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Pork Losses and Moss
18th March, 2024
It’s been one hell of a battle between alternative meat enthusiasts and traditional farmers and, honestly, I’m unsure which way the pendulum is going to swing. Let’s dig in.
This week:
🥩 The alt-meat industry just got MUCH richer in the US.
🍔 France bans plant-based meat labels.
🐷 Tyson Foods seems to be struggling in Iowa.
🫒 Spain is going through a unique type of shoplifting crisis.
🍸️ Michael B. Jordan is now drinking sea moss…
CLIMATE
BEZOS BACKS ALT-MEAT
A Jeff Bezos-owned philanthropic organisation will donate $60 million to improve and scale meat alternatives in order to help slow the rate of climate change, deforestation and biodiversity loss.
The donation will finance the establishment of a number of research centres that will focus on developing plant-based, cultivated, and fermented meats.
The main challenges, notes Bezos, will be to make alternative meats affordable and to move away from the saturated fat and sodium-rich “junk food” products that are currently being sold.
ZOOMING OUT: Barriers still exist, though, as only two US-based cultivated meat companies have gained USDA approval and a number of states are working to criminalise cultivated meats. Nonetheless, this is a huge move.
POLICY
FRANCE BANS ALT-MEAT LABELS
Swinging in the other direction, France has published a decree, banning the use of meat-related terms in labelling plant-based meat alternatives.
Terms, such as “ham”, “steak”, “escalope” and “entrecôte”, will now no longer be permitted and breaches of the ban will be punishable by fines of up to €1,500 for individuals and €7,500 for companies.
While the French government has stated that the use of “meaty” terms misleads consumers, critics of the ban have been quick to express their concern with a government that is becoming resilient to innovation.
ZOOMING OUT: It remains to be seen whether this is a temporary measure. But it looks like the French government is slowly leaning away from new types of sustainable food production to appease angry farmers that continue to rage in Paris.
BUSINESS
TYSON GETS PORKED
One of the largest meatpackers in the US - Tyson Foods - will be permanently closing its pork plant in Iowa, eliminating jobs for around 1,200 workers.
The plant itself slaughters around 9,000 pigs per day and accounts for a little less than 2% of total US pork production.
The reasons aren’t clear, but it looks like climate-conscious and animal welfare-caring consumers are not buying into the pork hype anymore. And, as a result, Tyson's financial position doesn’t look too pretty.
ZOOMING OUT: It’s not just Tyson Foods! Another major US pork supplier - Smithfield’s - is also shutting down a number of pork plants in North Carolina and Missouri as demand for their pork has also dwindled.
SUPPLY CHAIN
OLIVE OIL ROBBERY
Persistent rises in temperature and geopolitical conflict have made olive oil the most stolen supermarket item across most of Spain.
The main culprits seem to be criminal gangs - mainly in Madrid, Catalonia, and Andalusia - that target retailers and farmers to resell the “liquid gold” on the black market.
And, looking at current prices, it’s easy to see why. The price of olive oil in Spain - the world’s largest producer - has more than QUADRUPLED in the past four years.
ZOOMING OUT: Spanish businesses already lose, on average, €1.8 billion per year because of shoplifting. And with temperatures continuing to rise, reducing the quantity of the good stuff, the robbery trend will likely continue.
THE BRIGHT SIDE
CREED KNOCKS OUT SEA MOSS
When I saw that Michael B. Jordan launch a new drink - made out of sea moss - I have to admit that my interest was PEAKED.
Indeed, the star of the Creed franchise has partnered up with Purpose-Driven to make MOSS: a refreshing drink that’s made out of sea moss and various fruity flavours, such as pomegranate and mango.
Despite the moss-drinking trend actually being quite healthy - boosting your immunity, gut health, and heart health - I was more curious to see the emphasis placed on sustainability.
Their packaging is plastic free and the company itself pledges to allocate a lot of their profit to protecting sea life and the communities that depend on the ocean. Great stuff!
The taste of the drink, so far, has the audience split. For me, though, I’m a fan of the healthy-sustainable idea especially if Adonis Creed himself is promoting it. Food Jungle approved ✅
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BEFORE YOU GO…
American meatpacker - Tyson Foods - looks to hire 52,000 immigrants from Venezuela and Colombia to fill job spots that "no one else wants" at the company's Tennessee plant.
Plant-based meat start-up – Planted – has made a multimillion-dollar investment in fermentation as it ramps up production of fillet steaks made from plants.
McDonald's experiences a global technology system outage that left restaurant operators around the world unable to open stores, take card payments and receive digital orders.
The European Commission finalised proposals that would severely weaken environmental requirements for farmers.
DoorDash adds a new AI tool to detect potentially abusive speech between customers and workers.
TAKE A BREAK
If you’re interested in some quality ORIGINAL journalism on what’s been going on in the food industry, look no further than Green Queen.
Founded in 2011, by Sonalie Figueiras, the team looks to analyse and discuss the latest news in food, from cultivated meat to food waste. Thoroughly recommend! 🤩
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