Northern Italy goes into "lock down" but fresh produce ...



PMAC weekly update 9th to 16th MarchGovernment agencies: ICPR Changes; Big fines and home detention in wine case; Review panel appointed as Overseer improvements continue; Inside Stories Latam Film; Foodie? New Zealand News: New programme to boost high-value products in Taranaki; Primary industries in good shape to respond to drought and COVID-19; Kiwi avocado milk wins big at global awards; New Zealand celebrates 200 years of apples and pears; US will see larger New Zealand apples this spring; Quality of New Zealand Breeze apples is better than last year"; Positive signs for NZ apple and pear crop; SunGold kiwifruit licensing tender due to open next month; Boosting eating quality of New Zealand Navel oranges; New Avocado rootstock in New Zealand; Almost half of breakfasts don't include fresh fruit or vegetablesInternational news: GAIN reports; Eco-schemes key to CAP reform; Bayer investor sues top officials for ‘disastrous’ Monsanto deal; Northern Italy goes into "lock down" but fresh produce sector continues with caution; COVID-19 outbreak causes flower market fluctuations in Asia; Overall import volume of fruit in China is stabilizing"; Mr Apple and China Resources Enterprise donate container of new season apples to Wuhan; CMA CGM announces start of rebound in China container volumes; Trains could replace blank sailings and cancelled flights from China; US: "Coronavirus impact on imports expected to be larger and longer than previously expected"; Coronavirus: no evidence that food is a source or transmission route; Wash fruit and veg, urges WHO; Large retailers in Spain increase their fruit and vegetable orders due to fear of the coronavirus; Fresh produce industry events cancelled due to coronavirus; Workshopping a road map for the next big vegetable trend; Chiquita releases new sustainability report; British property group diversifies into hydroponic vertical farming; Video shows results of gender equality efforts; Even concerned consumers don’t know which food choices have the lowest climate?impact ; Researchers study the effectiveness of a component of oranges and mandarins against obesity; How scientists create new fruits and vegetablesEditors CommentsCorona virus is certainly making life very unpredictable and I suspect we can expect this to carry on for a least 6 months. This week there are 11 articles on the effect of the virus. More news is coming out of China now and trade into China appears to be improving. There is confirmation from Europe that there is no evidence that fruit and vegetables can carry the virus and in Europe it appears as though trade in produce continues although demand is very variable. As for the rest of the news . Another good crop of sustainability articles and one surprising one that reports a property investment group in London is investing in vertical farming properties. The other article to look at this week is the Foodie? article released by the New Zealand story . It includes a short video that shows why we produce some of the best produce in the world Agency news ICPR changesThe ICPR for the European Union has been updated with changes to thePhytosanitary legislation and documentation requirements updated.List of quarantine pests with the following added, added protected zones and union regulation non-quarantine pests (General prohibitions and prohibitions for certain protected zones updated.Growing media and packing material requirements modity specific requirements for a number of commodities Big fines and home detention in wine case A Canterbury company and 3 individuals have been sentenced for a raft of charges related to fraudulently blending and mislabelling wine, then falsifying records to cover it up. Southern Boundary Wines, its directors Scott Charles Berry, 37, and Andrew Ronald Moore, 45, and its employee and winemaker Rebecca Junell Cope, 44, received their sentences at the Christchurch High Court today after a long-running Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) investigation, says MPI's director of compliance Gary Orr. The company received a $1.7 million fine. The court noted that the scale of the fine reflects the culpability of the offending and provides a deterrent effect.Mr Berry was sentenced to 10 months and 2 weeks' home detention and ordered to pay reparation of $25,000.Mr Moore was sentenced to 2 months and 2 weeks' home detention and ordered to pay reparation of $20,000. Ms Cope was sentenced to 200 hours' community work.""New Zealand's wine industry has a well-earned reputation with importing countries because of the quality and integrity of its products. "We need to keep it this way, and this prosecution sends a strong message that MPI will pursue this kind of offending, and where we have evidence, place it before the courts. Full article available here Review panel appointed as Overseer improvements continueEight independent experts have been appointed to lead a technical review of the Overseer environmental modelling software, the ministries for the environment and primary industries announced today. The Overseer work is a major part of efforts to improve decision-making tools for use on-farm.Panel members were selected based on their depth of knowledge and their collective range of skills and perspectives.