Onions and Canadian Cows

The global climate summit, COP28, is finishing with a whimper and consumers are still bearing the brunt of inflated commodity prices. But at least Christmas is around the corner! Let’s dig in.

This week:

🇨🇦 Canada incentivises farmers to reduce methane emissions.

🍔 McDonald’s opens a new kind of restaurant.

🧅 Onion exports are slowing down in India.

🚰 The fight for water in California continues.

☕️ Bean-less coffee is getting hyped up in Finland… 

POLICY
CANADA HYPES UP FARMERS

To kick things off, Canada is introducing a new protocol, in which cattle farmers will receive “carbon credits” if they make an active effort to reduce their cows’ methane emissions - one of the largest drivers of global warming.

For every tonne of methane “captured”, a farmer should receive one carbon credit. The farmer will then have an opportunity to sell their carbon credits to less climate-conscious companies, which are required to pay an extra toll for their emissions e.g. coal or natural gas.

Essentially, cattle farmers get rewarded for their efforts to reduce their emissions, while polluters would have to pay for their pollution.

ZOOMING OUT: Canadian farmers are excited as, already, reports of certain farmers experimenting with cattle feed and breeding methane-less cows are spreading.

But some are questioning the effectiveness of a carbon-credit system: a good way to mitigate excess methane or a way for big companies to just pay extra for business as usual?

BUSINESS
DUEL OF THE FATES

For the first time in its 68-year history, McDonald’s has a brand new restaurant concept. The name? CosMc’s.

Surprisingly, you won’t see burgers, chicken nuggets, or fries. Instead, at CosMc’s, the menu will focus on cold drinks and snacks - from churro frappés and berry sour-ades to pretzel bites and mini hash browns.

Sound familiar? Starbucks thinks so too.

ZOOMING OUT: In August, Starbucks estimated that 75% of its US beverage sales now come from cold drinks alone. McDonald’s has been quick to catch on to this.

McDonald’s has also realised a key fast food trend. Not only do people NOT want to dine-in anymore, but they’re favouring cold drinks and snacks: a key market for Starbucks. This could be an interesting battle for SURE.

SUPPLY CHAIN
INDIA ISOLATES ITSELF

Turning our attention to Asia, India has imposed an export ban on onions until March, 2024.

The news comes as the country looks to control its commodity prices for millions of Indians who rely on cheap, subsidised food and who have been hammered by increasingly unpredictable weather patterns.

For India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, it’s the perfect time to calm things down before an approaching election year.

ZOOMING OUT: India has placed similar export bans on sugar and wheat in recent months. And for the country’s neighbours, this is NOT GOOD. Bangladesh, for example, saw its onion prices double overnight when the news hit.

Unfortunately, India isn’t an outlier. From meat to cocoa, governments all around the world are resorting to isolationism to deal with more frequent supply chain issues and inflation.

CLIMATE
WATER FIGHT IN CALI

For many in California the unthinkable is happening. Water is running out.

In some parts of the state, more than 500,000 acres of farmland may need to be taken out of cultivation, by 2040, to stabilise the region’s aquifers.

On top of that, the Californian water board is already considering permanently limiting ranchers’ access to streams to protect wild salmon populations.

ZOOMING OUT: Unfortunately, the solution is FAR more complex than just telling farmers to use less water. Farming families throughout the state are enforcing their historic claims to Californian water that date back to the 19th century. 

So, rethinking the Californian water supply would mean reopening handshake agreements made during the first gold rush!

THE BRIGHT SIDE
COFFEE GETS A SEQUEL

Coffee’s cult following is well documented. But its effects on the environment are lesser known.

For reference, coffee production, alone, accounts for 33-126 billion kilograms of carbon dioxide per year, which is equivalent to the carbon emissions of Denmark.

Researchers from the Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT), however, have a solution: growing coffee bean cells in a giant petri dish (or a bioreactor).

By allowing coffee cells to grow in this environment, the researchers have been able to perfectly replicate the flavour profile of conventional coffee with no seeds, no water, no soil AND considerably less space.

In fact, where conventional coffee beans are harvested once every six months, a batch of lab-grown coffee is dried and roasted in less than a MONTH.

Fantastic for both business and the planet. Now the next stage is selling it worldwide. Food Jungle approved ✅

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Do you know what’s funny? This could be YOU. Don’t forget to share the Jungle with your nearest and dearest. 😉 

BEFORE YOU GO…

• Shake Shack CEO, Randy Garutti, will be retiring next year as the burger chain looks to undergo rapid expansion.

• Starbucks will resume contract negotiations with the Starbucks Workers’ Union in January, 2024.

• The United Nations tells developed countries to accelerate livestock production to deal with food insecurity.

• New money pledged for the global food system’s climate flight topped $7 billion during the COP28 climate summit.

• Hundreds of Australian farmers are protesting their government’s plans to introduce high-voltage overhead power lines to pass through their land as part of the country’s climate goals.

• Mr Beast sues hospitality brand, Virtual Dining Concepts, for tarnishing his reputation with “inedible” Mr Beast burgers.

• Hit by inflation, UK buyers are more likely to buy chocolate as gifts for Christmas instead of toys and gadgets.

• Tipping in the US has fallen to its lowest level since the pandemic.