Commodities

Floodwaters inundated a farm in Pacific Junction, Iowa, in late March. Pic: Getty Images/Bloomberg/Daniel Acker

Low maize output in US grays 2019 global cereal production

By Kristine Sherred

Overall cereal production could increase 1.2% to 2.68m tons by the end of this year, but excessive flooding in the Midwestern US has diminished prospects for maize, according to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organic (FAO).

Mondelēz International has released its 2018 Impact Progress Report entitled Snacking Made Right. Pic: ©GettyImages/wit88_/agungstpr

Mondelēz on track with ‘mindful’ snacking goals

By Gill Hyslop

The Oreo maker’s 2018 Impact Progress Report, entitled 'Snacking Made Right', highlights its use of less energy, water and waste across the group, as well as its move to paper-based packaging and its focus on mindful consumption.

Members of the Valley Co-op have access to some 30,000 products from 200 manufacturers based in Wisconsin and Michigan in the US. Pic: ©Getty Images/jetcityimage

News in brief

Valley Cooperative of Great Lakes-area bakers joins ABA

By Kristine Sherred

The bakery ingredient cooperative, which represents retail and wholesale bakers in Wisconsin and Michigan in the US, has joined the American Baking Association (ABA) in a 'unique membershipment arrangement'.

Canada has identified the five wheat research priorites required to maintain its status quo as one of the leading wheat producers in the world. Pic: ©GettyImages/TomasSereda

Canada prioritizes wheat research to fight climate change

By Gill Hyslop

Cereals Canada and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) have released the 2017 Canadian Wheat Research Priorities Report, outlining the priorities stakeholders should focus on that could help counter the effects climate change would have on wheat production,...

Consumers are going nuts over nut-based snacks, which is partly responsible for driving up the price of the commodity. Pic: ©iStock/Andris Tkachenko

PepsiCo brings Sunbites to nuts amid rising commodity costs

By Gill Hyslop

PepsiCo’s UK snacks subsidiary, Walkers, Ireland’s Kestrel Foods and Yorkshire's Bite UK are entering a category that is growing faster in the UK than potato chips, but they will be contending with higher nut prices.

Haze from Indonesia's forest fires last year spread to neighbouring countries, such as Krabi, Thailand, and has returned this year. © iStock/NuttKomo

Palm oil industry under fire as Indonesia’s haze drama continues

By Rick Beckmann & Kresna Panggabean

Haze from slash-and-burn agricultural has returned to Southeast Asia this year. Is it enough to wait for regulators to bring the (mainly palm oil) culprits to justice? Asian resource legal experts Rick Beckmann and Kresna Panggabean enter the storm.

 © iStock/Mihtiander

What does Greenpeace's palm oil report mean for IOI & RSPO?

By Niamh Michail

Greenpeace's damning report on Malaysian palm oil supplier IOI, just one month after its membership of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) was renewed, could be damaging for the certifier, according to one sustainability consultant.

IOI saw its RSPO membership suspended following allegations of illegal deforestation. ©iStock

BREAKING NEWS

RSPO lifts IOI's suspension

By Niamh Michail

The Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) has lifted the suspension of Malaysian palm oil supplier IOI citing "good progress" made by the group.

The food industry has for the most part remained on the sidelines of efforts to reduce emissions, said the NGO. Photo: iStock

Giant commodity carbon footprints show more action is needed

By David Burrows

Rice, soy, corn, wheat and palm oil are the “new frontier” of climate action, said Oxfam this week, as it published new data detailing the “massive” environmental impact of the world’s major commodities.

The fortifiers and the non-fortifiers - who is doing what when it comes to folic acid and neural tube defects? © iStock.com / eyegelb

Special edition: Gender-specific nutrition

Folic acid fortification: The current global state of play

By Lynda Searby

To date 75 countries globally have implemented mandatory fortification programmes for folic acid with the aim of preventing neural tube defects (NTDs) in babies. Yet despite growing calls from NGOs, health experts and researchers, the 28 EU member countries...

Union seeks injunction to block Oreo capacity shift to Mexico. Photo: iStock - chiarabramuzzo

Oreo bakers’ union files lawsuit against Mondelēz

By Douglas Yu

Mondelēz International faces a court case brought by disgruntled employees at its plant in Chicago, half of whom will lose their jobs after the company shifted the factory’s Oreo production to Mexico.

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