“The 8 independent and internationally-recognised environmental specialists will look ‘under the bonnet’ of Overseer to critically assess its modelling capability and explore potential improvements for its use,” says Ministry for the Environment deputy secretary – water and climate change, Cheryl Barnes. “The panel’s conclusions and assessments will be critical to New Zealand’s future approach to land management. We must be confident that Overseer is the right tool to drive sound land management decisions and improve freshwater quality.”The review consists of 2 parts. The first will be an assessment of whether Overseer’s modelling approach is fit to use as a decision-making and regulatory tool and, if so, which aspects should be subject to a more in-depth review. Its inaugural meeting is on 30 March and its report back on this part is expected in late 2020. The review’s second part is dependent on these findings, and would take place over a year. Full article available here Inside Stories Latam Film The latest Inside Stories film captures Latin American's sharing their perspectives on what makes New Zealand Amazing. Like Gustavo, Chief Concierge at the Hilton Auckland who loves New Zealand's welcoming culture. The film is available in English, as well as Portuguese and Spanish subtitled versions. Foodie? A video that talks about how we grow the very best of produce . It talks about how we have the right environment tthat produces healthy food that tastes fantastic because of our high UV, backed by good science Which is very safe to eat ?and Kaitiakitanga –means that the land is a resource to be respected.?New Zealand growers care for the land, with future generations in mind. They have respect for the environment?and?use sustainable techniques to ensure they can grow healthy food for?a long time.?looking for the world’s healthiest, tastiest, most innovative produce... we know a place.Read more on the New Zealand Horticulture Story Full article available here 4888230-15557500New Zealand News New programme to boost high-value products in Taranaki A new collaboration to boost Taranaki’s food and fibre enterprises was launched last week. The two-year, $914,000 project dubbed ‘Branching Out’, will investigate, explore, package, and potentially pilot new commercial opportunities. The goal is to identify up to a dozen food and fibre ventures that have the potential to boost Taranaki’s economy, O’Connor said. He said a key part of this new project is also looking at ways to diversify and complement existing land-use and value chains, to better support biodiversity and environmental outcomes. Full article available here Primary industries in good shape to respond to drought and COVID-19 The primary sector’s strength, resilience and ability to respond to the effects of drought and the global impact of COVID-19 is highlighted by a new report out last week. ?The latest Situation Outlook for Primary Industries, from MPI, forecasts primary sector revenue will rise 0.5 per cent in the year to June 2020 ?The Government is closely monitoring the situation the sector is facing and working with industry leaders to ensure New Zealand’s high-quality products continue to get to market despite the global trade issues created by COVID-19. Full article available here Kiwi avocado milk wins big at global awards The milk is available in original and dark chocolate flavour. Kiwi-made avocado milk has been named a winner at the World Food Innovation Awards 2020.The milk took out gold in the awards’ best health or wellness drink category on Thursday night in London.The ‘avocadomilk’ brand is the creation of?New Zealand chef, Sachie Nomura. The milk, said to be a world-first, is created out of avocadoes and oat milk in Hawke’s Bay. The dairy-free milk “tastes like avocado” and “is?good for you like avocado”, according to the?avocadomilk website. Avocadomilk says unlike avocadoes, the milk’s price stays stable and has a long shelf life of 10 months. The milk is sold in 100 stores in the US, but it is not yet available in New Zealand.?Full article available here New Zealand celebrates 200 years of apples and pearsApples and pears have been a New Zealand treasure since the first trees were planted in Kerikeri by missionary Samuel Marsden in 1819. Two centuries later, the top fruit industry is a significant earner for the nation’s economy, on track to achieve its goal of $1 billion in export earnings by 2022.Last week, NZ Apples and Pears Inc -the industry body that represents the country’s top fruit industry- celebrated the 200 year milestone with a gathering at Parliament hosted by Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor. O’Connor says the apples and pears industry is a significant contributor to New Zealand’s export revenue, its regional economy and employment. Full article available here US will see larger New Zealand apples this springWith a larger crop this year, New Zealand apples will be coming into the US market in May. An article that talks about the fact New Zealand send its bigger apples to the USA and particularly promotes Lemonade apples Full article available here "Quality of New Zealand Breeze apples is better than last year"An article promoting New Zealand apples in China. This article actively promotes New Zealand Breeze apples It notes this year China has large reserves of apples . It notes . Chinese consumers are also more aware of the health benefits of fresh fruit and they pay more attention to nutrients in apples as well as the production area where the apples come from. The product quality of our Breeze apples is great and the apples have an excellent flavour. We believe that we can satisfy Chinese consumers with the unique crisp and sweet flavour of New Zealand apples." Full article available herePositive signs for NZ apple and pear cropNew varieties continue to drive production and export growth for New Zealand’s apple and pear sector.In its initial 2020 forecast, the industry’s peak body, New Zealand Apples and Pears (NZAPI), pegged the new season crop at 600,000 tonnes, a?5 per cent increase from 2019. Export volume is expected to be up 3 per cent on 2019 figures, with 22.7m cartons (18kg) destined for customers in more than 80 countries.NZAPI chief executive Alan