World food prices dip 1.2% in October as wheat piles up in Russia and Ukraine, while sugar hits its highest since December 2024

28 stories 33 sources

Signals on this beat

Food piling up unsold High ↑

Wheat is building up in Russia and Ukraine because their exports are disrupted. [1]
Spain told olive oil mills to store 12% of what they make, as stocks run high. [7]
Black Sea farmers hold grain they cannot sell, the World Food Programme says. [2]

Big food firms getting bigger Building ↑

ABP, an Irish meat giant, is buying a lamb abattoir in Wales. [11]
The UK competition watchdog is looking into ABP's stake in Waitrose's beef supplier. [9]
A US judge threw out a case against David Protein, which controls a fat-like ingredient. [8]

Big promises being checked Building ↑

AGRA, a farm scheme backed by the Gates Foundation, admits it missed its goal of halving hunger in the African countries it worked in. [6]
Tenant farmers want MPs to check a 1.94 million pound grant from the UK farm ministry. [18]
Nobody has traced Alaska's 95% food import figure to a source. [21]

The stories

28 on this beat today.

Every story told the same way: what happened, who is involved, why it matters, how it works, the truth and the good news.

01
World food prices dip 1.2% in October as wheat piles up in Russia and Ukraine, while sugar hits its highest since December 2024

133.9

points on the FAO world food price index in October

down 1.2% in a month, and 16.4% below its March 2022 peak [1]

28.8%

rise in world sugar prices over a year

its highest since December 2024, after rain in Brazil [1]

29%

less grain exported by Ukraine than a year before

counted to 30 October, by Ukraine's farm ministry [2]

8.6%

forecast fall in world wheat trade this season

while wheat stocks build up in Russia and Ukraine [1]
What happened
- World food prices fell 1.2% in October, the FAO, the UN's food agency, said on Friday. [1]
- Its index of world prices for traded foods averaged 133.9 points. [1] That is still 5.9% above a year earlier. [1]
- Cheaper grain, dairy and meat outweighed a sharp rise in sugar. [1]
- Cereal prices fell 4.5% in a month. [1] World wheat prices dropped after four monthly rises in a row. [1]
- Importers bought less wheat, and Argentina's harvest is looking bigger, the FAO says. [1]
- Maize, also called corn, eased from a three-year high in September as the US harvest came in. [1]
- World grain stocks are forecast to rise by 17.2 million tonnes by 2027. [1] Much of the rise is wheat held in Russia and Ukraine, the FAO says. [1]
- Attacks on ships and ports in the Black Sea have made Ukraine's grain hard to ship abroad. [2]
- By 30 October Ukraine had exported 29% less than a year earlier, its farm ministry says. [2]
- Russian attacks have destroyed up to 40% of Ukraine's grain stores, Carnegie Europe, a research group, wrote. [2]
- The FAO expects world wheat trade to shrink 8.6% this season, as every big exporter ships less. [1]
- Sugar went the other way, rising 6.6% in October, its fourth monthly rise. [1]
- It is at its highest since December 2024, and 28.8% dearer than a year ago. [1]
- Rain held up cutting and crushing of sugarcane in Brazil's Centre-South, its main cane region. [1]
- The FAO also points to worries about next season's crops in India, the EU and Thailand. [1]
- Vegetable oil prices rose 0.3%. [1] Soybean oil reached its highest since late 2022, as makers of biofuel kept buying. [1]
- Dairy prices fell 1.1% and meat prices 1.2%. [1] Butter and cheese were plentiful, and buyers held back. [1]
- Arla, one of the UK's three biggest milk buyers, says world milk supplies are settling at a high level. [3]
- Rice went up 1.6%, as harvests ran late in some countries that sell rice abroad. [1]
- The FAO expects the world's rice crop to shrink for the first time in four seasons. [1] It forecasts a 2.5% fall, to 552 million tonnes. [1]
- Total grain output is still set to be the second biggest on record, at 2,999 million tonnes. [1]
down 4.5%Cereals
up 6.6%Sugar
Grain fell further than sugar rose, so the whole index fell.
Who is involved

Black Sea farmers face very low prices and stocks they cannot sell, says Jean-Martin Bauer of the World Food Programme. [2]
- Jean-Martin Bauer a food security chief at the UN's World Food Programme; he says Black Sea farmers cannot sell their stocks
- The FAO the UN's food agency; it publishes the world food price index every month
- Ukraine's farm ministry Ukraine's government department for farming; its figures show grain exports down 29%
- Egypt the world's biggest wheat importer; it buys much of its wheat from the Black Sea
How it unfolded
1. 10 Nov US crop and supply reports are due [4]
2. 4 Dec the next FAO food price index is due [5]
3. Mar 2022 world food prices hit their peak [1]
4. Sep 2026 wheat reaches its highest price in more than three years [2]
5. Oct 2026 the index falls 1.2% to 133.9 points [1]
Why it matters

