Tag: food

Global Food Prices Jump Most In 18 Months As Supermarket Inflation Storm Worsens

The world could be on the cusp of another food inflation shock as the benchmark for world food commodity prices recorded the fastest monthly increase in 18 months in September.

A perfect storm of war in Eastern Europe and broadening conflicts in the Middle East, snarled maritime supply chains, extreme weather across croplands, de-growth climate change policies pushed by the far-left in the West, and rogue central bank money printing have all contributed to sticky food inflation.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations’ Food Price Index, which tracks the international prices of a basket of globally traded food, averaged 124.4 in September, up 3% from August and 2.1% higher versus the same month one year ago.

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Bill Gates uses vaccines and genetically modified crops to impoverish and reduce the world’s population

Bill Gates, through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, has funded various scientific research programs and vaccination initiatives, such as “Grand Challenges Explorations.”

It’s not only his investment in vaccines globally that is the problem.  He has also invested in companies that contribute to poverty and pollution and seeks maximum returns on his investments regardless of the social cost.

Gates’ advocacy for vaccines is intertwined with population control, with many concluding his true interest is in reduced fertility or even the elimination of a significant portion of the world’s population.

In addition to vaccines, he has also supported genetically modified organisms in food, which have been linked to health and environmental issues such as the development of super-bugs and super-weeds.

His Foundation has invested in genetically modified crops research, claiming to help African farmers grow their own food but it has led to dependence on large corporations for seeds, pesticides and equipment.

You probably think the above is an introduction to an article written fairly recently, but it’s not.  The article that follows was written 9 years ago.

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Famine in Europe: the real goal of anti-Russian policies

The controversy over Ukrainian agricultural products continues. Ukrainian food products have simply invaded the European market and are driving thousands of farmers out of business. Despite the protests and political pressure, no EU decision-maker seems interested in changing this tragic scenario. However, the crisis seems to have even deeper dimensions and could be a real time bomb for the entire European society.

The Bulgarian government recently asked the European Commission to pass a resolution banning the import of Ukrainian chicken eggs. According to the Bulgarian authorities, the large amount of cheap Ukrainian eggs on the European market is hurting Bulgarian producers, who rely on egg sales as a vital part of their business. Thousands of Bulgarian farmers are going bankrupt, and the crisis is only expected to get worse in the near future.

The problem is not limited to eggs or Bulgaria. Selling grain, meat, dairy products and everything that is produced in the countryside seems to be no longer an attractive business in Europe. Since 2022, protests for change have been taking place in all parts of the European continent. From Poland to France, no European farmer is happy to see his products being replaced on the market by massive quantities of cheap Ukrainian agricultural items.

This is due to the irrational decision of European decision-makers to ban all import tariffs on Ukrainian food products. The measure is allegedly intended to boost the Ukrainian economy during the crisis caused by the conflict with Russia – which ironically is sponsored by the West itself. In the current European market, it is cheaper to import Ukrainian food than to resell the native products, which is obviously causing thousands of farmers to abandon their businesses.

As well known, most of Europe does not have a very strong agricultural sector, with local farmers relying on government aid to stay active in the market. Without this aid and with the invasion of Ukrainian products, it is simply no longer profitable to be part of European agribusiness, which is why thousands of people are likely to stop working in the rural areas and join the growing class of the European “precariat”.

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‘One Meal Every Other Day’ – Aid Agencies Say Israel Blocking 83% of Gaza Food Aid

People in Gaza are only eating one meal every other day as 83 percent of required food aid does not make it into the besieged enclave due to Israel’s blockade, aid organizations have said.

“While Israeli military attacks on Gaza intensify, lifesaving food, medicine, medical supplies, fuel, and tents have been systematically blocked from entering for almost a year,” a statement signed by 15 organizations including CARE International, Oxfam, Islamic Relief, the Norwegian Refugee Council and KinderUSA, said.

This is “driving a humanitarian disaster, with the entire population of Gaza facing hunger and disease, and almost half a million at risk of starvation.”

The organizations said “83% of required food aid does not make it into Gaza, up from 34% in 2023,” emphasizing that this “reduction means people in Gaza have gone from having an average of two meals a day to just one meal every other day.”

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Pharma, Big Ag Lobbyists Help U.S. Scuttle Global Plan to Cut Antibiotic Use in Industrial Meat Production

Targets to cut the use of antimicrobials in animal agriculture were dropped from a key United Nations (U.N.) political declaration following pushback from the agriculture and veterinary drug industry and meat-producing nations comprising the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

The declaration is meant to commit countries to address surging resistance to antimicrobial medicines — a problem that kills nearly 1.3 million people globally in a single year, topping deaths from HIV and malaria combined.

On Sept. 26, global leaders will meet at the U.N. where they are expected to adopt the declaration. But without concrete targets, scientists, global leaders and politicians are concerned that governments won’t effectively address the problem.

In particular, they will fail to curb the use of antimicrobials in farm animals, which is spurring the development of resistance to critical medicines, they warn.

Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), who is campaigning for improved control of antibiotics in food-producing animals in the U.S., said in a statement, “The massive overuse of antibiotics on factory farms in the United States is a serious threat to public health.”

