Kellogg’s announcement that all its palm oil suppliers must source the low-trans-fat oil in a way that is “environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial, and economically viable” is a major win for environmentalists. Kellogg will be working through its supply chain...
Russia Sanctions: What about Vodka?
Russians have launched a retaliatory Internet campaign of tongue-in-cheek sanctions against US President Obama, Reuters reports. It includes Twitter users forbidding Obama from Russian vodka under the hashtag “MySanctions” (#МоиСанкции). There’s every chance Obama...
Suntory Bets on Global Demand for Beam’s Distinctive Product of the US
In taking over Jim Beam, makers of the world’s best-selling bourbon, Suntory is not only aiming for a bigger presence in the US market, say analysts. The Japanese company is also banking on the world’s growing thirst for the spirit that Congress declared a...
Who’s Who in Pineapple: Del Monte is One – but Which One?
One of the great things about Datamyne’s data assets is that you can dig into the transactions that underlie the statistics – and profiles of the parties to the trade. The market shift in US pineapple imports (see Fresh, Not Canned) led us to the bill-of-lading data...
Fresh, Not Canned: Changing Tastes Shape Pineapple Trade Trend
US consumers are losing their taste for canned foods, according to Euromonitor International. As Business Week reports, while the recession gave lower-cost canned foods a reprieve, the long-term trend has been a steady decline in retail sales of canned, jarred and...
ITC Calls No Harm, No Foul on Imported Shrimp despite Foreign Subsidies
In a 4-2 vote, the US International Trade Commission has decided that the US domestic industry has not been materially injured by imports of frozen warmwater shrimp from China, Ecuador, India, Malaysia, and Vietnam. As a result, countervailing duties on shrimp from...
Staying Thirsty: Trade Data Shows Rising Mexican Water Imports
Hoping to curb Mexican consumption of sugary soft drinks, President Enrique Pena Nieto has proposed a peso per liter tax on soda as part of a package of tax reforms. The public-health conscious measure follows a UN Food & Agriculture Organization report that...
Foodie Fad Fading? Wall Street Journal Cites Datamyne Trade Data on Quinoa
It may be good for you, but there’s a backlash against quinoa, reports the Wall Street Journal in a truly entertaining article by Miriam Jordan about the “mother grain of the Incas” that has been touted as a superior alternative to bulgur wheat, couscous and rice....
The Curious Case of the Cactus Bar in Vilnius
The US consumes most of what Mexico produces, but global markets are demanding a share of tequila. BusinessWeek reports that Mexico’s distillers are primed to conquer the Chinese market, now that China’s government has ended restrictions that blocked imports of the...
Buono Appetito!
US lifts ban on imports of Italian salami, pancetta, other pork products. America’s antipasti are about to get more varied and more authentic. The US Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has announced the end of a 45-year-old ban on such pork products...