Famines and Border Patrol

Welcome back Food Junglers. The Olympic Games are almost at an end, but that hasn’t stopped the food news from trickling in every day. Let’s dig in.

This week:

🥑 Some people aren’t happy with avocado farming in Mexico.

⛑️ Famine is officially declared in Sudan.

🤝 A HUGE American deal is rumoured to be going down.

🥩 Australia benefits from beef trade with the UK.

🥛 A company in Germany is printing oat milk…

CLIMATE
U.S. SUES AVOCADO-MAKER

US non-profit, Organic Consumers Association (“OCA”), filed a lawsuit against West Pak Avocado Inc and another major avocado importer - Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. - for labelling Mexican avocados as “sustainable” or “responsibly sourced.”

Given that one of the main avocado-growing regions in Mexico - Michoacan - is currently battling drought, some farmers have resorted to taking water from lakes and communal basins to grow their produce.

As a result, the OCA has asked several Mexican avocado producers to remove claims of a sustainable supply chain, labelling their efforts as “misleading for consumers”.

ZOOMING OUT: Many Mexicans have a complex relationship with avocado as it’s a source of both economic growth and, given the industry’s connection to cartels, a social crisis.

What is known for sure, however, is that avocado exports to the US have soared 48% since 2019, so Mexico is still willing to push its luck for financial prosperity.

POLICY
THE LATEST ON SUDAN

After nearly 16 months of war between Sudan’s military and its former ally, the paramilitary-rebel Rapid Support Forces (“RSF”), two international panels have officially declared famine in Sudan.

Official declarations of famine are actually quite rare, requiring detailed evidence that at least 20% of households face extreme food shortages and two out of every 10,000 people die daily from the effects of hunger.

Some 26 million Sudanese people are now suffering crisis levels of hunger, with severe rain and flooding blocking access routes to get food to key areas.

ZOOMING OUT: While natural disasters have played a role, RSF mercenaries are also responsible for stealing international aid from civilians. It’s plain to see that a more organised humanitarian effort is needed if the ever-spiralling crisis is to be stopped.

BUSINESS
MARS TO BUY KELLANOVA?

In what could be one of the biggest mergers in food industry history, Mars Inc. - maker of M&Ms, Snickers, and Skittles - is allegedly interested in purchasing Kellanova - maker of Pringles, Pop-Tarts, and Eggo Waffles.

People familiar with the matter have said that the deal could be worth around $30 billion and would be a way for Mars to get involved in making healthier snacks.

Of course, inflation-weary consumers have also dampened sales for Kellanova, which could mean that the Pringles-maker would put itself up for sale to alleviate lower sales concerns.

ZOOMING OUT: Although Kellanova’s sales haven’t been too bad in the recent quarter, the important part of the deal is that Kellanova could be bought by a private, family-owned (Mars family) company. So, for those looking for more transparency in the food industry, this is not the best news.

SUPPLY CHAIN
UK BORDER PATROL

Moving on to some more light-hearted news, The Australia-UK Free Trade Agreement has been incredibly beneficial for Australian beef producers, as red meat exports to the UK have experienced huge growth this past year.

According to the recent data, beef exports to the UK have surged by 415% in the last year, with chilled grain-fed beef seeing a remarkable increase of approximately 167% since the free trade agreement began.

Still, the UK remains a relatively small market for Australian red meat, accounting for about 2% of Australia’s total global exports.

ZOOMING OUT: This is good news for the UK, as the country is also facing some European border-related difficulties. A lack of laboratory capacity has meant that some food has had to go back to the European Union, as the UK’s food safety testing capabilities are still underdeveloped.

THE BRIGHT SIDE
PRINTING OAT MILK

I was reading one of my favourite food publications recently, Green Queen, when I came across this company that has discovered a way to print milk.

Based in Germany, Veganz creates sheets of fermented oats, mixed with rapeseed oil, water, oat fibre, locust bean gum, sea salt and vanilla that can then be blended with water to make oat milk!

The best thing about it is the fact that these “sheets” don’t require refrigeration and need 90% fewer materials for packaging than the packaging used for standard oat milks.

The company has raised €10 million to enter the plant-based meat market. But, honestly, if they just stuck to oat milk sheets I would be just as happy. Food Jungle approved ✅

BEFORE YOU GO…

• British supermarket giant Morrisons joined the "Move to -15°C" coalition, increasing the temperature in freezers in ten of its stores by three degrees.

• The US Environmental Protection Agency has suspended all uses of a weedkiller linked to serious health risks for unborn babies.

• Climate change and jellyfish attacks have driven fish mortality to a record 16.7% this year in Norway.

TAKE A BREAK

If you’re interested in some quality ORIGINAL journalism on what’s been going on in the food industry, look no further than Green Queen.

Founded in 2011, by Sonalie Figueiras, the team looks to analyse and discuss the latest news in food, from cultivated meat to food waste. Thoroughly recommend! 🤩