Industry News - wk ending 6 May '22
Potato News - North America
Canada: The heart of PEI’s economy, potato farmers now face financial chaos and an identity crisis
Potato growers on the island, who produce more spuds than those in any other province, are feeling anxious at the start of the new cropping season. Fears that the wart might be find again this year and that exports could be shut down a second time are causing many growers to cut back production and shift to other crops.
The looming threat for Maine’s iconic potato industry
So far, climate change has brought mixed news for farmers in Maine. It is linked to warmer temperatures and drought, but also brings more frequent and intense rainfall that can damage crops with rot or soil erosion, as Lori Valigra and Caitlin Looby reports in an article published by Bangor Daily News.
Idaho company creates eco-friendly plastic products from potato waste
More than 10 million tons of plastic are dumped into the ocean every year, according to U.S.-based nonprofit Plastic Oceans International. It can take more than 400 years for plastic to degrade, and 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic have been manufactured since the mid-1900s, according to National Geographic.
Potato News - Overseas
Extra-early potato production has increased by 3% in Spain
According to the latest area and production report of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAP), with data up to February 28, Spain produced 77,500 tons of extra-early potatoes, i.e. 2.9% more than in 2021, according to provisional data.
Agricultural water scarcity predicted to worsen in more than 80% of croplands globally this century
The new study examines current and future water requirements for global agriculture and predicts whether the water levels available, either from rainwater or irrigation, will be sufficient to meet those needs under climate change. To do so, the researchers developed a new index to measure and predict water scarcity in agriculture’s two major sources: soil water that comes from rain, called green water, and irrigation from rivers, lakes and groundwater, called blue water. It’s the first study to apply this comprehensive index worldwide and predict global blue and green water scarcity as a result of climate change.
Another frozen Potato Supply Chain hickup: NO Fries for KFC customers in Singapore
In another hickup of the global supply chain for frozen potato products / french fries, KFC Singapore said on Thursday April 28 that it is not offering French fries for now but assured customers that the item 'will be back soon'.
McDonald’s Philippines serving just regular fries due to potato supply shortage
McDonald’s Philippines has paused sales of larger portions of their fries due to the global freight crisis. The fast-food restaurant initially released advisories on their website that larger sizes of fries were not available for delivery.
Logistics News
Truckload linehaul spot rate drop accelerates under pressure from surging diesel prices
From April 30 to May 6th, trucking linehaul-only spot rates (7-day moving average) dropped $0.09, from $2.17 to $2.08, making it one of the largest weekly drops since linehaul rates net fuel peaked on January 14, 2022.
What’s Behind High Fuel Prices? [Commentary]
The national average price of a gallon of diesel hit a record high of $5.25 on March 14, according to the Energy Department. When adjusted for inflation, prices are still lower than the all-time highs of 2008. However, the agency has never seen retail fuel prices increase so quickly on a percentage basis over a three-week period.
Food Industry News
FAO Food Price Index retreated slightly in April from the all-time high registered in March
The drop in the FFPI in April was led by a significant downturn in the vegetable oil sub-index, along with a slight decline in the cereal price sub-index. Meanwhile, sugar, meat and dairy price sub-indices sustained moderate increases.
How FSMA’s Final Rule on Accredited Laboratories Will Impact the Food Industry
The Laboratory Accreditation for Analyses of Foods (LAAF) Final Rule is one of the last remaining major rules to be published as a requirement of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). FSMA directed FDA to establish a program for the testing of food in certain circumstances, to be performed by accredited laboratories as required under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act).