Pollard said a notable trend in this year’s forecast was the continued move away from some “traditional” varieties. “We lead the world in the development of new varieties and in the past 12 months we have seen increased plantings of Pink Lady, Dazzle, Jazz and Rockit,” Pollard explained. “The Braeburn export crop is expected to be 19 per cent down on last year and 30 per cent (approximately 1m cartons) down from 2018.”Apple plantings nationally have increased annually by between 2–4 per cent for the past six seasons, with the majority of new plantings in the past 12 months occurring in Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne. Total registered plantings in New Zealand have now reached 10,396ha. Full article available hereSunGold kiwifruit licensing tender due to open next monthWith the new season’s SunGold kiwifruit licensing tender due to open next month, expectations are that orchardist interest in the 750ha area being made available will be at least as strong as last year.Last year’s SunGold allocation of planting rights averaged $290,000 a hectare, with a number of orchardists missing out on their desired allocation simply due to over demand for the popular planting option.Last season SunGold fruit comprised 50 percent of the national crop for the first time, accounting for 74 million trays .A big part of the fruit’s success is its ability to maintain a year round shelf presence, thanks to Zespri’s work with European growers ensuring a further 19 million trays can fill the shelves once New Zealand fruit supply has run out.Even with the cost of a good Green orchard at about $500,000 a hectare, plus the licence cost and lost income until the orchard matures, the numbers still look good for SunGold conversion. Orcharding costs for SunGold are proving similar to the $35,000-$40,000 a hectare for Green, while gross fruit income per hectare can be as high as $200,000 a hectare. Full article available here Boosting eating quality of New Zealand Navel orangesMaturity standards recommended by crop quality specialists Delytics Ltd have significantly improved the eating quality of New Zealand navel oranges, over the past four seasons. Retail monitoring carried out each season by New Zealand Citrus has shown that the consumer acceptability of navel oranges has remained consistently high since new minimum maturity standards were adopted in 2016.The maturity standards are an integral part of the independent clearance process that Delytics designed for Citrus New Zealand in 2015. Full article available here New Avocado rootstock in New ZealandSR1 is the rootstock recovered from an ‘escaped’ avocado tree that was the sole survivor from a block of Hass trees grafted to unknown seedling rootstocks planted near Whangarei around 1987. Up until 2002/03 reasonable crops were produced. However, from 2002 to 2008 the block declined severely due to waterlogging and Phytophthora infection despite intensive remedial actions. During this period the SR1 “mother” tree was noted to be the only tree which showed no signs of decline and consistently producing crops, despite being at the bottom of the block and only 10-15m from a swampy area. Lynwood Nursery has tested the root stack for resistance to Phytophthora and productivity .Full article available here Bits and piecesAlmost half of breakfasts don't include fresh fruit or vegetablesProject Manager Carmel Ireland from the 5+ A Day Charitable Trust says New Zealanders really do know they’re supposed to eat at least five servings of fresh fruit and vegetables every day. Still, 44 per cent of people who do eat breakfast don’t include any of this."Based on this research, we believe that breakfast may provide the greatest opportunity to increase the amount of fresh fruit and vegetables in our diets," Full article available here 3940810-63500 International news Comment GAIN reportsGain reports are from the “Global Agricultural Information Network” and are produced by the USDA. They are designed to provide timely information on the economy, products and issues in foreign countries that are likely to have an impact on United States agricultural production and trade. The information in them is written for USA exporters but the majority is equally relevant to New Zealand. With regard to import regulations for a particular market New Zealand exporters should first check the countries ICPR on MPI’s web site. These are collated specifically for New Zealand product. However the Gain reports often provide additional information that is useful e.g. on grading and labelling, economic profiles. To see the full report go to the Gain web site () and search for the country and any reports released in the last month. This week see:Hong Kong Economic Stimulus Funds to Fill Restaurants and Trade Shows Libya 2 reports the Exporter Guide Libya and FAIRS Country Report Import Regulations and Standards - Certification RegulatoryEco-schemes key to CAP reformAfter nearly 60 years, the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is currently being reformed to shift responsibility to EU Member States. Key to this reform is the introduction of Eco-schemes in the first pillar, which help farmers to introduce new practices and move towards more sustainable models, according to a new report by research institutes FiBL and IEEP, commissioned by IFOAM EU.The guide provides greater understanding of this new policy tool, as well as its strengths and weaknesses, and includes technical support for implementation, such as selecting the payment model and identifying the most suitable measures. The guide recommends systems-based approaches such as organic farming, conservation agriculture, the protection and maintenance of High-Nature Value (HNV) farmland areas or agroforestry. It also recommends support in