Britain's hottest summer cost its dairy farms 240 million litres of milk. New Zealand's Fonterra says El Nino could cut its milk next.

The rest of the day

16 more stories on this beat.

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

1. 02

   Ghana's cocoa board looks for money at home

   The Ghana Cocoa Board, COCOBOD, the state body that runs the country's cocoa trade, is trying to raise 16.3 billion cedis ($1.4bn) from local investors to buy the coming crop. [3] Its yearly loan from international banks collapsed in the 2023/24 season, and a deal where trading houses paid in advance fell through last season. [3] The new debt will be repaid from money for cocoa already sold ahead to foreign buyers. [3] Ghana's licensed cocoa buyers say COCOBOD still owes them about 4 billion cedis for last season's beans. [3]

   COCOBOD wants to raise16.3 bn cedis

   Owed to buyers for last season4 bn cedis

   Why it matters — Ghana and Ivory Coast are the world's two biggest cocoa producers, and Ivory Coast opened its season on 1 September while Ghana has not named a date. [3] Farmers and buyers blame the missing money for that delay, as they did for late payments to farmers last season. [3]

2. 03

   Brazil gets Uruguay's spare beef quota for China

   Brazil's president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, said on Monday that Uruguay will let Brazil use the part of Uruguay's China beef quota that it has not filled. [4] In January China set a quota for each big supplier and added a 55% tariff on beef above it. [4] Brazil had shipped 98.5% of its 1.1 million tonne quota by June, the trading firm StoneX said. [4] Brazil's beef exports are expected to fall 10% this year. [4]

   98 of 100

   of Brazil's China beef quota, shipped by June

   Why it matters — The deal lets more Brazilian beef reach China without the extra 55% tax. Uruguay's foreign ministry had not replied to Reuters when Lula announced it. [4]

3. 04

   US asks refiners to hold back diesel

   US Energy Secretary Chris Wright has asked several big refiners to limit diesel exports of their own accord, three people told Reuters. [5] President Trump said on Tuesday he backed limiting exports, and Wright has called a ban a bad idea. [5] US diesel costs about $6.52 a gallon, and stocks are 13% below normal for the time of year. [5] Many US farmers are losing money as the harvest begins, with diesel leading the rise in costs. [6] One combine harvester can use 300 gallons of diesel, and farm diesel costs double last year's. [20]

   Why it matters — The price lands in the weeks farmers such as Addie Yoder in Missouri run their combines, from mid-September to late October. [20] Oil companies warn that an export limit could force refineries to make less fuel of every kind. [5]

4. 05

   US farm groups want China's tariff gone

   US farm groups asked President Trump to press China's leader, Xi Jinping, to drop China's 10% tax on US farm goods, ahead of trade talks between the two this week. [7] Traders say China is on pace to buy the 25 million tonnes of US soybeans a year it promised, but it has bought no US corn this season. [7] The groups also want Trump to keep fees on Chinese-built ships suspended, a pause that ends in November. [7]

   Why it matters — The 10% tax makes US soybeans dearer than Brazil's, so private Chinese buyers stay away. [7] The port fees would come back in the middle of the US harvest. [7]

5. 06

   India will warn on one bad nutrient, not two

   India's food regulator, FSSAI, told India's Supreme Court in a filing on Wednesday that a red warning will go on packets high in just one of salt, sugar or fat. [8] Its earlier plan warned only when two of the three were high. [8] Foods and drinks with artificial sweeteners must also say so on the front of the pack. [8] FSSAI said it will finish the rules in about four months, and companies then get a year to comply. [8]

   Rules finishedabout 4 months

   ↓→

   1 yearTime for companies to comply

   Why it matters — India's packaged food industry is worth about $100bn, and Nestle, Unilever, Mondelez and Mars all sell into it. [8] For the first time, the regulator has given companies dates to work to. [8]

6. 07

   India moves junk food away from schools

   India's food regulator wants to stop shops near schools selling snacks high in fat, salt or sugar to schoolchildren. [9] It published the limits in August and is taking comments until 6 October. [9] Maharashtra, the state that includes Mumbai, goes further: no shop within 50 metres of a school may stock them. [9] Its inspectors found 133 shops breaking the rule and ordered 51 to stop trading. [9]

   201528 m

   202541 m

   2040 (forecast)56 m

   Why it matters — The number of overweight or obese Indian children aged 5 to 19 rose from 28 million in 2015 to 41 million in 2025. [9] Shopkeepers in the city of Bhubaneswar say their sales could fall by a third or more. [9]

7. 08

   General Mills cut prices, and sales held flat

   General Mills, the US maker of Cheerios and Pillsbury, said on 23 September that its sales were flat in the three months to 30 August. [10] Its operating profit fell 11%. [10] The company cut its everyday prices last year to win back shoppers worn down by inflation. [10] It now sells cups and smaller boxes so the cheapest pack costs less. [10]

   Why it matters — Its North American shop sales improved by about 2 percentage points on the quarter before. [10] It still expects profit to fall 8% to 13% this year, so the price cuts cost it money while it waits for buyers. [10]