Egypt, the world's biggest wheat importer, buys much of its wheat from the Black Sea. [2] It needs 13.5 million tonnes of imports this season. [2]
Fuel, fertiliser and freight made dearer by the Hormuz crisis add to what it pays for imported food. [2]
The FAO counts 41 countries that need outside help with food, 31 of them in Africa. [1]

How it works

Statisticians call this a price index: many prices followed as one number. [1]
In October, the falls in grain, dairy and meat were bigger than sugar's rise. [1] So the one number fell. [1]

Seen it before

A class's average mark can drop even when one pupil scores far higher than before.
The truth
- What is really going on World food prices fell in October partly because importers bought less, and partly because wheat is stuck in Russia and Ukraine, where attacks on ships block exports. [1][2]The farmers holding that wheat get very low prices, while Egypt and other importers still pay more for fuel, fertiliser and freight to bring food in. [2]
- Why it works on people One falling number for the whole world sounds like good news for everyone, so the farmers and importers it does not help drop out of sight.
- The FAO puts part of the fall down to importers buying less, not only to more food. [1]
- Countries that rely on imports still face costlier and less predictable supplies, Bauer says. [2]
- Who gains Sellers of soybean oil — Steady buying by biofuel makers has lifted soybean oil to its highest price since late 2022. [1]
- Who pays Grain farmers in Ukraine and Russia — They hold grain they cannot ship out, so they face very low prices for it. [2]
- Who pays Egypt and other countries that import food — Higher fuel, fertiliser and freight costs feed into what they pay for food and for Egypt's subsidised bread. [2]
- Nobody knows yet
  How much of Ukraine's stored grain will spoil.
  
  No official report has found large-scale spoilage, but more than 9 million tonnes may have no storage by November, the EU's ambassador to the UAE warned. [2]
- Nobody knows yet
  How big Brazil's sugar crop will be.
  
  The FAO points to rain that held up the cane harvest, and to worries about crops in India, the EU and Thailand, but gives no tonnes. [1]
Good news
- Poorer countries that import much of their food should grow 126.5 million tonnes of cereals, 2% above average. [1]
What comes next

The US farm department's November crop and supply reports are due on Tuesday, 10 November. [4]
The FAO's next food price index is due on 4 December. [5]

02
Faith leaders tell Gates to stop funding AGRA
What happened
- Faith leaders from over 20 African countries want the Gates Foundation to stop funding AGRA, a farm scheme. [6]
- Their letter, signed by 625 faith leaders, reached the foundation on 28 October. [6] It asks for reparations to small farmers. [6]
- Researchers at Tufts University counted hungry people in AGRA's 13 countries from 2006 to 2024. [6]
- The number of undernourished people rose 58%, from about 95 million to 150 million. [6]
- Enock Chikava, a Gates Foundation director, wrote: "As a longtime funder, we share responsibility." [6]
How it unfolded

The Gates and Rockefeller foundations set up AGRA in 2006. [6] It aimed to double yields and incomes for 30 million farm households, the faith leaders say. [6]
1. 2006 AGRA set up
2. 2024 hunger counted again
Why it matters

Small farmers carry the cost of damaged soil and lost seed, says Gabriel Manyangadze of Safcei, a faith group. [6]

How it works

Evaluators separate outputs, such as farmers reached, from outcomes, such as farmers' incomes and food. [6]
AGRA says it never rigorously measured farmers' incomes or food security. [6] It now says it will judge itself on those, not on numbers reached. [6]

Seen it before

A school that counts how many pupils sat a test, not how many passed, cannot tell if its lessons worked.
The truth
- AGRA does not dispute the count. [6] It says population grew by about two-thirds, faster than hunger, so the hungry share fell in most countries. [6]
- Nobody knows yet
  Whether AGRA made hunger worse, or only failed to cut it.
  
  Tufts counts 58% more undernourished people in its 13 countries. AGRA says population grew faster, so the hungry share fell, and it never measured farmers' incomes properly. [6]
Good news
- Senegal halved its number of undernourished people while using about half as much fertiliser a hectare, Tufts found. [6]
What comes next

The faith leaders want to meet the foundation before it decides its 2027 funding. [6]
03
Spain holds back 12% of its olive oil
What happened
- Spain ordered olive oil mills to store 12% of what they make each month from November. [7]
- The order, published on Friday, keeps that oil off the market until 30 September 2027. [7]
- Spain makes about 45% of the world's olive oil, its farm ministry estimates. [7]
- Spain began the season with 357,040 tonnes in stock and expects to make 1,602,596 tonnes. [7]
- Producers got about 3 euros a kilo for extra virgin oil in early November, against 4 a year earlier. [7]
How it unfolded
1. November storage starts
2. 30 Sep 2027 stored oil can be sold
Why it matters