“Federal agencies have a troubling history of deferring to corporate interests on this issue, and I am very concerned about any role that the United States played in weakening international commitments to reduce antibiotic use in farm animals,” he adds.

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Genetically edited food to be deregulated in Australia and NZ

If this goes through it will remove our right to know if our food is natural or genetically edited. And yes, this includes organic food. FSANZ is Australia and New Zealand’s Food Authority.

They have a current proposal open (ending COB Tuesday 10th September) to allow genetically edited food to be grown and sold without any safety testing or labelling. FSANZ Proposal P1055 – Definitions for gene technology and new breeding techniques can be found here: https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/food…

Answer questions on the FSANZ portal here: https://consultations.foodstandards.g…

Or email FSANZ your own submission- submissions@foodstandards.gov.au FSANZ asserts that genetically edited food is the same as natural- conventional food, that it has the same “characteristics”.

Under this definition lab meat may be seen as the same as meat, as the lab meat has added synthetic vitamins and minerals which match the natural levels of vitamins and minerals in meat.

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Ingredient found in Doritos turns mouse’s skin transparent, may have medical applications

Scientists at Stanford University were recently able to make a mouse’s skin transparent using a common food dye, something the study’s author told Fox News Digital could have exciting benefits for humans once additional research is conducted. 

The paper, titled “Achieving optical transparency in live animals with absorbing molecules,” was published in the journal “Science” on Sept. 5. 

In it, the researchers used a solution of red tartrazine, a food dye known as FD&C Yellow 5, on the abdomen, scalp and hindlimb of a sedated mouse, said a release from Stanford University.

The dye turned the mouse’s skin red, which then made the skin appear transparent – and the mouse’s organs were visible to the naked eye, said the release. 

“The researchers believe this is the first non-invasive approach to achieving visibility of a mouse’s living internal organs,” the release noted. 

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Diversity Nutritionist says Unprocessed Whole Foods are Racist

A “Queer. Black. Fat-positive dietitian” from California is on a mission to stop the war on ultra-processed food because she believes that opposing junk food means opposing “people of color” (POC).

Jessica Wilson, MS, RD, has apparently convinced herself that unhealthy eating is a normal part of being a POC, and that those who suggest healthier whole food-based diets are guilty of racism.

TIME wrote a piece about how Wilson was irked by the 2023 release of Ultra-Processed People, a book by Dr. Chris van Tulleken that highlighted how a junk food diet wrecked his health.

“What happened to me is exactly what the research says would happen to everyone,” van Tulleken wrote about how his health declined after switching to a diet mostly composed of chips, soda pop, bagged bread, frozen food and cereal.

Eating all that junk caused van Tulleken to feel sluggish and gain weight. His hormone levels got thrown all out of whack and MRI scans showed that even his brain got damaged.

Wilson, however, feels as though van Tulleken is exaggerating and over-sensationalizing what the junk food did to his body because she feels that processed foods are a normal part of people’s lives, as least the lives of POC whom she says tend to eat more junk food than white people.

Non-whites tend to have lower incomes and live in “food deserts” where there are fewer grocery stores carrying fresh produce and a whole lot more fast-food joints that serve fried, ultra-processed food-like substances.

Wilson claims that this differentiation between healthy foods and unhealthy foods is a form of “food apartheid” that makes no sense to her.

“How can this entire category of foods be something we’re supposed to avoid?” she asked.

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60% of Infant and Toddler Foods in the US Do Not Meet Nutritional Standards

A significant majority of infant and toddler foods in the US do not meet international nutritional standards, according to a new study.

Researchers from the University of New South Wales, Australia, looked at 651 infant and toddler foods for sale in the top eight US supermarket chains.

Around 60% of the food products studied did not meet nutritional guidelines. 70% did not meet protein guidelines and 44% had more sugar than is recommended. 25% did not meet calorie requirements.

The researchers singled out infant and toddler foods in squeezable pouches, which are designed to allow infants to be fed without the use of a spoon. Just 7% of pouch products tested met sugar recommendations.

In addition, the researchers found almost all of the products were deceptively labelled in some way. 99.4% of the products tested contained at least one false claim on their packaging, and some products had as many as 11.

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Days After RFK Jr. Signaled Desire to ‘Make America Healthy Again,’ Time Defends Ultra-Processed Foods + More

Time magazine ran a piece Monday questioning whether food linked to a litany of illnesses is really so bad.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. revealed on Aug. 23 that a major factor behind his decision to endorse President Donald Trump was the opportunity to help “Make America Healthy Again” in a future Trump administration.

“Don’t you want healthy children?” said Kennedy. “And don’t you want the chemicals out of our food? And don’t you want the regulatory agencies to be free from corporate corruption? And that’s what President Trump told me that he wanted.”

Days later, Time magazine signaled a possible narrative shift regarding American health with an article titled “What if Ultra-Processed Foods Aren’t as Bad as You Think?” — having just months earlier published an article entitled “Why Ultra-Processed Foods Are So Bad for You.”

Kennedy, unwilling to buy what Time appeared to be selling, tweeted, “Yeah, what if? And what if ultra-processed foods are WORSE than you think?”

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