Food Price Watch Thread

Post Reply
weatheriscool
Posts: 12973
Joined: Sun May 16, 2021 6:16 pm

Re: Food Price Watch Thread

Post by weatheriscool »

Baby formula plant at heart of shortage reopens
Source: Washington Post
Abbott Nutrition is resuming production at its shuttered Sturgis, Mich., baby formula factory on Saturday, offering hope that a nationwide shortage that had left parents scrambling to find sustenance for their children could ease in the coming weeks.The company said it was resuming production “after meeting initial requirements” that were specified by a May consent decree with the Food and Drug Administration.

“We understand the urgent need for formula and our top priority is getting high-quality, safe formula into the hands of families across America,” Abbott said in a statement. “We will ramp production as quickly as we can while meeting all requirements.” The factory was closed five months ago after an FDA inspection turned up allegedly unsanitary conditions. The factory produced most of the country’s supply of powdered Similac and was the main producer of specialty formulas, so its closure severely curtailed supplies.

The company has said previously it will take two weeks for production to fully resume and another six to eight weeks to get the product on store shelves. The plant will prioritize the production of EleCare, a specialty amino acid-based formula for children with multiple allergies, before it ramps up production of its mainstream products. On Saturday, Abbott said it expected to release EleCare “to consumers beginning on or about June 20.”

The crisis sparked panic for many parents who rely on formula to feed their children and raised questions about the fragility of the supply chain for a critical food source. Four major companies control 90 percent of the infant formula supply in the United States: Abbott, Gerber, Mead Johnson and Perrigo Nutritionals. Congress and others have heavily criticized FDA leadership, Abbott executives and even the White House for failing to head off the crisis.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business ... y-reopens/
User avatar
caltrek
Posts: 6509
Joined: Mon May 17, 2021 1:17 pm

Re: Food Price Watch Thread

Post by caltrek »

Another aspect of rising food shortages and rising food prices is the opportunity for implementation of policies under a shock and awe approach.

Activists in India Object to Distribution of Fortified Rice Through Public Distribution System
May 29, 2022


Introduction:
(Janata Weekly) Synthetic fortification of rice is not proven to be effective and can be toxic to many Indians, according to a report prepared by the Right to Food Campaign. The report was released following a three-day fact-finding visit to Jharkhand by the Right To Food Campaign (RTFC) and Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture (ASHA). The activists have urged the Jharkhand government to stop the distribution of fortified rice in the state immediately.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi revealed the ambitious plans of the Government of India to supply fortified rice in all food schemes of India by 2024 in his Independence Day speech in 2021. Earlier in 2019, the Union government had initiated a pilot scheme for “Fortification of Rice and its Distribution under Public Distribution System” for three years, with an outlay of Rs 174.64 crore, and this scheme was expected to unfold in 15 districts of 15 states until March 2022.

One of the stated objectives of this pilot scheme was “to evaluate the provision, coverage and Utilisation of Fortified Rice by the target population as well as the efficiency/effectiveness of the consumption of fortified rice in reducing the targeted micronutrient deficiencies in different age and gender groups.”

What is rice fortification?

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) defines rice fortification as the process of increasing essential micronutrients in rice so as to improve the nutritional quality of the food supply and provide a public health benefit with minimal risk to health. India is a leading rice-producing country, with 22% of the total global rice production. 65% of India’s population consumes rice on a daily basis – the per capita rice consumption in India is 6.8 kg per month. Rice is, therefore, a large source of calories and a core component of agriculture and nutrition in most of India, though it is low in micronutrients.

“Milling of rice removes the fat and micronutrient-rich bran layers to produce the commonly consumed starch white rice while polishing further removes 75-90% of vit. B1, vit. B6, vit. E and Niacin. Fortifying rice provides an opportunity to add back the lost micronutrients but to also add others such as iron, zinc, folic acid, vit. B12 and vit. A,” FSSAI explained in a document on rice fortification.
Read more here: https://janataweekly.org/activists-obj ... ough-pds/
Don't mourn, organize.

-Joe Hill
User avatar
erowind
Posts: 544
Joined: Mon May 17, 2021 5:42 am

Re: Food Price Watch Thread

Post by erowind »

Why not distribute brown rice and other rices that haven’t been milled instead? Both cheaper and safer.
User avatar
caltrek
Posts: 6509
Joined: Mon May 17, 2021 1:17 pm

Re: Food Price Watch Thread

Post by caltrek »

As Po River Dries Up, Italy’s Food and Energy Supplies are at Risk
by Paolo Santalucia
June 17, 2022

Extract:
BORETTO, Italy (AP) — Water is so low in large stretches of Italy’s largest river that local residents are walking through the middle of the expanse of sand and shipwrecks are resurfacing.

Authorities fear that if it doesn’t rain soon, there’ll be a serious shortage of water for drinking and irrigation for farmers and local populations across the whole of northern Italy.

(Meuccio) Berselli (secretary general of the Po River Basin Authority) is frantically working on a resiliency plan to guarantee drinking and irrigation water to millions of households and to the Po valley farmers, who produce 40% of Italian food. Parmesan cheese, wheat, and high-quality tomatoes, rice and renowned grapes grow in huge quantities in the area.

The resilience plan includes higher draining from Alpine lakes, less water for hydroelectric plants and rationing of water in the upstream regions.

The Po drought comes at a time when farmers are already pushing both irrigation and watering systems to their maximum to counter the effect of high temperatures and hot winds.
Read more here: https://www.courthousenews.com/as-po-d ... -at-risk/
Don't mourn, organize.