With the big crop on top of high stocks, the price producers get could fall further. [7]

How it works

Economists call this managing supply: a government holds part of a crop back so its price falls less.
Spain may do it when stocks plus the crop are 20% above the six-season average. [7] This time about 188,000 tonnes will be held back. [7]

Seen it before

A baker who made too many loaves can freeze some for next week instead of selling them all cheap tonight.
The truth
- Who pays Olive oil producers in Spain — They must keep 12% of their oil in store, unsold, until 30 September 2027. [7]

04
Judge throws out the EPG case against David Protein
What happened
- A US judge threw out a case against David Protein, a fast-growing maker of protein bars. [8]
- Three small food firms said they built their products on EPG, then lost access to it. [8]
- They accused David of shutting out rivals in high-protein bars. [8]
- Judge Victor Marrero wrote: "David bars are protein bars that are reasonably interchangeable with other protein bars." [8]
How it unfolded

David bought Epogee, which makes a patented fat-like ingredient called EPG. [8] EPG has 0.7 calories a gram. [8]

Why it matters

The case shows how losing one special ingredient can make or break a small food firm, AgFunderNews says. [8]
How it works
Why a judge first asks what else a shopper could buy

Competition lawyers call it the relevant market: before calling a firm too powerful, they ask what buyers could switch to instead.

The twist

Owning the only supply of one ingredient does not make a firm powerful. It matters only if buyers have nothing else to switch to.
Step by step
1. A firm is accused of shutting rivals out
2. A judge first draws the market: what buyers could switch to
3. Many good swaps make the market wide
4. In a wide market, no single firm holds power
5. Only in a narrow market can one firm's grip hurt buyers
The same force, elsewhere today

Where this chain is also running, in today's other stories.
- David Protein wins its EPG case
  
  the judge counted all protein bars as one market, so a bar made without EPG was still a choice for shoppers
- The CMA looks into ABP's Dovecote stake
  
  the watchdog must first decide whether the stake joins two beef suppliers into one, and then whether the beef market loses a rival
Where you've seen this

Supermarket mergers

a watchdog asks whether shoppers would drive to another chain if prices rose

Football on TV

regulators ask whether fans would switch to another channel, or only to another match

Phone networks

the question is whether customers can easily move their number to a rival

The catch

Drawing the market is a judgment call. A firm accused of shutting out rivals argues the market is wide. The firms suing it argue it is narrow, and a judge has to pick.

And the whole of it

The sheep farmers who sell to ABP, the small firms that lost EPG and the shoppers at the shelf each see only the few choices in front of them. A watchdog or a judge draws the line around all of them, and none of them gets to draw it.
The truth
- David said food makers could pick from an abundance of other ingredients. [8] It said it owed no supply to firms without long contracts. [8]
- Who pays Small firms that built bars on EPG — They lost the ingredient their products were made around, and the court gave them no remedy. [8]
What comes next

One firm, Lighten Up Foods, had already settled. [8] The other two said they would keep fighting. [8]

05
UK watchdog looks into ABP's Waitrose beef stake
What happened
- Britain's competition watchdog, the CMA, has opened an inquiry into ABP's stake in Dovecote Park. [9]
- ABP bought a minority stake in Dovecote's parent company in April. [9]
- In September the CMA told both firms not to make big changes or share sensitive information. [9]
- It said it had "reasonable grounds for suspecting" the two firms had ceased to be distinct. [9]
Who is involved

ABP is Britain's biggest beef processor. [9] Dovecote Park is the exclusive beef, veal and venison supplier to Waitrose, a UK supermarket. [9]
How it unfolded
1. April ABP buys a stake
2. September CMA freezes changes
3. 27 December CMA decides on more
Why it matters

The CMA is asking whether the deal could weaken competition in the market. [9]

How it works

In merger control, a watchdog first asks if a part stake counts as a merger at all. [9] Only then does it ask if competition suffers. [9]

Seen it before

A referee first checks whether a player was offside before asking if the goal should stand.

the watchdog must first decide whether the stake joins two beef suppliers into one, and then whether the beef market loses a rival
The idea, in story 04: Why a judge first asks what else a shopper could buy →
The truth
- Nobody knows yet
  Whether the CMA will open a deeper inquiry into ABP and Dovecote Park.
  
