News on Food Trends

PepsiCo South Africa has expanded its Isando factory with a new state-of-the-art potato chip production line with ZAR 746 million (USD 40 million) investment.

GB Potatoes has announced that Alex Godfrey will be taking over the reins as Chairman after being elected at the Annual General meeting on the 12th December. Alex takes over from Mark Taylor who has been the Chair ever since the launch of the organisation in 2022.

A team from the University of Illinois has engineered potato to be more resilient to global warming, showing 30% increases in tuber mass under heatwave conditions.

In a world where almost half of potential crop production is lost due to diseases, pests, and extreme weather, addressing the challenges of food security and sustainable agriculture has never been more urgent.

As of 2024, the global refugee population has surged to 43.4 million, a significant increase from 41 million in 2010! Uganda, now hosting over 1.74 million refugees, has emerged as Africa’s largest and the world’s fifth-largest refugee host nation.

The FAO Food Price Index (FFPI) averaged 127.5 points in November 2024, up 0.5 percent from the October level and reaching its highest value since April 2023.

HyFun Foods, a prominent player in the frozen food industry, has announced a partnership with Woolworths, Australia’s largest retail chain. 

Great news for potato producers: Codex Alimentarius, the 'Food Code' has confirmed the safety of 1,4-dimethylnaphthalene (1,4-DMN) for use on potatoes. 1,4-DMN is a naturally occurring biocontrol agent that enhances dormancy, controls spouting and encourages field-fresh quality in stored potatoes.

The ambitious net-zero goals of leading potato supplier Branston have been recognised by a pioneering organisation that supports businesses around the world to tackle the climate crisis.

Siddhivinayak Agri Processing Pvt Ltd (SV Agri) is proud to announce that its in-house Research & Development (R&D) unit has been officially recognized by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR).

Pese a gran resistencia por parte de los sectores productivos, desde el 24 de noviembre de 2024, su prohibición quedo reglamentada.

Heladas causaron daños en 5,500 hectáreas de cultivos de papa, frijol y maíz, afectando a 3,000 productores con pérdidas cercanas a los 8 millones de pesos.

Factores como el temor a nuevas reducciones de precios, la calidad afectada por lluvias y el feriado del 20/11 también contribuyeron al descenso de los valores.

Este acuerdo refuerza el compromiso de la región con la modernización agrícola, posicionándola como un modelo de sustentabilidad y desarrollo en Catamarca.

PepsiCo, Inc. has announced its agreement to acquire the remaining 50% interest in Sabra Dipping Company, LLC (Sabra) and PepsiCo-Strauss Fresh Dips & Spreads International GmbH (Obela) and become the sole owner of these companies, which make Sabra and Obela products.

The breeding company Averis, located in Veendam, has joined Breeders Trust as a shareholder. Breeders Trust supports participating companies in protecting and enforcing plant breeder rights and contract terms.

Four major potato processing companies, McCain Foods, Cavendish Farms, Lamb Weston, and J.R. Simplot, are accused of price-fixing in a class-action lawsuit filed in the United States District Court.

The potatoes sector is to benefit from the delivery of seven industry projects funded by residual levy reserves, after a grant agreement was signed between AHDB and GB Potatoes.