40mm across the western Downs.

Early barley harvesting around Goondiwindi has been stalled by the rain, but it came just in time benefit wheat crops. Farmers are saying it last week’s rain will lock in record high yields in many areas. Traders are saying the rain assures a 2 million tonnes plus state wheat crop for the first time in 14 years.

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Cotton Australia celebrates World Cotton Day 2021

THE nation’s cotton growers are being honoured as part of World Cotton Day as the industry braces for one of its best seasons in decades.

Strong international demand as well as promising seasonal conditions and water allocations have growers across the country buoyed by the upcoming season’s prospects.

The celebration comes as Australia’s cotton industry announced that it had virtually already sold out of cotton, despite China having signifanctly reducing its imports of the product a year ago.

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Nutrition Australia pushes vegetable consumption during 2021 National Nutrition Week

IN a time when population percentage figures are discussed daily, a worrying statistic has emerged which has nothing to do with vaccinations.

Only 7 per cent of adults and 5pc of children eat the recommended serves of vegetables each day.

That’s a figure Nutrition Australia has grasped hold of as it encourages Australians to lift their vegetable intake as part of National Nutrition Week happening this week.

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The changing face of beef exports

Elevated global demand for red meat, combined with tightening cattle supply in key producing nations, is creating a backdrop of ongoing rising prices and exceptional opportunity for Australian beef suppliers.

At the same time, the pandemic has torn shreds out of supply chain logistics that have served the industry well for decades and exporters are facing a juggling act the likes of which they have never before encountered.

International beef trade dynamics are as dynamic as they have ever been but industry leaders believe the sector is in fantastic shape and positioned strongly in the global market.

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South America

Argentine also affected by sharp increase in the price of freight

The Argentine Agroindustrial Council (CAA) Thursday issued a statement whereby it warned that “the marine logistics collapse is severely limiting agri-food exports.”

The CAA also explained there were sectors already suffering from the stalling of shipments abroad.

“Argentine foreign trade has been experiencing various inconveniences in maritime logistics that negatively impact exports and this situation has been worsening in recent weeks,” the CAA pointed out.

The council described the current situation as “distressing” and insisted it affects all “containerized” cargo shipped abroad which has been dented by the decrease in maritime flow to Argentina.

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Chilean and Chinese Government, Industry Cooperate for Smooth 2021/22 Cherry Season

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to cost lives and disrupt shipping and supply chains around the world, it is impossible to separate this issue from consideration of the upcoming Chilean cherry season in China, for which preliminary air shipments are expected to hit the market during October. In fact, parties in both Chile and China have been working hard on the issue of Chilean cherry exports to China since the close of the previous season in March. During a recent cherry season inauguration celebration in Chile, several parties including the Chinese Ambassador to Chile and representatives from the Chilean Agricultural and Livestock Service and the Chilean Cherry Committee of the Chilean Fruit Exporters Association (ASOEX) voiced unanimous optimism about the upcoming season.

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Peruvian President launches Second Agrarian Reform from Cusco

Peru’s President Pedro Castillo Terrones Sunday announced the country’s Second Agrarian Reform, which seeks to promote the social inclusion of more than 2 million agricultural producers, according to the government’s plan.

Castillo Terrones was flanked by Prime Minister Guido Bellido, and other cabinet members when announcing the old Inca capital city of Cusco.

In a previous ceremony, Castillo had launched an agroindustrial event in the district of Pichari (Cusco), designed to promote the competitiveness of producers and companies linked to the coffee and cocoa chain.

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Food Updates

Get used to rising food prices – global supply chains feeling the pinch

Food prices around the world are on the up as a variety of factors come together to increase pressure on the food and beverage supply chain – is this something that consumers are simply going to have to get used to?

Consumers have been told to get used to higher food prices as the cost of essentials begins to rise in the wake of the global pandemic and supply chain issues.

The UK’s supply chain problems have been well documented, with the consensus being that a combination of the pandemic, as well as changes to immigration regulations as result of Brexit is to blame for the ongoing difficulties. This has, in addition, led to the average grocery shop costing more.

But the UK is not the only country facing this looming problem. The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO) Food Price Index averaged 130 points in the month of September – up 32.8 percent on the same period last year.

Read more here…

Daily meat consumption falls in the UK, new research reveals

The decrease is not moving quick enough to keep up with targets set by the National Food Strategy however, which has recommended meat consumption fall by 30 percent in the next decade.Daily meat consumption in the UK has fallen by 17 percent over the past decade, according to a new study published in The Lancet Planetary Health.

The speed of the decrease is not enough according to some though, after the UK’s National Food Strategy (the second part of which was published earlier this year) recommended that UK meat consumption fall by 30 percent over the next ten years.

“We now know we need a more substantial reduction,” lead researcher Cristina Stewart from the University of Oxford told the BBC.

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New research reveals scale of Vibrio contamination in UK prawns

An important study of UK prawns has revealed that nearly half of those surveyed were contaminated with Vibrio, with shell-on prawns more likely to be contaminated than peeled prawns.Quadram Institute researchers have carried out a survey of prawns in the UK for Vibrio bacteria, in an effort to understand the bacterium’s potential contribution to human disease and its resistance to antibiotics.

They found that whilst 46 percent of prawns were contaminated with Vibrio, the specific strains of bacteria identified found pose no immediate risk to food safety as they do not cause severe disease in humans. Furthermore, contamination was far lower in cooked prawns.

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Sweet potatoes hold steady in 2021

KANSAS CITY — As more and more consumers learn about the many health benefits of sweet potatoes, the vegetable long associated with Thanksgiving and Christmas is emerging as a year-round favorite.

It’s the annual goal of Nashville, N.C.-based Nash Produce to transition between old-crop and new-crop sweet potatoes so seamlessly that customers and consumers don’t even notice the changeover, said Rebecca Scott, the company’s grower accounting and marketing director.

This year’s late-season crop, for instance, looked and tasted just as good as new-crop product out of the fields last fall, Scott said.

“Our facilities have been growing over the past two years to include additional controlled temperature storage, which it a great benefit for extending the crop until the following year’s harvest occurs.”

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Study finds consumers more attracted to branded produce

CHICAGO — A new research study found that consumers prefer branded produce products. Conducted by Foodmix Marketing Communications, the study looked at branding within the fresh produce industry and how commodity growers can make a larger profit.The study surveyed more than 1,000 regular produce shoppers among Boomers, Gen X, Millennial and Gen Z generations.

The study found almost half of Gen X and Boomers consider it important that the fresh produce they buy is branded, while two-thirds of Millennials and Gen Z generations are more likely to purchase branded fresh produce.

With store brands and private labels currently in the forefront of the produce space, research shows that there is a significant opportunity for branded produce companies to generate considerably more share within the industry.

Read more here…