  The watchdog decides by 27 December and has said only that it suspects the two firms may have ceased to be distinct. [9]
What comes next

The CMA will decide by 27 December whether to open a deeper, phase 2 inquiry. [9]
06
ABP buys a Welsh lamb abattoir
What happened
- ABP has agreed to buy Pilgrim's Europe's lamb abattoir at Llanidloes in Powys, Wales. [11]
- About 140 people work there, and they would move to ABP with their job rights protected. [11]
Who is involved

ABP, based in County Louth, Ireland, is one of Europe's leading meat processors. [10]
Pilgrim's Europe, owned by US-based Pilgrim's Pride, employs 17,000 people at more than 40 sites. [10]
How it unfolded
1. Now deal agreed
2. End of January Andover may close
Why it matters

ABP says it works with more than 3,500 sheep farmers across the UK. [11]

How it works

Business economists call this focusing on the core: a firm sells a side line to a specialist. [10]
Pilgrim's says the sale lets it focus on chicken, pork and processed foods. [10] ABP already packs lamb, so Andover was left out. [10]

Seen it before

A cafe that mostly sells coffee may sell its sandwich counter to a bakery that makes sandwiches all day.
The truth
- Neither firm said what ABP is paying. [11]
- Who gains ABP — It gains a lamb plant in one of the UK's most important sheep regions, and its workers. [11]
- Who pays Staff at Pilgrim's Andover site — The site is not in the sale, and Pilgrim's is consulting on closing it towards the end of January. [10]
What comes next

Its lamb packing site at Andover, Hampshire, is not part of the deal. [10] Pilgrim's has begun talks on closing it towards the end of January. [10]
07
Uzbekistan picks its biggest cotton crop since 1991
What happened
- Uzbekistan harvested more than 5 million tonnes of raw cotton in 2026, its biggest crop since independence in 1991. [12]
- More than 3,000 machines picked about 85% of the crop, Uzbekistan's government says. [12]
- It says yields rose from 2.1 to 5.6 tonnes a hectare as the cotton area shrank 38%. [12]
Who is involved

The 2025 crop was about 4 million tonnes, Agriculture Minister Ibrokhim Abdurakhmonov said. [12]
- Ibrokhim Abdurakhmonov agriculture minister
How it unfolded

For decades, teachers, students and public workers were made to pick cotton. [12]

Why it matters

The World Bank estimates textile jobs rose from 188,000 in 2018 to about 600,000 in 2024. [12]
Farming uses about 90% of the country's water, the World Bank says. [12]
The truth
- Uzbekistan's figure for farmers' profit, about 1 billion euros, is not yet confirmed. [12]
Good news
- In 2022 the ILO, the UN's labour agency, said systemic forced and child labour had ended in the harvest. [12]
08
JBS faces 14 complaints in Europe over Amazon cattle
What happened
- Campaign groups filed 14 legal complaints in Europe against JBS, the world's biggest meat company. [13]
- They say JBS laundered profits from cattle raised on illegally cleared Amazon land. [13]
- The complaints went to regulators in the UK, Ireland, Germany and the Netherlands. [13] They name banks including Barclays, ING and Rabobank. [13]
- A study traced 3,329 direct and 9,247 indirect cattle suppliers to 21 JBS slaughterhouses. [13]
How it unfolded

JBS moved its head office from Sao Paulo to Amsterdam when it listed in New York in June 2025. [13]

Why it matters

The groups went to Europe because JBS's banks and advisers are there, not its beef buyers. [13]

How it works

This is known as cattle laundering: animals from cleared land move to a legal farm before sale. [13]
Moving cattle between farms is normal in Brazil. [13] But it can hide the farm where an animal was first raised. [13]

Seen it before

A stolen bike sold on through two friends looks as if it came from the last seller.
The truth
- JBS says it has not seen the data or method behind the claims. [13] A 2023 audit found 94% of its cattle buying came from legal sources. [13]
- Nobody knows yet
  Whether the money-laundering claims against JBS will lead to any case.
  
  The complaints only ask regulators to investigate, and JBS says it has not seen the data or method behind them. [13]
09
US regulators say Amazon overcharged food advertisers
What happened
- US regulators released new details on Thursday of their case that Amazon overcharged advertisers. [14]
- They say one big food and drink advertiser paid over 100% more during Amazon's 2023 Prime Day sale. [14]
- Brands bid in Amazon's auctions to show their products beside shoppers' searches. [14]
- The states say Amazon began adding fake second-place bids in 2018, so winners paid more. [14]
How it unfolded

The Federal Trade Commission, a US regulator, and 22 states sued Amazon on 31 August. [14]

Why it matters

New York's attorney general says the costs reached food and groceries, likely raising shoppers' prices. [14]

How it works

Economists call it a second-price auction: the winner pays just above the next-highest bid. [14]
The FTC says advertisers paid their full bid about 80% of the time in 2024. [14] That made it work like a pay-what-you-bid auction. [14]

Seen it before

At a cake auction, the top bidder pays a penny over the second bid, not their own top bid.
The truth
- Amazon denies it and says advertisers never pay more than they bid. [14] It says the average cost of a click stayed flat after inflation. [14]
- Nobody knows yet
  Whether Amazon really overcharged advertisers, and whether shoppers paid for it.
  
