Rationing and Oreos

Welcome back Food Junglers! It’s been a bit of a slow news week, with the focus being mostly on company moves and supply chain malfunctions. Still interesting, though. Let’s dig in.

This week:

♻️ Unilever cuts down on its climate pledges.

🍪 The European Commission fines Mondelez.

🚰 Polluters of American water will have to pay for damages.

🥕 Food shortages are starting to hit the UK.

🫑 Vegetables get rebranded in the US.

CLIMATE
UNILEVER BACKS OUT

The food giant, Unilever, has decided to scale back on its climate pledges after experiencing a wave of backlash from investors and politicians who believe that the company is not prioritising its financial objectives.

Previously a huge advocate for climate action, Unilever has dropped various pledges, such as making 100% of their ingredients biodegradable by 2030 or halving food waste in its operations by 2025.

On top of that, the company will be reducing the number of hectares of natural ecosystems it previously sought to restore by 500,000 and will reduce the number of sustainably sourced crops it uses.

ZOOMING OUT: While a profit motive seems to be the priority, many investors don’t want to face greenwashing lawsuits for over-promising on climate action. Whether that will come back to haunt them, though, remains to be seen.

BUSINESS
NO MORE CHEAP OREOS

Oreo and Toblerone producer, Mondelez, will be getting fined by the European Commission as early as next month for anticompetitive behaviour, officials argue.

Allegedly, the US company restricted both sales of its products between EU member states and “parallel” trade, where products can be sold for lower prices because they have been brought in from countries where they cost less.

Since the antitrust investigation had already been opened in 2021, Mondelez set aside €340 million for such a fine. But the number could be A LOT bigger if they are found to have broken EU competition law.

ZOOMING OUT: The decision comes as the EU has been fighting with farmers and consumers about higher costs amidst geopolitical crises in the Middle East and Ukraine. So, this could be seen as a small win, given the circumstances.

POLICY
A US WATER UPDATE

The Biden administration has announced that the manufacturers of “forever chemicals” - that were banned earlier last week - will be the ones who pay for the clean up instead of the taxpayer.

Forever chemicals - like perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid - have been associated with decreased fertility, cancers, and development delays in children and is in nearly half of the nation’s tap water.

Under the new rule, companies which have used these chemicals for their manufacturing processes will be required to immediately report releases of these chemicals that meet or exceed one pound.

ZOOMING OUT: So far, hundreds of municipalities have sued “forever chemical” manufacturers, alleging that these companies have contaminated their water and soil. Indeed, this does look like a cohesive effort to make America’s water cleaner!

SUPPLY CHAIN
UK BEGINS RATIONING

The UK is facing food shortages and price hikes as extreme weather both in the country and in Europe is seriously harming farming yields.

Record levels of rain have meant that key crops, such as potatoes and wheat, have not been planted during the spring season and some crops are seeing record levels of rotting.

Lambs, too, have suffered an unusually high mortality rate due to persistent wet weather, while cows have not been able to access enough grass fields, as many are waterlogged, limiting milk production.

ZOOMING OUT: UK officials have stated that the country will be more reliant on imports. But, with countries like France also experiencing extreme weather changes and Morocco seeing more frequent drought, that’ll be easier said than done.

THE BRIGHT SIDE
DESIGNER VEGETABLES

When it comes to health and climate action, eating a more plant-based diet has proven to be the key. Unfortunately, fruits and vegetables have had a reputation as a mundane necessity rather than a great, colourful experience.

Ark Foods wants to change that by making vegetables cool and accessible to all. If you check out their website, they’ve leaned into bright and bold colours on their packaging, advertising the humble vegetable almost as a “fad”.

Founded in 2013, Ark Foods works with local farms all over the East Coast of the United States to bring ONLY the vegetables which are in season to market. On top of that, they believe in traditional farming that doesn’t include any GMOs or mass-production methods.

All this while making their brand eye-popping and their produce “crave-able”. Honestly, I think this is a brilliant approach! Food Jungle approved ✅ 

SHARE THE JUNGLE

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BEFORE YOU GO…

• Squatters, who have occupied a Gordon Ramsay pub in London, intend to open the building to people who could "previously not afford to visit".

• Denmark will spend about $715 million through 2030 on a green transition of its agriculture sector.

• Chef David Chang has said that Momofuku will no longer enforce the "Chile Crunch" trademark.

• Seafood restaurant chain, Red Lobster, is considering a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing as it looks to restructure its debt.

• US investigators link multi-state outbreak of Salmonella to fresh organic basil from grocery chain, Trader Joe's.

TAKE A BREAK

Hi there everyone! It’s our pleasure to introduce another newsletter in the food space - BETTER BIOECONOMY - from a food technology enthusiast, Eshan Samaranayake.  

Like the team at Food Jungle, Eshan is doing his absolute best to advertise those who are making food healthier, cleaner, more sustainable, more animal-friendly AND accessible to all.

So, if you are interested in reading more on food tech, go check it out! Food Jungle approved ✅