Refresco US Inc is investing nearly USD12 million at its Fort Gibson, Oklahoma bottling operation to increase production capacity, modernise operations, and improve efficiency.

UK shoppers have been delaying their Christmas preparations and are waiting to stock up on festive supplies.

The 2019-20 orange crop forecast update for São Paulo and the west-southwest Minas Gerais citrus belt, published on December 10, 2019 by Fundecitrus is for 385.31 million boxes.

In 2018, Hankow Er Chang, a new carbonated soft drinks (CSD) brand, appeared on the Chinese market. Now it has launched a new range of beverages.

The Pure line-up includes tart cherry, white grapefruit and Concord grape flavours, available at all Walmart stores and from Ocean Spray’s website.

UK shoppers have been delaying their Christmas preparations and are waiting to stock up on festive supplies.

On August 30, China published a revised national standard for organic products. The new standard will take effect on January 1, 2020. On November 12, 2019, China also released revised organic certification rules and an eligible product catalogue; these will also take effect on January 1, 2020.

UniCredit bank has signed an agreement to support growers working with south Italian processor ICAB, specialising in the production of canned vegetables, mostly tomato products.

Argentinean cling peach production for industrial purposes this year is expected to halve, with a crop impacted by ongoing unfavourable weather issues in the Mendoza area.  

UK supermarket giant Tesco announced its support of a project to end deforestation in Brazil’s Cerrado, and launched a programme with the WWF to measure the sustainability of various foods.

Cocoa prices on Thursday (December 12) finished sharply lower as New York cocoa fell to a 1-month low and London cocoa dropped to a 2¾-month low.

Unease about lower than average rainfall in the West African cocoa belt and a recent downturn in new crop port arrivals failed to shift the recent ‘consolidation’ sentiment in cocoa futures markets.

Cocoa prices moved lower for a third consecutive day on Wednesday (December 11) with March London cocoa at a 1¼-month low.

Cocoa arrivals into Ivory Coast’s ports reversed the previous week’s declines and are back to rising, albeit slightly, above year-ago levels, exporters estimated.

Cocoa prices traded lower again on Tuesday (December 10) with March London cocoa at a 5-week low.

Nestlé has today reported how it has expanded a programme in West Africa which seeks to tackle child labour in the cocoa sector. At the same time, the company says it supports planned EU-wide legislation that would oblige companies to carry out human rights due diligence in their supply chains.

UK shoppers have been delaying their Christmas preparations and are waiting to stock up on festive supplies.

Arabica coffee continued its recent near vertical ascent, by mid-week clocking up a massive 48% gain from its summer lows, near months trading their best since September 2017.

India's arabica coffee harvest, which normally starts by the end of November, has been hit by unseasonal rains in Karnataka, the main growing region, according to local press reports.

Local consultancy Safras & Mercado revised its estimate for the 2019/20 coffee crop down to 57.05 mln 60-kg bags from 58.9 mln in April, projecting a tight stocks situation in Brazil until the next harvest around May.

Arabica coffee prices hit a two-year high on further fund buying and fresh signs of supply tightness.

Vietnamese coffee exports dropped year-n-year in November 2019, customs data showed.

Global futures at a standstill with only marginal upwards movements in European butter.

The Russian dairy industry has pushed ahead with excluding vegetable-containing products posing as dairy from dairy technical regulations.

UK shoppers have been delaying their Christmas preparations and are waiting to stock up on festive supplies.

On August 30, China published a revised national standard for organic products. The new standard will take effect on January 1, 2020. On November 12, 2019, China also released revised organic certification rules and an eligible product catalogue; these will also take effect on January 1, 2020.

While butter in western Europe remained largely unchanged this week, origin countries to the east of the continent have been seeing increases, with most significant in Czechia nearing yet another peak.

Nestlé has announced that it reached an agreement to sell its US ice cream business to market giant Froneri.

UK shoppers have been delaying their Christmas preparations and are waiting to stock up on festive supplies.

On August 30, China published a revised national standard for organic products. The new standard will take effect on January 1, 2020. On November 12, 2019, China also released revised organic certification rules and an eligible product catalogue; these will also take effect on January 1, 2020.

The Temblor brewery, located in Bakersfield (Central California) and Lucas Schmidt and Dominique Camou, both participants at Almond Board of California (ABC) Almond Leadership Programme, launched its Almond Brown Ale at the Almond Conference, in Sacramento on December 13.

The fourth position report for the 2019/20 season from the Almond Board of California (ABC) showed that volumes sold overseas this November amounted to 175.2 million pounds compared with 173.4 mln lbs in the same month of 2018.

Accurate calculation of planted and bearing acreage is fundamental to developing a strong almond forecast, according to different institutions and companies at a conference called ‘Almond Production Estimates: nuts and bolts of different models’ and held at the Almond Conference, in Sacramento from December 10-12.

Russia's ministry of agriculture (Minselkhoz) expects an increase in the supply of mandarins to Russia in the pre-holiday period.

UK shoppers have been delaying their Christmas preparations and are waiting to stock up on festive supplies.

On August 30, China published a revised national standard for organic products. The new standard will take effect on January 1, 2020. On November 12, 2019, China also released revised organic certification rules and an eligible product catalogue; these will also take effect on January 1, 2020.

UK supermarket giant Tesco announced its support of a project to end deforestation in Brazil’s Cerrado, and launched a programme with the WWF to measure the sustainability of various foods.

The 2019-20 orange crop forecast update for São Paulo and the west-southwest Minas Gerais citrus belt, published on December 10, 2019 by Fundecitrus is for 385.31 million boxes.