  The states point to Amazon's internal emails, while Amazon says the cost of a click stayed flat after inflation. [14]
10
Scientists name the beetle killing blueberry bushes
What happened
- Scientists at North Carolina State University have named the beetle whose larvae damage blueberry roots in the state. [15]
- It is Prionus imbricornis, a longhorn beetle whose larvae eat roots underground. [15] The larvae grow up to 5 inches long. [15]
- The team trapped adult beetles on 6 farms and matched them to the larvae by DNA. [15] The match was 98 to 99%. [15]
How it unfolded

Growers have reported unknown larvae eating blueberry roots since 2010. [15]
1. 2010 first reports of root damage
2. Now the beetle is named
Why it matters

No insecticide is approved against this pest in blueberries, says co-author Lorena Lopez. [15]

How it works

Biologists call the method DNA barcoding: a short, standard stretch of DNA identifies a species. [15]
Larvae of different longhorn beetles look alike, so eyes alone could not tell them apart. [15] Matching their DNA to known adults could. [15]

Seen it before

Two lost dogs that look the same can be told apart by the chip a vet scans.

What comes next

Lopez is now testing which insecticides work, and when to spray. [15]
11
A seed co-op says England's nature scheme cuts crops
What happened
- The head of United Oilseeds, a UK co-operative, says England's Sustainable Farming Incentive is taking land out of food crops. [16]
- James Warner estimates about 550,000 hectares under the scheme are out of normal farming. [16]
- That includes 180,000 hectares left fallow, enough for about 1 million tonnes of crops, he says. [16]
- The UK grew its smallest area of oilseed rape for 40 years in 2025. [16]
- He puts scheme payments at 256 million pounds, against lost output that could top 750 million pounds. [16]
Why it matters

The co-op expects the UK to need almost 2 million tonnes in 2027 and grow just over 1.2 million. [16]

How it works

Economists call this leakage: cutting a crop in one place can move it somewhere else.
Brazil grows about 1.5 tonnes a hectare against almost 4 in the UK. [16] So Warner says each UK hectare lost needs 2 to 2.5 in Brazil. [16]

Seen it before

A school that stops selling snacks may find pupils just buy them at the shop next door.
The truth
- Farmer Chris Padfield says the scheme can also help, by building soil and cutting fertiliser needs. [16]
- Who gains Oilseed rape growers in Brazil — Brazil overtook the UK's planted area this year, and UK demand it cannot meet at home is met by imports. [16]
12
A potato bred from wild genes beats blight in trials
What happened
- A potato given genes from wild relatives survived late blight, a potato disease, in field trials. [17]
- The Sainsbury Laboratory's PiperPlus is a Maris Piper with 3 blight-resistance genes and 2 virus-resistance genes added. [17]
- Other trials include gene-edited sugar beet against virus yellows, and wheat that forms less acrylamide when baked. [17]
How it unfolded

England's precision breeding rules cover gene changes that ordinary breeding could have made. [17]

Why it matters

The potato could remove the need for blight sprays and insect sprays, the researchers say. [17]

How it works

Plant breeders call this cisgenics: moving genes from a crop's own wild relatives. [17]
Crossing those genes in by ordinary breeding could take decades, says lead researcher Agnieszka Witek. [17] Precision breeding can take a couple of years. [17]

Seen it before

Copying one good recipe from your gran's box is faster than inventing the dish yourself.
The truth
- British Sugar found 69% of UK adults back gene editing, but only if it is needed for farming. [17]
Good news
- In the trials the ordinary Maris Piper was killed by blight, while PiperPlus thrived with no loss of yield. [17]
What comes next

Its makers will soon ask the Food Standards Agency, the UK's food safety body, to approve it. [17]
13
Tenant farmers question a 1.94m pound Defra grant
What happened
- A tenant farmers' group wants MPs to check a 1.94 million pound grant from Defra, the UK farm ministry. [18]
- The Tenant Farmers Association wrote to the chair of Parliament's Public Accounts Committee. [18]
- It asks under what legal power the money was given, and what business case backed it. [18]
How it unfolded

The money helped the Wildlife Trusts buy the 3,800-hectare Rothbury Estate in Northumberland for 30 million pounds. [18]

Why it matters

Eight tenants farm about two-thirds of the estate. [18] The trust says they will not be pushed to change how they farm. [18]

How it works

Economists call this opportunity cost: what the same money could have bought instead.
By the group's sums, 1.94 million pounds would put twice the estate's area into farm nature schemes. [18]

