Mergers and Infections

Welcome back Food Junglers. It’s all kicking off in the US, as bird flu is preparing for its role on centre stage and egg prices soar. Elsewhere, there is a plethora of M&A transactions shaking up the food industry. Let’s dig in.

THE BREAKDOWN…

Forever Chemicals: A county in Texas, US, is taking steps to declare a state of emergency over farmland contaminated with harmful “forever chemicals,” as concerns grow over the safety of fertiliser made from sewage.

Chinese Burgers: Restaurant Brands International has bought stakes in Burger King China from its local franchisee for about $158 million, giving it nearly total ownership of the business.

FDA Redundancies: Jim Jones, a deputy commissioner at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, has following what he called the “indiscriminate firing” of nearly 90 staff members.

Sudan Hunger: U.N. officials asked for $6 billion for Sudan to help ease what they called the world's worst ever hunger catastrophe. 

Turkish Anti-Competitiveness: Frito-Lay has been fined approximately 1.3 billion Turkish lira after Turkey’s Competition Authority found it had engaged in anti-competitive practices designed to restrict rival brands' access to the market.

Italian Baby Formula: Kraft Heinz is working to sell its Italy-based infant food product brand Plasmon.

Rising Eggs Prices: the Trump administration is planning a new strategy for fighting bird flu that stresses vaccinations and tighter biosecurity instead of killing off millions of chickens when the disease strikes a flock.

US Tariffs: Nestlé’s CEO stated the company is largely “immune” from the impact of tariffs, with the world’s largest food producer benefiting from its more localised manufacturing footprint.

Global Corn Supply: Relative to demand, world corn stocks later this year are predicted to hit 11-year lows.

KFC Relocation: KFC is moving its corporate headquarters in the US from Kentucky to Texas, its owner has announced.

Burrito Season: Chipotle will hire 20,000 additional employees for the period of March to May as the company gears up to cater to a surge in demand for its so-called "burrito season" during spring.

Dairy Partnership: Candy giant Mars Inc. is partnering with the world’s biggest dairy exporter – Fonterra – to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions on New Zealand farms.

US Pear Slump: A historic deep freeze last year has shrunk U.S. pear production, with Northwest growers expecting the smallest crop in 40 years.