UK shoppers have been delaying their Christmas preparations and are waiting to stock up on festive supplies.

On August 30, China published a revised national standard for organic products. The new standard will take effect on January 1, 2020. On November 12, 2019, China also released revised organic certification rules and an eligible product catalogue; these will also take effect on January 1, 2020.

There is rising interest in refrigerated warehouse and coldstore facilities, resulting in an impressive increase in the financial operations linked to this sector.

Nestlé has announced that it reached an agreement to sell its US ice cream business to market giant Froneri.

UK supermarket giant Tesco announced its support of a project to end deforestation in Brazil’s Cerrado, and launched a programme with the WWF to measure the sustainability of various foods.

Exports of frozen vegetables from Ukraine have risen in the current season, even despite a generally hostile market and a lack of raw material.

Wheat futures were steady to higher on broader positive sentiment from the US-China trade agreement.

Soybean futures settled higher Friday after US and Chinese trade negotiators both announced a partial US-China trade deal had been reached, including increased Chinese purchases of US agricultural goods. Soybean meal futures and soybean oil futures also settled higher. January soybean futures were 9 1/4 cents higher at USD9.07 1/2.

Corn futures posted gains across the board as markets digested US-China trade news.

Apart from higher Chinese crop and stock estimates and a modest re-shuffling of some, mainly second-division export market shares, the latest USDA/WASDE balance sheets held little to interest markets this week.

Amid record world stocks and still vibrant export competition, the wheat market has done well to maintain prices in the upper half of the past four year range (around USUSD4-USD6 per bushel ).

Soybean futures settled higher Thursday as reports of an offer by US trade negotiators to postpone higher tariffs on Chinese goods, set to take effect on December 15, lifted the market. Soybean meal futures ended lower, while soybean oil futures settled sharply higher. January soybean futures were 4 3/4 cents higher at USD8.98 1/4.

Brazil’s animal protein association, the ABPA, says it still wants the Brazilian government to challenge EU poultry import curbs at the World Trade Organization (WTO).

UK shoppers have been delaying their Christmas preparations and are waiting to stock up on festive supplies.

On August 30, China published a revised national standard for organic products. The new standard will take effect on January 1, 2020. On November 12, 2019, China also released revised organic certification rules and an eligible product catalogue; these will also take effect on January 1, 2020.

After a year of expansion, Brazil’s pork and poultry exports are expected to rise even more rapidly in 2020 as the industry ramp ups production to meet demand.

EU lamb prices have climbed to their highest December price value since 2014, as demand continues to track ahead of supply.

Indonesia has finally confirmed an outbreak of African Swine Fever, more than a month after it first emerged that animals may have died of the disease in North Sumatra.

Soybean futures settled higher Friday after US and Chinese trade negotiators both announced a partial US-China trade deal had been reached, including increased Chinese purchases of US agricultural goods. Soybean meal futures and soybean oil futures also settled higher. January soybean futures were 9 1/4 cents higher at USD9.07 1/2.

The Russian dairy industry has pushed ahead with excluding vegetable-containing products posing as dairy from dairy technical regulations.

Winnipeg rapeseed traders seemed unfazed by their government coming out with a lower than expected national crop number of 18.65 million tonnes compared with trade guesses reportedly averaging over 21 mln.

The price of palm oil has continued to rise at its fastest pace for several years, Malay Bursa futures reaching new 2½ year highs and crossing the magic USD700/tonne equivalent at one stage this week.

With nothing fresh in the latest monthly USDA/WASDE report, especially for the key US crop estimate, a skittish soy trade has continued to pivot mainly on more ‘stop-go’ signals over prospects for exports to top buyer China.

Soybean futures settled higher Thursday as reports of an offer by US trade negotiators to postpone higher tariffs on Chinese goods, set to take effect on December 15, lifted the market. Soybean meal futures ended lower, while soybean oil futures settled sharply higher. January soybean futures were 4 3/4 cents higher at USD8.98 1/4.

UK shoppers have been delaying their Christmas preparations and are waiting to stock up on festive supplies.

The Indian guar gum fob spot price fell to INR7,293.2 (USD103.2) per quintal on December 12, 10.5% less than on November 14.

Buyers' hopes for some respite from high prices in Guatemalan cardamom have been thwarted again as the latest crop (2019/20) was delayed by adverse weather.

UK supermarket giant Tesco announced its support of a project to end deforestation in Brazil’s Cerrado, and launched a programme with the WWF to measure the sustainability of various foods.

The UK’s Food and Drink Federation (FDF), has published a report on the outlook for the food industry for 2020, which says the industry needs to increase automation and tackle labour shortages. It also names several key markets for growing exports.

Butterfat prices weakened further at last week’s GDT, while Germany led the continued surge of European pig prices. Indian cumin spot prices also fell this week as export competition kept a lid on wheat futures on the CBOT.

UK shoppers have been delaying their Christmas preparations and are waiting to stock up on festive supplies.

Sugar has stayed in the van of soft futures markets surprising bearish pessimists, this week trading its best prices in over a year.

Australia’s sugar crush is close to completion, Australia Sugar Milling Council (ASMC) data showed.

The Russian sugar output passed the 6.0 mln tonnes threshold on December 11, its sugar producers association Soyuzrossakhar said in a preliminary report.

The 2019 cane crush is coming to an end with final processing expected to reach about 1.7 mln tonnes, up from only 1.45 mln in 2018, according to local press reports.

Given that Russia is grappling with massive oversupply due to another bumper crop in 2019/20, the country carried out its first test deliveries of sugar in containers by sea to Greece and Turkey in November, Reuters reported.