Seen it before

Spending your pocket money on one game means you cannot spend it on two others.
The truth
- Defra says the grant did not come from the farming budget and was good value. [18]
14
Wales plans a food strategy around small abattoirs
What happened
- Wales is writing a national food strategy, due next year, to keep more of its food's value in Wales. [19]
- The group is looking first at small abattoirs, growing more fruit and vegetables, and school food. [19]
- Wright said the decline of small abattoirs limits farmers' chances to add value. [19]
- He asked why Welsh lamb is largely missing from school menus. [19]
Who is involved

Simon Wright, who chairs the Welsh government's expert group, spoke at NFU Cymru's conference on 5 November. [19]
How it unfolded
1. 5 November Wright speaks to farmers
2. Next year strategy published
Why it matters

Schools, hospitals and care homes buying Welsh food could open new markets, said union president Abi Reader. [19]
The truth
- Reader said she had assumed long supply chains were cheapest. [19] She said she is now hearing they are not. [19]
What comes next

Ideas could go to ministers before the strategy is published, Wright said. [19]
15
Pringles cost 2.5 times more a gram in Turkey
What happened
- Pringles cost about 2.5 times as much a gram in Turkey as in the US, a new index finds. [20]
- Turkey costs 3.96 dollars per 100 grams. [20] The US costs 1.61 dollars. [20]
- Hungary, at 3.14 dollars, costs more than Switzerland, at 2.16. [20] The UK is 2.02 dollars. [20]
- France and India are cheapest, at about 1.08 dollars. [20]
Who is involved

Michael van der Looij, a finance director, compared Pringles Original prices in 30 countries. [20]
- Michael van der Looij made the index
Why it matters

Snack makers can use such comparisons to set prices before launching abroad, the index's maker says. [20]

How it works

Economists compare one product's price across countries to see what money buys, as the Big Mac Index does. [20]
Hungary adds 27% VAT, a sales tax, plus a tax on salty snacks. [20] Without VAT it drops from second to fourth. [20]

Seen it before

A bottle of water costs more at a stadium than at a supermarket, though it is the same water.
The truth
- The UK looks 25% dearer than the US until its 20% VAT is taken off. [20] Then the gap is about 5%. [20]
16
Alaska's 95% food import figure has no known source
What happened
- No one has ever traced Alaska's often-quoted 95% food import figure to a source, KTOO, a local broadcaster, reported. [21]
- Juneau, Alaska's capital, has 35,000 people, and almost everything reaches it by water or air. [21]
- Alaskans took in about 46 million pounds of wild food in 2014, the state's latest full estimate. [21]
- In rural areas that is about 275 pounds a person each year. [21]
Who is involved

Meghan Stangeland of Ecotrust, a non-profit, says the figure counts food that is bought, not food that is shared. [21]
- Meghan Stangeland Ecotrust
Why it matters

The USDA cites the 95% figure. [21] Alaska's governor led with it when the state opened a food security office in 2022. [21]

How it works

Economists call this the non-market economy: food and work that are never sold.
Fish caught and shared with elders never pass through a shop. [21] So a figure built from purchases leaves them out. [21]

Seen it before

A family's grocery bill says nothing about the apples picked from its own garden.
The truth
- Nobody knows yet
  Where Alaska's 95% food import figure came from.
  
  Officials keep quoting it, and nobody has traced it to a verifiable source. [21]
17
Lidl sells a Christmas dinner for 8 at 11.11 pounds
What happened
- Lidl, the discount supermarket chain, is selling a Christmas dinner for 8 in Britain for 11.11 pounds. [22]
- That is 1.39 pounds a person. [22] It includes a 3kg turkey at 8.85 pounds and vegetables at 9p each. [22]
- Lidl says it has put 400 million pounds into lower prices this year. [22]
How it unfolded

Last year, supermarkets pushed such deals below 1.50 pounds a head. [22]

Why it matters

Household budgets remain under pressure, Lidl's Richard Bourns says. [22]

How it works

Economists call this a price war: rivals cut prices in turn to win the same shoppers.
Last year the race took Christmas vegetables down to 5p each. [22]

Seen it before

Two ice cream vans on one beach keep cutting the price of a cone to win the queue.
The truth
- Lidl says it pays for the offer itself and pays farmers their full contracted price. [22]
18
A pumpkin patch tied to E coli reopens
What happened
- A California pumpkin patch linked to an E coli outbreak reopened on 6 November. [23]
- Another 8 visitors are ill and waiting for test results. [23]
- 3 of the 5 confirmed patients developed HUS, a kind of kidney failure. [23]
How it unfolded

Brookshire Farms closed on 27 October after 5 visitors were confirmed ill. [23]
1. 27 Oct farm closes
2. 6 Nov farm reopens
Why it matters

