In The Spotlight
Representatives from the global south gathered in Dubai from 25-26 March, to convene a collective action plan to secure the future of millets
High-level representatives from leading millet-producing countries in the global south including India, Mali, Nigeria, Niger, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, and Malawi, alongside prominent organisations such as the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), the International Centre for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA), and the Indian Institute of Millets Research (IIMR), came together to devise strategies for strengthened collaboration under a shared vision of resilience for the drylands.
Key outcomes of the meeting included the development of plans for establishing Centers of Excellence on Millets in major millet-producing countries, that envision to serve as hubs for innovation, research, and knowledge exchange, driving sustainable crop production, resilient value chains, and broader consumer access to affordable and nutritious millet-based diets. The convening also served as a platform to reaffirm a shared commitment to achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs) in the global south, particularly by supporting food security, poverty eradication, and environmental sustainability.
“It is important that we build on the momentum and legacy of the International Year of Millets 2023 (IYM2023) to ensure the world has access to millets, which are Smart Food with the ability to feed and nourish the planet amid growing global populations, increasing temperatures and climatic events,” remarked director general of ICRISAT, Dr Jacqueline d’Arros Hughes.
For more information, visit: https://www.icrisat.org/
Thai Union has become the latest feed company to achieve ASC Feed Standard certification for its Mahachai Plant in Thailand, marking the first time this certification has been awarded in Asia
A new survey has revealed that more than 80% of Malaysians favour humane farming, urging Chinese and Malaysian egg producers to hold a collaborative education and sharing session on 8 May, to discuss the growing market opportunity in cage-free egg production
Hosted by the Beijing Egg Industry Association, consultancy Lever China, and international NGO Lever Foundation, the event entitled, 'Sino-Malaysia Cage-Free Egg Symposium: Unlocking Success Together,' aims to equip Malaysian egg producers with insights from leading Chinese egg producers in China who have expanded to include cage-free production in response to growing corporate and consumer demand.
The event comes as a new survey conducted by GMO Research finds that an overwhelming 83% agree that food companies should source their eggs from a supply chain that adheres to humane standards of animal treatment. Additionally, nearly 60% of Malaysian consumers said they were more inclined to patronise a food brand that sourced only cage-free eggs and more than 60% were also willing to pay more for cage-free eggs if they were slightly more expensive than traditional caged eggs.
Based on current corporate commitments in Malaysia, Lever Foundation predicts that the demand for cage-free eggs will increase by 395 million eggs per year within the next several years.Global trends in egg production have continued to evolve toward more humane and sustainable practices, as numerous studies by the European Food Safety Authority and others have consistently found cage-free production to have far lower rates of salmonella contamination, making them healthier and safer for consumers.
"In addition to the increasing demand from consumers for cage-free eggs, a growing number of food companies have committed to only source eggs from cage-free supply chains, which will require an increase in cage-free production in the Malaysian market," said Vilosha Sivaraman, Sustainability Programme manager at Lever Foundation, which supports food companies in Malaysia transition toward cage-free eggs.
For more information about the event, visit: https://form.evenesis.com/cage-free2024
As the olive oil industry continues to face unprecedented challenges, there has been a gradual increase in fraudulent activities involving the sale of counterfeit mixtures that closely resemble authentic olive oil
The Mediterranean region responsible for the majority of the world's extra-virgin olive oil production has been hit by a severe drought, resulting in significant reductions in output from countries like Spain, Tunisia, Greece and Italy. This scenario has led to a dramatic surge in prices, in turn attracting counterfeiters who are exploiting the situation by introducing fake products into the market. With more than 260,000 litres of fake olive oil seized in Italy and Spain, Europol's recent investigations have shed light on the alarming prevalence of counterfeit olive oil within the market.
Fraudulant schemes like these involve the substitution of high-quality olive oil with cheaper, inferior seed oils that are manipulated with additives like chlorophyll and carotenoids to mimic the appearance of authentic olive oil, thus deceiving the unsuspecting consumer. Mixing olive oil with lower-quality lampante oil is another method used to dilute the purity of olive oil while reducing costs. This not only compromises the quality but also misleads consumers about the product they are purchasing. Extra-virgin olive oil, a popular staple in culinary traditions has therefore, come under scrutiny wordwide, urging consumers and restauranteurs alike to exercise caution and vigilance.
The presence of polyphenols are responsible for olive oil's unique flavour profiles, ranging from sweet to bitter or zesty. These compounds not only contribute to the oil's taste but also offer numerous health benefits. Characteristics like taste and aroma that are distinctive to authentic olive oil cannot be replicated by seed oils. However, distinguishing genuine olive oil from fraudulent mixtures can be challenging. Examination of fatty acid and sterol compositions are the most common analytical methods used to identify adulterated products.
Moreover, since certain countries do allow the sale of blended oils, it is extremely important for consumers to carefully examine product labels for harvest dates, locations and certification seals from reputable third-party organisations, prior to selecting extra-virgin olive oil. Advances in technology, such as blockchain systems for traceability, offer promising solutions for enhancing transparency in the olive oil supply chain. However, the effectiveness of these tools is contingent upon consumer awareness and engagement.
A recent study led by the University of Copenhagen (UCPH) atmospheric chemistry professor, Matthew Stanley Johnson brought to the spotlight, a new method devised by researchers to eradicate low-concentration methane from air
A new Methane Eradication Photochemical System (MEPS) reaction chamber, comprising an elongated metal box with heaps of hoses and measuring instruments, was built. Using chlorine and energy from light, researchers were successful in removing methane from air at a greater speed and efficiency compared to its natural decomposition rate in the atmosphere. Inside the box, a chain reaction of chemical compounds takes place, which breaks down the methane and removes a large portion of the gas from air.
"Methane decomposes at a snail's pace because the gas isn’t especially happy about reacting with other things in the atmosphere," explained Johnson. "However, we have discovered that, with the help of light and chlorine, we can trigger a reaction and break down the methane roughly 100 million times faster than in nature."
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has determined that reducing methane gas emissions—which are considered to be 85 times more potent of a greenhouse gas than CO2—will immediately reduce the rise in global temperatures.
With the development of their new MEPS reaction chamber, the researchers plan to connect the device to the ventilation system in a livestock barn, where it will behave as a methane cleaner. A 40 ft shipping container will soon arrive at the Department of Chemistry and will become a larger prototype of the reaction chamber that the researchers built in the laboratory. The UCPH spin-out company Ambient Carbon, started and now headed by Johnson is currently developing the MEPS technology and plans to make it available to society in the near future.
For more information, visit: https://science.ku.dk/
Gridtractor, Monarch Tractor, and Borg Warner have achieved a significant milestone by successfully demonstrating Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) capabilities utilising a Monarch MK-V tractor, a Borg Warner 60 kW DC fast charger, and Gridtractor’s cloud-based charge management system employing the Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP)
The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA), in collaboration with Feedstuffs, has named ADM’s animal nutrition feed facility in Bluffton, as its 2023 Premix/Ingredient Feed Facility of the Year
The award was presented to plant manager, Brent Weedman during AFIA’s Purchasing and Ingredient Suppliers Conference that took place in San Antonio.
In response to fluctuating markets, the Bluffton facility has made a strategic shift to manufacturing premixes.
ADM North America director of Animal Nutrition, Junior Rogers expressed pride in their Bluffton Team. “We have introduced DRR in all of our facilities and Bluffton continues to drive continuous improvement,” he stated. “The DRRs are designed to keep visibility and balance in our metrics. This ensures we remain focused and urgent to service our customers.”
For more information, visit: https://www.adm.com/ and https://www.afia.org