Sinochem and Monsanto talk about joint venturing Sinochem, China’s state-owned chemicals conglomerate and top exporter, and Monsanto, the US-based provider of agrochemicals and biotechnology aimed at increasing farm productivity, are reported (by the Wall Street...
China’s Alarming Record
More FDA inspections and access to results are called for A new report from Food and Water Watch reprises a lengthy list of Chinese import disasters, from melamine-contaminated pet food in 2007 to antibiotic-laced honey in 2010. The point of Decade of Dangerous...
Bruised Rep
Not another Weiner story: this time it’s homegrown apples A Wall Street Journal story that the US Department of Agriculture found residues of 48 different pesticides in a recent sampling of apples bruises the reputation (and possibly sales) of America’s second most...
Made in Korea?
Gearing up to crack down on false claims to FTA tariff treatment The Korea Customs Service (KCS) announced it is proactively starting to prohibit third-party goods from falsely claiming Korean origin. This in expectation that false claims will rise as free trade...
With Apologies to Meryl Streep
When the actress plays a role, it’s artistry. When tilapia is passed off as snapper, it’s fraud. We called it “cluck-cluck cutlet of the sea” – without much flavor of its own, tilapia takes on the flavors of the other ingredients in a range of recipes. Now the New...
Gauging Japan Disaster’s Impact
Argus Rail Business taps Datamyne to benchmark containerized import volumes There’s been no dent in rail freight traffic in North America resulting from March’s triple disasters in Japan … yet. But expect that to change, cautions a report from Argus Rail Business.The...
Happy Cinco de Mayo!
Celebrating imports from Mexico Cinco de Mayo commemorates the 1862 Batalla de Puebla at which Mexican forces soundly defeated the French army, which had been dispatched by Napoleon III to secure an empire in the Western Hemisphere. While the French wouldn’t quit...
Cluck-cluck Cutlet of the Sea
It’s on menus everywhere, but is tilapia good for you? Americans ate 475 million pounds of tilapia last year the New York Times reports, citing US Department of Agriculture statistics. The so-called “aquatic chicken” tastes bland and, just like chicken cutlets, works...
Following Glencore
Trade data can shed light on a low-profile company’s x-border commerce Back on April 7, we took a look at what Datamyne trade data can reveal about Colombia’s consumption of US exports. We noticed then, but didn’t comment on, the fact that three of Colombia’s top five...
Top Pick: Chilean Fresh Grapes
New report from Datamyne covers players, trends in a leading US-Chile trade sector The Chilean Fresh Fruit Exporters Association (ASOEX) is projecting growth in exports for the 2010-11 season: from a 2% increase in apples to a 40% boost for kiwifruit, to a whopping...