Usually only a small share of patients in E coli outbreaks develop HUS. [23]
The truth
- The owners said tests came back negative, but not what was tested or by which lab. [23]
- The county health department has posted nothing since 30 October. [23]
19
US warns of hidden allergens in frozen meat snacks
What happened
- The USDA's food safety service warned that frozen Betterballen meat snacks contain allergens missing from their labels. [24]
- They contain sesame. [24] The beef one also has anchovy, a fish, in its Worcestershire sauce. [24]
- The snacks were made in October and sold online across the US. [24]
- Some may also have been sold at a festival and a farmers market in Greer, South Carolina. [24]
- No recall was asked for, because the snacks are no longer on sale. [24]
How it unfolded

A routine label check found the problem, and no reactions have been reported. [24]
1. October snacks made
2. Now alert issued
Why it matters

Some may still be in home freezers, the service says. [24]
20
A report on a Tyrone cattle cull is due next week
What happened
- An independent review of the culling of 51 cattle near Fivemiletown, County Tyrone, is due next week. [25]
- The cattle were culled in June. [25]
- Union president John McLenaghan says promises that lessons will be learned mean little without change. [25]
Who is involved

The Ulster Farmers' Union says trust in DAERA, Northern Ireland's farm department, has been badly damaged. [25]
- Ulster Farmers' Union
- DAERA
How it unfolded
1. June 51 cattle culled
2. Next week review due
Why it matters

Farmers face penalties when they break rules, he said, so the department should meet the same standard. [25]
The truth
- Nobody knows yet
  What the review of the Tyrone cattle cull will find.
  
  It is due next week, and the farmers' union has said only what it wants from it. [25]
What comes next

The union says it will study the report in detail. [25]
21
US ethanol plants used 438 million bushels of corn
What happened
- US ethanol plants used 438 million bushels of corn in September, USDA figures show. [26]
- That is 0.6% more than a year before, or about 11.1 million tonnes. [26]
Who is involved

Ethanol is a fuel made mostly from corn in the US and blended into petrol. [26]
Why it matters

Ethanol gives Midwest corn farmers a home market while export chances change. [26]

How it works

Economists call these joint products: one process makes two things to sell.
Making ethanol leaves distillers grains, a protein-rich feed. [26] That ties ethanol plants to livestock farms too. [26]

Seen it before

A butcher who sells the steak and the bones for soup earns twice from one animal.
The truth
- One month's rise does not show wider growth in demand, AgDaily notes. [26]
22
Farm rules could cut China's river pollution 41%
What happened
- Better farm policies could cut most pollutants in China's rivers by up to 41% by 2050, a study says. [27]
- Without them, the pollution load could rise by up to 63%, the researchers found. [27]
- They modelled 395 river areas and 5 paths for food production from 2020 to 2050. [27]
- They counted nutrients, plastics, 24 antibiotics and weedkillers washing into rivers. [27]
- Most of the gain came from better handling of manure and crops. [27]
- Tiny plastics stay hard to cut even in the best case, as cities grow. [27]
Why it matters

The study links how firmly China's food policies are carried out to how clean its rivers will be. [27]
The truth
- The study is a computer model of what could happen, not a measurement. [27]
23
Rice runs the core of a stronger way to grow
What happened
- Scientists have shown 4 core steps of a stronger kind of photosynthesis working inside rice plants. [28]
- Putting the C4 method into rice could raise yields by 50%, the researchers write. [28]
How it unfolded

Most plants, rice included, use a method called C3 to turn carbon dioxide into food. [28]
Earlier engineered rice had shown only the first step of the cycle. [28]

Why it matters

More grain from the same field matters as the world's population grows, the paper says. [28]

How it works

Plant biologists call C4 a carbon-concentrating mechanism. [28]
Rubisco, the enzyme that fixes carbon, also grabs oxygen by mistake. [28] That waste can use up to 50% of the energy from light. [28]

Seen it before

A cook who keeps grabbing the wrong jar works faster when the right jars sit by the stove.
The truth
- The rice does not yet have a working C4 system, only its core reactions running. [28]
24
Review backs Northern Ireland's farm science body
What happened
- A review found the farm and food industry trusts the work of AFBI, Northern Ireland's farm science institute. [29]
- About 75% of AFBI's money comes from DAERA, the region's farm department. [29]
- AFBI's budgets are agreed one year at a time. [29] Professor Elizabeth Magowan says that does not fit long research. [29]
- The review urged using AFBI's years of testing data to study bovine TB, a cattle disease. [29]
Why it matters

Minister Andrew Muir says policy on TB, farm emissions and Lough Neagh needs sound evidence. [29]

What comes next

Talks on longer-term funding are going on, Magowan says. [29]
25
England opens 2 new nature deals for farmers
What happened
- Farmers in England can now ask for 2 new nature payment deals, for old orchards and wet grassland. [30]
- The wet grassland deal is for wading birds and wildfowl in winter. [30]
How it unfolded

The deals opened on 3 November. [30] More than 1,100 requests came in for the first two, opened in July. [30]

