England takes deep-fried food and Coco Pops off the school menu

The rest of the day

10 more stories on this beat.

Each with its own sources. None of these is a link to the story above.

1. 02

   US diesel passes $6 during the harvest

   Diesel in the United States averaged $6.05 a gallon on Friday, above the record $5.85 set on 4 September, according to the motoring group AAA. [2] It cost about $3.76 before the US and Israel went to war with Iran in late February. [2] American farmers are harvesting corn and soybeans now. [2] Jason Kurtz, who farms in Missouri, says his combine burns 200 gallons a day and he is paying twice as much for diesel this year. [2] Syria's government raised diesel by 40% on Saturday, and it has more than doubled there since February. [4]

   Why it matters — Diesel runs the combines and tractors, and the trucks that haul grain from the field to wherever it is sold. [2] Kurtz says he will put off some farm work in the hope that the price falls. [2]

2. 03

   Nepal's floods buried rice and killed animals

   The flash floods that hit Nepal's Bhote Koshi-Trishuli river valley on 26 August killed more than 1,000 people, the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says. [7] Its early count of farm damage puts about 1,800 hectares of crops damaged, mostly rice paddies, with losses near 7,700 tonnes. [7] The 11 affected municipalities held more than 350,000 cattle, buffalo, sheep and goats and 1.6 million poultry. [7] The FAO estimates that 5 to 10% of those animals may have been lost. [7]

   Why it matters — The FAO says losing an animal means losing food now and income and production later. [7] It is giving emergency vet care, and says farms need help to plant again before the next season. [7]

3. 04

   Anthrax in wild animals that people ate

   Anthrax has killed 46 hippos, eight elephants, five buffalo and a crocodile in Zambia's Munyamadzi game area since July, the country's disaster management unit said. [6] Twelve people who ate meat from the dead animals are infected and being treated, and nobody has died. [6] Anthrax is a bacterium whose spores live in soil for years and mostly kill grazing animals. [6] Officials told people not to eat, sell or handle meat from animals that died suddenly, and want hunting there suspended. [6]

   Why it matters — The unit's coordinator said local people ate the carcasses because they depend on that meat for food. [6] In 2011 five Zambians died after eating meat from hippos infected with anthrax. [6]

4. 05

   Smithfield expects a loss on fresh pork

   Smithfield Foods, one of the biggest US pork companies, said on 8 September that its fresh pork business will lose $70m to $90m in the three months to September. [5] It made $10m there a year earlier. [5] The company pointed to falling hog prices and a falling USDA pork cutout, the US Department of Agriculture's measure of what the cuts from one pig sell for. [5] Its own hog farms expect a profit of $25m to $45m, against $89m a year ago. [5]

   Why it matters — Its biggest business, packaged meats, kept its yearly profit forecast of $1.08bn to $1.15bn. [5] So the squeeze sits with fresh pork and the company's pig farms, and Smithfield said cautious shoppers are part of it. [5]

5. 06

   Louisiana fishers sue over a mud spill

   Twenty commercial fishers, fishing guides and seafood processors in south-west Louisiana are suing Venture Global, a company that exports liquefied natural gas. [10] They say dredging for its new $30bn CP2 terminal spilled mud that killed millions of oysters and cut catches of fish, crabs and shrimp. [10] The company says a discharge carried more sediment than expected into a channel in August 2025, and that it has worked on clean-up since. [10] It is at least the third suit over CP2, and court-ordered mud testing is due later this month. [10]

   Why it matters — One plaintiff, Tad Theriot, puts his losses above $450,000 and does not know when his fishing grounds will recover. [10] The company is widening a channel near Calcasieu Lake, and one oyster farm had 5.3 million oysters where that channel enters the lake. [10]

6. 07

   Australia weighs compulsory health stars

   Food Standards Australia New Zealand, the body that writes food standards for both countries, has consulted on making most packaged foods show a Health Star Rating. [8] The rating gives a food from half a star to five, marking it down for energy, saturated fat, sugar and salt and up for protein, fibre, fruit and vegetables. [8] It is voluntary now, and 60 to 77% of shoppers say it helps them find healthier food. [8] An Australian TV investigation, Four Corners, questioned whether it works, and the competition regulator is looking into those claims. [8]

   Why it matters — The rating does not take account of how processed a food is, its own website says. [8] A separate plan to make 30 May the single yearly start date for label changes is at an early stage, with no decision made. [8]

7. 08

   Drought aid opens in 14 Wisconsin counties

   The US Department of Agriculture said on 8 September that drought has hit farms across Wisconsin hard. [12] Livestock farmers in 14 counties, including Ashland, Bayfield, Douglas and St. Croix, can now claim for lost grazing under its Livestock Forage Disaster Program. [12] A second programme covers the extra cost of hauling water and feed to animals. [12] Claims for this year's losses are due by 1 March 2027, and more counties may qualify if the drought goes on. [12]

   Why it matters — When pasture dries up, farmers have to haul in water and feed, and the second programme pays for that extra hauling. [12]

8. 09

   A Newark food pantry lets people pick

   A food pantry in Newark, New Jersey, swapped pre-filled bags for shopping carts and grocery-style aisles in July. [9] Staff had seen people sort through the bags and throw some of the food on the pavement. [9] The United Community Corporation, the charity that runs it, renamed it the Market at UCC. [9] More people are turning to pantries as grocery prices rise and federal food stamp benefits are cut. [9]

   Why it matters — The charity's director, Craig Mainor, said giving everybody the same things wasted food that some people did not need. [9] Pantries that let people choose can help both newcomers and regular visitors feel in control, the New York Times reported. [9]

9. 10

   Culta takes a heat-hardy strawberry abroad

   Culta, a Japanese company that uses computer analysis of plant genes to breed fruit faster, is in talks to expand to Australia, the US and Europe. [11] It aims for 30 billion yen ($195m) in sales by 2032. [11] Its 36 contract growers raise its varieties under licence, and Culta buys back the whole crop to sell under its brand. [11] Its strawberry Sakura Drops copes with warm early spring and ships until June, and Culta says it yields 1.4 times more than the leading Japanese variety. [11]

   Why it matters — Hotter springs have shortened Japan's strawberry season, which used to run from December to June and now struggles past April. [11] Culta says it has cut the time to develop a strawberry variety from about 10 years to two. [11]

10. 11

    US school meals keep a local-food option

    The US Department of Agriculture published a rule on 9 September that rewrites the wording of an option in its school lunch, school breakfast and summer meal programmes. [13] The option lets those programmes prefer unprocessed food that was grown, caught or raised locally. [13] The department says the new wording is easier to understand and does not change what the rules mean. [13] It takes effect on 9 November unless written objections arrive by 9 October. [13]

    Why it matters — The option is what lets a school meal programme give its order to a farm near it. [13] A small wording change still has to go through a public comment period before it applies. [13]