REPORTER: After Decade-Old WTO Fight, India Cuts Frozen Turkey, Duck Tariffs

This article was originally featured in the WINTER 2024 Edition of Urner Barry’s Reporter magazine.

On September 11, 2023, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai announced that India had agreed to reduce tariffs on frozen turkey and ducks from 30% to 5%, along with other U.S. agricultural products. This ends the last major trade dispute between the two nations, potentially opening a sizable export market forAmerican producers.

The announcement came after President Joe Biden’s meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the G20 Summit in New Delhi...

REPORTER: Ecuador Shrimp Supply Growth Putting Pressure On Other Producing Countries 

This article was originally featured in the WINTER 2024 Edition of Urner Barry’s Reporter magazine. 

Ecuador is a South American country of 18 million people that straddles the equator on the west coast of the continent. Their chief exports include crude oil and derivatives, shrimp, bananas, coffee, cut flowers, cocoa, and Panama hats, which they ship to destinations like the United States, Peru, China, Chile, and Panama.

While large-scale shrimp production has been in Ecuador for more than 50 years, it’s the growth in the...

REPORTER: PFAS: What Are They And Why Are They Important?

This article was originally featured in the WINTER 2024 Edition of Urner Barry’s Reporter magazine. 

PFAS is a growing acronym that is becoming more well known around the media and within the industry. It stands for Per-and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances; a group of manufactured chemicals that have been used in industry products for quite some time. There are thousands of these chemicals and substances and some of them are more used than others, and have more information and research than others.

The major issue with these chemicals is...

REPORTER: The Growing Tides of Seaweed Farming in the U.S.

This article was originally featured in the WINTER 2024 Edition of Urner Barry’s Reporter magazine.

Seaweed cultivation, a practice deeply rooted in the traditions of Japan, China, and Korea, has recently sparked significant interest in the U.S. This renewed attention is spurred by its recognized role as a sustainable solution to pressing globalissues like climate change, food security, and the preservation of ocean ecosystems. Investors, environmental advocates, and food enthusiasts are all drawn to this growing trend, leading to the establishment of numerous aquatic farms in locations...

REPORTER: The Landscape of the U.S. Lamb Market 

This article was originally featured in the WINTER 2024 Edition of Urner Barry’s Reporter magazine.

Both domestic and imported lamb, which are typically most popular in white tablecloth establishments, have trended well historically in Q4 ahead of the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday. With extended family and friends getting together more often than not during these months and opting for foodservice options around the actual holidays, items like lamb rib racks typically see a gain. However, this year is seeing some atypical price action...

REPORTER: One Australian Company Expands From Abalone to Underwater Wine

This article was originally featured in the WINTER 2024 Edition of Urner Barry’s Reporter magazine. 

Underwater wine, anyone? It’s not just for mermaids!

Aging wine underwater has been trending for quite a few years now. However, a recent partnership between Rare Foods Australia and a French company called Winereef International has caught the attention of both vino and seafood lovers.

Rare Foods Australia formerly did business as Ocean Grown Abalone. Known as the world’s first commercial abalone ranch and for producing Greenlip Abalone, the company underwent a rebranding in 2021...

REPORTER: The Intriguing World of Canned Pink Salmon

This article was originally featured in the WINTER 2024 Edition of Urner Barry’s Reporter magazine. 

In the protein landscape, few options marry history, nutrition, and convenience as well as canned pink salmon. A testament to innovation and preservation, canned pink salmon offers many benefits to modern consumers while charting an exciting trajectory into the future.

THE BACK STORY

The roots of canned pink salmon begin in the Pacific Northwest in the waters around Alaska and British Columbia in the 19th century; a time when canning techniques were rapidly...

REPORTER: What The Food Industry Will Be Watching in 2024

This article was originally featured in the WINTER 2024 Edition of Urner Barry’s Reporter magazine.

2023 was a pretty eventful year for the food industry, from consumers battling rising grocery prices to the USDA approving two American manufacturers to create cell-cultivated meat. While we don’t know for sure what the new year will bring, industry experts have been sharing their predictions on what they think will be trending in 2024.

“Maximizing pleasure—in the forms of simple ingredients to global flavors to upscaling the everyday—and minimizing stress...

REPORTER: Two Years In: Russia-Ukraine War’s Impact on the Agricultural Marketplace 

This article was originally featured in the WINTER 2024 Edition of Urner Barry’s Reporter magazine. 

On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, resulting in far-reaching ramifications to human life and for the global marketplace.

Both Russia and Ukraine are among the world’s most significant producers and exporters of agricultural goods. The two countries play a critical role in supplying the global market with critical commodities like fertilizer, grains, and oilseeds.

Prior to the invasion, global food...

REPORTER: Restaurant Employment Makes Long Journey Back to Pre-COVID Levels

This article was originally featured in the WINTER 2024 Edition of Urner Barry’s Reporter magazine. 

Since the COVID pandemic essentially shut down the entire foodservice industry in 2020, the sector has been on a long road to recovery. Sales have improved gradually since 2021 and consumers are still opting to eat away from home despite sticky inflationary pressure.

Labor has been one of the biggest headwinds facing the industry. Food inflation is another topic but finding labor to feed a population with a big appetite to dine out...

REPORTER: New Research “Illuminates” the Future of Poultry Production

This article was originally featured in the WINTER 2024 Edition of Urner Barry’s Reporter magazine. 

The commercial broiler industry has come quite a long way since its inception back in 1923. What began as a small flock of roughly 500 meat-type birds in Sussex County Delaware has since snowballed into a multi-billion-dollar business sector, which routinely produces more broilers annually than there are people walking the planet!

At its core, the same principles from the early 1900’s remain in play 100 years later...