Why it matters

Each deal pays for one nature job, a simpler way in than a full scheme. [30]

What comes next

Natural England, the English government's nature agency, will reply to each request within 10 weeks. [30]
26
Maize needs its mother plant's recycling genes
What happened
- Maize plants that cannot recycle their own cell parts grow less grain, a study published on 7 November found. [31]
- Those plants flowered later. [31] Their kernels were smaller, lighter and fewer. [31]
- The mother plant's genes mattered more for the kernels than the seed's own genes. [31]
- That is the opposite of what happens in Arabidopsis, a small plant scientists use as a model. [31]
Who is involved

Researchers at Iowa State University and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem did the work, in Scientific Reports. [31]
- Iowa State University
- Hebrew University
How it unfolded

Cells recycle worn-out parts through a process called autophagy. [31] The team used maize with a broken gene for it, called atg10. [31]

Why it matters

Raising maize yield is one of the main goals of plant breeding, the authors write. [31]

How it works

Geneticists use reciprocal crosses: they swap which parent is the mother, then compare the seeds. [31]
Swapping the parents showed the kernels followed the mother plant more than the seed. [31]

Seen it before

Baking one batter in two ovens shows whether a flat cake is the oven's fault or the batter's.
The truth
- The paper's summary gives no figure for how much grain was lost. [31]
27
A 'safe' plastic in food wrap is linked to lighter babies
What happened
- A plastic softener used in food wrap is linked to lower birth weight, a New York University study found. [32]
- World production rose from 25,000 tonnes in 2002 to 400,000 tonnes in 2024. [32]
- The team studied US health data on more than 6,600 pregnancies. [32] Up to 70% of the women had Dinch in their urine. [32]
- Each tenfold rise in exposure went with newborns 27 grams lighter. [32] An average newborn weighs about 3,400 grams. [32]
Who is involved

The chemical, called Dinch, is used in soft plastic food packaging in the US and the EU. [32] It is in cling film and plastic wine corks. [32]
- Cling film
- Plastic wine corks
How it unfolded

Makers switched to Dinch, which they called a safe choice, after older softeners called phthalates proved harmful. [32]

Why it matters

There is evidence that Dinch moves from packaging into food, the Guardian reports. [32]

How it works

Scientists call this regrettable substitution: a harmful chemical is swapped for one that later shows similar harm. [32]
A new chemical resets the research and the rules, the Guardian reports. [32] Lead author Leonardo Trasande wants chemicals tested before sale, not after harm appears. [32]

Seen it before

Painting over a damp patch in a new colour does not stop the damp.
The truth
- The study links Dinch to lower weight in health data. [32] Research on Dinch is still thin, the Guardian reports. [32]
28
Zimbabwe's small farmers tell MPs they are losing land
What happened
- Small farmers told Zimbabwe's MPs on 5 November in Harare that they are losing land and pasture. [33]
- About 70% of Zimbabwe's small-scale farmers are women, the article reports. [33]
- A farmer from Matabeleland South said miners claim ancestral land as mining plots. [33]
- Jane Mujuru said new houses in Juru are eating the grazing land and the wetlands farmers rely on. [33]
- In Chipinge, farmers say attacks by wild animals are rising. [33]
Who is involved

ZIMSOFF, a group of small organic farmers, held the meeting with the farm and environment committees of parliament. [33]
- ZIMSOFF
- Parliament's committees
- Master Makope MP, environment committee
Why it matters

Makope called small farmers the beating heart of Zimbabwe's food security. [33]

How it works

Planners call it a land-use conflict: farms, mines and houses all want the same ground. [33]
Miners can just declare a field a mining claim, the Matabeleland farmer said. [33] Farmers often have no say over it, she said. [33]

Seen it before

A school field turned into a car park never becomes a pitch again.
The truth
- No date has been given for when the bill will be signed. [33]
What comes next

MP Master Makope said a Climate Change Management Bill is expected to become law. [33]

More Food editions

US EPA ends a 20-year effort to limit air pollution from big livestock farms, after studying 25 of the 14,000 that signed up Asian rice hits its highest price in almost two years as El Nino dries harvests, and Philippine rice jumps 21% The UK and the EU finish their deal to end Brexit checks on food, plants and animals, after British food sales to the EU fell by a third

Across the beats

A booking app says US Thanksgiving flights average $402, up 31% on last year, and a 15% sale on a Christmas hotel would only match last year's rate Only 6.4% of stroke survivors in England, Wales and Northern Ireland get the 3 hours of daily therapy a guideline sets, an audit finds UK councils, MPs' staff and tribunals report a surge of complaints they believe chatbots wrote, and some ombudsmen now limit their length

World food prices dip 1.2% in October as wheat piles up in Russia and Ukraine, while sugar hits its highest since December 2024

28 on this beat today.

Why a judge first asks what else a shopper could buy