-Joe Hill
User avatar
caltrek
Posts: 6509
Joined: Mon May 17, 2021 1:17 pm

Re: Food Price Watch Thread

Post by caltrek »

Mexican Government Prodding Its Farmers to Grow More Food
by María Verza
June 14, 2022

Introduction:
MEXICO CITY (AP via Latino Rebels) — The corn has begun to sprout on the hillsides south of Mexico’s capital, though it’s unclear whether these shoots will have enough water to grow or whether the farmer will be able to afford the increasingly expensive fertilizer.

What is known is that the government of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador wants Mexicans to produce more of their own food in order to move toward self-sufficiency in key products and to control prices for basic foodstuffs.

The president’s idea, which involves giving rural families cash payments to grow crops and technical advice, isn’t new, but the ravages of the pandemic, climate change and market turmoil created by the war in Ukraine have given it new urgency. The government wants to head off food insecurity in a country where 44% of the population lives in poverty and where 27.5 million tons of corn are produced, but more than 40 million tons are consumed, according to government data.

Some farmers hope for additional state financial help and subsidized fertilizer. Others are suspicious of government plans. But all hope that this year’s harvest produces enough to feed their families and with luck a bit more to sell in their communities.

While G-7 countries look for global solutions and the United States and development banks prepare a multibillion-dollar plan to ease food insecurity, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization has welcomed Mexico’s efforts toward self-sufficiency in basic foods, but does not expect quick results.
Read more here: https://www.latinorebels.com/2022/06/1 ... tfarmers/
Don't mourn, organize.

-Joe Hill
weatheriscool
Posts: 12973
Joined: Sun May 16, 2021 6:16 pm

Re: Food Price Watch Thread

Post by weatheriscool »

Production at bedeviled baby formula factory halted by storm
Source: AP

By TOM MURPHY and LAURA UNGAR

Severe weather has forced Abbott Nutrition to pause production at a Michigan baby formula factory that had just restarted after being closed for several months, contributing to a national shortage.

Production for Abbott’s EleCare specialty formula has been suspended, but there is enough supply to meet demand until production is restarted, the company said. Abbott had prioritized ramping up production of the specialty formula for infants with severe food allergies and digestive problems who have few other options for nutrition.

Abbott says it needs to assess damage and re-sanitize the factory after severe thunderstorms and heavy rains swept through southwestern Michigan late Monday. Spokesman Jonathon Hamilton said flooding hit a few areas of the factory, but he declined to provide more specific details about damage.

The storm also brought high winds, hail and power failures to Sturgis, Michigan, where the factory is located. The company expects production and distribution to be delayed for a few weeks as it cleans the plant.



Read more: https://apnews.com/article/storms-healt ... 802e05673b
weatheriscool
Posts: 12973
Joined: Sun May 16, 2021 6:16 pm

Re: Food Price Watch Thread

Post by weatheriscool »

Free school lunches for all set to end, creating ‘perfect storm’ amid high inflation
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/fr ... -rcna33688
A federal waiver that made school breakfasts and lunches free to students regardless of their family’s income is set to expire June 30, eliminating a benefit that has helped millions of schoolchildren at a time when they need it more than ever, anti-hunger advocates say.

The free school meals program began in March 2020 when Congress authorized the U.S. Department of Agriculture to issue dozens of child nutrition waivers, including ones that expanded summer food programs, to provide a lifeline during the pandemic.
User avatar
funkervogt
Posts: 1171
Joined: Mon May 17, 2021 3:03 pm

Re: Food Price Watch Thread

Post by funkervogt »

Bangladesh desperate for grain after India bans exports to it. It's now considering a direct buy from Russia.
https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/bang ... 27971.html
User avatar
funkervogt
Posts: 1171
Joined: Mon May 17, 2021 3:03 pm

Re: Food Price Watch Thread

Post by funkervogt »

The head of the United Nations warned Friday that the world faces “catastrophe” because of the growing shortage of food around the globe.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the war in Ukraine has added to the disruptions caused by climate change, the coronavirus pandemic and inequality to produce an “unprecedented global hunger crisis” already affecting hundreds of millions of people.

“There is a real risk that multiple famines will be declared in 2022,” he said in a video message to officials from dozens of rich and developing countries gathered in Berlin. “And 2023 could be even worse.”

Guterres noted that harvests across Asia, Africa and the Americas will take a hit as farmers around the world struggle to cope with rising fertilizer and energy prices.

“This year’s food access issues could become next year’s global food shortage,” he said. “No country will be immune to the social and economic repercussions of such a catastrophe.”
https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukrai ... f23286f246
Vakanai
Posts: 313
Joined: Thu Apr 28, 2022 10:23 pm

Re: Food Price Watch Thread

Post by Vakanai »

funkervogt wrote: Fri Jun 24, 2022 1:59 pm
The head of the United Nations warned Friday that the world faces “catastrophe” because of the growing shortage of food around the globe.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the war in Ukraine has added to the disruptions caused by climate change, the coronavirus pandemic and inequality to produce an “unprecedented global hunger crisis” already affecting hundreds of millions of people.

“There is a real risk that multiple famines will be declared in 2022,” he said in a video message to officials from dozens of rich and developing countries gathered in Berlin. “And 2023 could be even worse.”

Guterres noted that harvests across Asia, Africa and the Americas will take a hit as farmers around the world struggle to cope with rising fertilizer and energy prices.

“This year’s food access issues could become next year’s global food shortage,” he said. “No country will be immune to the social and economic repercussions of such a catastrophe.”
https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukrai ... f23286f246
I'm an American, so I know that no matter what, barring some truly apocalyptic shit, I will never starve to death. I'm also a poor American and I greatly fear rising grocery prices as we've already had to make certain cutbacks as is. So my heart goes out to those in countries were simply just being poor like me could actually lead to starving to death. Things are going to get much worse before they get better, and there's no telling how long the lean times will last.
Post Reply