In The News

Global Food Crisis – Prices Soar, Crops Rot: WSJ

Yaroslav Trofimov and Lucy Craymer May 14, 2020
The Covid-19 pandemic combined with protectionist restrictions has disrupted food processing and transportation, resulting in waste at farms and shortages in stores. Perishable vegetables and products like milk are at high risk, while prices for wheat, rice and other staples climb. The Wall Street Journal article offers numerous examples of food-chain disruptions and worries. The world confronts...

Millions of Farm Animals Culled: Guardian

Sophie Kevany May 5, 2020
As much as 40 percent of food goes wasted in the United States, about 30 percent of which is meat. The Covid-19 pandemic has hit the United States particularly hard, with the world's largest total confirmed cases and high infection rates among food-processing employees. Europe does not report problems, but US factory farming and industry consolidation left little room for error. Shutdowns of...

COVID-19 Hits Food Industry: BBC

April 14, 2020
Economic shutdowns worldwide aim to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, yet disrupt food industry supply chains. The challenges include both shortages and waste as market demand shifts from large institutions, resorts, hotels and restaurants to households. Many businesses cannot quickly redirect or repackage supplies for household use, and producers discard perishable goods with a short shelf life. “...

Worldwide Surging Food Prices: Bloomberg

Agnieszka de Sousa, Ruth Olurounbi and Pratik Parija April 10, 2020
The prices of wheat and rice have been surging in the spot and future markets. Countries that rely on imports must bear additional financial burden besides confronting COVID-19. The reasons for the price increases remain unclear, with analysis of the future markets’ influence, local supplies and panic buying underway. Anxiety over governments’ ability to control food prices and guarantee supply...

Lockdown Disrupts Agri Supply Chains: Dawn

Mohammad Hussain Khan April 7, 2020
Wheat is ready for harvest in Pakistan, but the areas are in lockdown since March 22 to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Many farmers anticipate governments to extend lockdowns. At the same time, they anticipate price pressure for the crops. Sharecroppers face particular challenges. “Whilst a grower has multiple income generation options, a sharecropper depends on one crop or livestock to keep his...

Boost Immune System to Avoid COVID-19: Guardian

Amy Fleming March 10, 2020
People wash hands and keep a distance from others with COVID-19 symptoms. Improved eating and other habits can strengthen immune systems, including mucus and microbes that protect against germs, suggests researchers. To strengthen gut microbiomes, one professor of immunology suggests eating “a more varied diet with lots of high-fiber foods” and fermented foods like sauerkraut, yogurt and kimchi...

UK Chlorinated Chicken Ban? Guardian

Daniel Boffey and Jennifer Rankin February 25, 2020
European consumers and farmers express disdain for chlorinated chicken, a treatment that prevents bacterial contamination “The EU will demand that the UK maintains a ban on chlorinated chicken as the price for a trade agreement with Brussels, in a move that protects European meat exports and creates an obstacle to a deal with [the US],” reports the Guardian. A clause in the EU’s proposal would...