An African-financed, FAO directed trust fund will provide resources needed to drive sustainable food production across the continent and the oil sector will play a crucial role, according to FAO’s director-general.
Chocolate manufacturers will face a serious cocoa supply shortage unless they work to improve the livelihoods of cocoa farmers and allow them to invest in sustainable production, according to an academic.
The discovery of a 'nourishing gene' that controls how nutrients are distributed in plants and crops could offer hope for improved crop yield and increased food production, say researchers.
Food packaging plastics developed from organic waste could boost European biopolymer market competitiveness without putting pressure on scarce oil supplies or food crops, according to a Spanish research centre.
Elevated agricultural commodity prices will remain this season as unfavourable weather impacts production, offering little chance to replenish stocks, according to Rabobank.
France’s driest spring in 50 years is likely to have a heavy impact on its wheat harvest and could drive up global wheat prices, according to French agriculture minister Bruno Le Maire.
A new research project aims to optimise the production and quality of oil palm, helping to produce more sustainable crops, by using molecular genetics to boost crop breeding.
Organic production has risen dramatically over the past decade but only a tiny percentage of soybean, corn and wheat crops are certified organic, according to a new report from the USDA.
Sara Lee has issued a clarification statement regarding its EarthGrain-brand bread after organic farming campaigners at Cornucopia accused it of “misleading and unethical” claims.
US meat processors have dismissed proposals that the industry needs unique anti-trust and competition regulation in the face of the growing trend of concentration of ownership within the sector.
There’s a perfect storm building for food prices. You don’t have to scan the horizon to see the signs; the clouds are developing all around us - at a faster rate than anyone expected.
Greater US investment in the Indian food processing and agricultural sectors depends upon the government harmonizing food safety laws and introducing farm reforms and stronger intellectual property protection, according to Bob Milligan, chairman, US Chamber...
Everybody wants food to be safe - but the recent slugging match over how best to protect US consumers from E.coli-tainted meat highlights whether legislation or self-regulation is the answer to mending the country's flawed safety system.
Food prices could more than triple by 2050 as the climate changes, according to a new report from the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
Meals based on pea protein make a smaller contribution to global warming and are better for soil than animal protein meals, but they fall down on energy use, says a new Swedish-Spanish study.
The upsurge in the Indian food processing industry continues as US secretary of state Hillary Clinton backed government expansion plans and the groundwork was laid to bring overseas expertise to the sector.
The Indian Government has unveiled ambitious plans to help set up as many as 350 food processing units over the next 100 days as part of what it calls the country’s Evergreen Revolution.
Who likes pesticides? Misunderstood by consumers and misrepresented by pressure groups, pesticides are a soft target for legislators. The latest blow to that soft target could have hard consequences for the European food industry and for developing countries.
Research for the EU’s Quality Low Input Food Programme has warned that wheat yields could be more than halved by the end of the century at the latest, as the world’s phosphate supplies run out.
The Norwegian Agricultural Authority (SLF) has announced a one-third increase in subsidies to organic grain farmers in an effort to meet ambitious government targets and growing consumer demand.
The vast offer of aid to China following its devastating earthquake in May reflects the food industry’s increasing move towards displaying strategic corporate responsibility.
A snack bar which can stay moist and chewy for up to 24 months
without the need for artificial preservatives has been developed by
scientists in California.
A naturally epoxised oil from Ethiopia's vernonia weed could
provide food and drink processors with a safe and sustainable
substitute for the resin used to line packaging.
After a recent boost in French walnut production, combined with the
growing popularity of the nut among consumers, producers should be
celebrating - but bad news came this week in the form of a
government report indicating supply...
A French chocolate industry body has recognised CIRAD for its
pioneering work within the cocoa commodity chain and its
groundbreaking research into cocoa.
Globalised livestock markets offer processors and suppliers
increased income and direct cost savings, but they are also posing
the threat of market exclusion, according to the FAO.
A lack of government funding and a weary image threaten to cause a
widespread shortage of British crop production experts, says one
industry body, warning the problem may bring serious disruption to
UK grain and cereal processors...
An estimated 2 million people are now in desperate need of food aid
as the impact of the tsunami on Asian food production becomes
apparent, says the UN.
Irrigation with wastewater from the canning industry is not harmful
to the quality of agricultural soil and may even, in some cases,
improve it, according to a new PhD thesis from the Public
University of Navarre in Spain.
An innovative Australian scheme to recycle thousands of tonnes of
fish processing waste could dramatically cut down the need for
landfill space, save food processors money and, in the end, produce
a useful product.
This year's Czech harvest has been hailed as the best since 1993,
producing almost nine million tonnes of crops, showing that the
farming industry has recovered well from a poor 2003 and the
disastrous floods of 2002 - just in...
Law makers, consumer groups and industry continue to clash over the
use of GM ingredients in the European food chain, but a major
UK-based food science body asserts this week that genetic
modification has the potential to offer strong...
Food producers in the US are unlikely to be happy with the new
traceability regime in the EU. The NFPA argues that the regulations
represent a serious barrier to international trade, writes
Anthony Fletcher.
The growing of cereal crops without recourse to chemical additives
and herbicides increases the production yield two-fold with respect
to the conventional mode of growing crops, says a university
research project.
Many food producers believe that phosphorus fertiliser is necessary
to increase yields of wheat, barley, corn and other crops - the
problem is that it is expensive. But new research in the US
suggests that applying phosphorus every...
Organic farming was recognised as a viable means of achieving
sustainable development at the European Hearing on Organic Food and
Farming yesterday. Franz Fischler, member of the European
Commission responsible for agriculture, rural...
The European Commission has adopted a proposal for a second EU
programme for the conservation, characterisation, collection and
use of genetic resources in agriculture. The new programme,
covering the period 2004-2006, will promote...
Eureka, the pan-European network for industrial research &
development, has developed a technique to recycle agricultural and
industrial waste from food production to produce composts which can
be used to help decontaminate and...
The chairman of meat processor Danish Crown has warned against
political interference in Denmark's agricultural industry. "In
general Denmark's pig producers are skilled at adjusting their
costs to developments in international...
EU commissioner for agriculture, rural development and fisheries
Franz Fischler has outlined the agricultural problems facing
Mediterranean countries. Speaking at the Euromed Conference in
Venice, he said that many industries within...