8. 09

   Aldi cuts US prices before winter

   Aldi, the discount grocer, said it is cutting US prices by about $86 million in total from 23 September to at least 3 November. [11] Honeycrisp apples fall to $1.99 a pound, 35% less than last year. [11] Aldi says nearly one in three products on its shelves now cost less than a year ago. [11] It plans to open 180 US stores this year. [11]

   Why it matters — Bigger rivals such as Kroger and Albertsons have been closing stores. [11] Industry experts expect grocery prices to rise faster again later this year as transport costs climb. [11]

9. 10

   McDonald's expects visits to stay flat

   McDonald's chief executive said on Wednesday that visits to restaurants in its main markets will stay flat while prices stay high. [12] The company set out an $8.5bn plan over ten years to support the business owners who run its restaurants. [12] Required remodels and upgrades could cost the average US restaurant at least $1.2m. [12] The support includes rent relief but does not pay for the remodels. [12]

   Why it matters — US visits to McDonald's have fallen every full month since March, according to the data firm Placer.ai. [12] The owners pay for the remodels up front, while the extra cash McDonald's expects, about $100,000 a year per restaurant, comes later. [12]

10. 11

    Food giants warn investors about processed-food rules

    Campbell's and PepsiCo have told investors in their yearly reports that new rules on ultra-processed food could cut their sales and raise their costs. [13] Conagra and Kraft Heinz say they face lawsuits claiming some of their products are ultra-processed and harm health. [13] California's governor, Gavin Newsom, has until 30 September to sign or veto a state seal for food that is not ultra-processed. [13] That bill counts additives such as emulsifiers, colours and sweeteners. [13]

    Why it matters — Texas will require warning labels on products with some ingredients, including artificial colours, from 1 January 2027, and PepsiCo names that law as a risk. [13] The US government's own plan to define ultra-processed food has shrunk from a rule to a paper. [13]

11. 12

    Organic food is running short in the US

    Whole Foods' chief executive, Jason Buechel, said on 14 September that US organic sales could pass $100bn soon, but supply is short. [14] Organic sales reached $76.6bn in 2025, up 6.8%. [14] Certified organic land fell 9% in 2025, to 7.2 million acres. [14] A farm must follow organic rules for three years before it can sell its crops as organic. [14]

    Why it matters — Whole Foods already pulls back promotions because it cannot get enough organic food. [14] Most of the growth in organic beef came from imports from Australia and Uruguay. [14]

12. 13

    Crop fuels could need an area the size of Germany

    Chatham House, a London think tank, and the Forest Stewardship Council expect world biofuel output to rise nearly 70% by 2030. [15] Biofuels are made mostly from food crops like corn and sugar cane, and mixed into petrol and diesel. [15] Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, the US and the EU have proposed or set higher blends since the Iran war began. [15] If every proposal goes ahead, fuel crops need 36 million more hectares. [15]

    36m hectaresExtra land for fuel crops by 2030

    vsvs

    About the size ofGermany

    Why it matters — That is roughly the size of Germany. [15] Sugar and corn prices have already risen about 20% since the war began, and the authors warn of more hunger later. [15]

13. 14

    Asian hornets move closer to England's south-west

    A water company in Devon and Cornwall is asking people to report Asian hornets, after sightings in neighbouring Somerset. [16] By 3 September, Britain's National Bee Unit had recorded 167 of the hornets and 53 nests. [16] Hornet queens are blown across the Channel from France, and some hide under cargo. [16] The number trapped on Alderney, a Channel Island, almost halved from last year. [16]

    Why it matters — Guernsey's government says it tries to keep hornet numbers as low as possible to protect honeybees. [16] A local group in Devon expects many more reports there within two or three years. [16]

14. 15

    A seed coating for corn in ammonia-heavy fields

    Sound Agriculture, a US farm-biology company, launched INFLECT, a powder of helpful bacteria and a fungus coated onto corn seed. [17] It is made for fields fed with anhydrous ammonia, a common nitrogen fertiliser, or heavy manure, which can harm soil life. [17] The company says trials at 12 sites raised corn yields by about six bushels an acre. [17] Yields rose at 92% of the sites. [17]

    Why it matters — Most US corn growers are as worried or more worried about farm costs than a year ago. [17] The yield figures come from the company's own trials. [17]

15. 16

    China's healthy-food policies score medium

    A study in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition scored 15 of China's food and nutrition policies against international best practice. [18] All three areas scored medium, between 62% and 69%. [18] The weakest score, 55.4%, was for keeping food companies' influence out of policy making. [18] Chinese shoppers want less sugar and more protein, but are careful with money. [18]

    Why it matters — The study found the policies are in place, but the money and coordination to carry them out are weaker. [18]

16. 17

    Predicting weather damage to Taiwan's melons

    Researchers in Taiwan used county disaster records from 2003 to 2022 to build models that predict when rain and cold damage melon crops. [19] The models predicted whether damage would happen with over 88% accuracy. [19] They found an average temperature of about 22.4C to be the line for growing melons. [19] Predicting how bad the damage would be worked best for cold spells. [19]

    Why it matters — Three to four typhoons hit Taiwan in an average year. [19] The authors say missing weather data, not weak models, limits the forecasts. [19]