identifying the main barriers to developing effective and efficient measures and provides guidance for the monitoring and evaluation of Eco-schemes.Concerning the organic movement, Eco-schemes could encourage the uptake of system-based and agroecological approaches if they are planned in coherence with other policy developments, such as the Green New Deal, the Farm to Fork Strategy, the EU Strategy for Biodiversity and a new Organic Action Plan. Full article available here Business/ IndustryBayer investor sues top officials for ‘disastrous’ Monsanto dealBayer’s board and other top officials were sued by an investor who claims the “disastrous” 2018 acquisition of Monsanto saddled the company with potentially billions of dollars in costly lawsuits over Roundup herbicide.The German chemical giant “has been engulfed by a tsunami” of litigation alleging Monsanto’s Roundup causes cancer, eroding Bayer’s share value, Rebecca Haussmann said in a suit filed Friday in New York state court in Manhattan. She demanded compensation and punitive damages, as well as disgorgement of pay for executives who helped arrange the deal.Bayer last month estimated it faces about 48,600 U.S. plaintiffs in Roundup cases, up from 18,400 in July. While the company insists the herbicide is safe, it has lost some early cases at trial. It may cost $10 billion to $13 billion to settle the claims, according to estimates by Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Holly Froum. “These verdicts caused Bayer’s market capitalization to collapse by over $60 billion, wiping out the entire ‘value’ of the Monsanto acquisition, damaging Bayer and its shareholders,” “The acquisition is now ranked as one of the worst corporate acquisitions in history.” Read more at Bloomberg (Chris Dolmetsch) Northern Italy goes into "lock down" but fresh produce sector continues with cautionWith Norther Italy in lockdown The Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies clarifies that, in relation to this decree, agri-food products may enter and leave the areas affected by restrictions. The activity of the transporters is a work requirement: the staff who drive trucks or other vehicles can enter and leave the territories concerned and move within them, limited to the need to deliver or pick up the products. The new provisions are valid from 8 March to 3 April 2020.Supermarkets and grocery stores will remain open but it will always be necessary to observe the "the rule of one meter distance" between people and therefore the entrance to the points of sale will be restricted and strictly controlled, under penalty of closure. The usual opening hours will be followed, even at weekends (individual operators can make changes). In case of violations of the measures imposed by the new decree the consequences can be the arrest for up to three months or a fine of up to €206."Both large-scale distribution and general markets have continued to place orders. And it's normal since food is the only thing that cannot be suspended, not even by decree". But they have put in place greater controls on the staff, greater precautions on personal health, a ban on strangers entering the company are just some of the precautions we have taken. We are committed to limiting the opportunities for contagion". Original article available hereLarge retailers in Spain increase their fruit and vegetable orders due to fear of the coronavirusThe demand for fruit and vegetables from the Region of Madrid, the Basque Country and other areas with high rates of people infected with COVID-19 (coronavirus) has increased markedly in the last 3 days since the cases confirmed by the Ministry of Health have started to skyrocket.The population continues to stockpile food due to fear to the virus and the online retail is collapsing because of the lack of resources to deal with such a swarm of orders. Large retail chains have increased their fruit and vegetable orders ahead of the weekend. A chain that used to ask us for 6 pallets a day has asked us for 20 for this weekend. Original article hereCOVID-19 outbreak causes flower market fluctuations in AsiaAs the COVID-19 outbreak takes a turn for the better in China, business in Kunming Dounan Flower Market, Asia's largest fresh-cut flower market, is also heating up. However, the prices and demand are lower compared to the same period last year. "Vietnamese flower exporters are also seeing an increase in flower exports despite the pandemic, Vietnam+ reports. The provincial Department of Industry and Trade said on March 10 that in February alone, Lam Dong shipped 34 million flower stems to Europe, Japan, Australia, China, Taiwan (China) and some Southeast Asian nations, up 15 percent in volume and 17.5 percent in value year-on-year.?In Taiwan, the government is seeking to prop up the flower sector by offering bailout assistance, asking people to use floral ornaments. A slump in flower exports is taking place, while domestic demand is also falling.In Japan, measures are being taken to support the flower industry. In an effort to help farmers, the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry is calling on the public to send flowers on Saturday, or White Day in Japan, when men who received chocolates from women on Valentine’s Day on Feb. 14 are customarily expected to give a gift in return. Original article here"Overall import volume of fruit in China is stabilizing"Chinese companies have suffered the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic to various degrees since the Chinese Spring Festival [25 January, 2020]. Now that conditions are improving day by day, many companies have begun to resume operations and gradually return to normal levels. Here is an article that talks about the issues Dole faced in China through the epidemic.Transport, stoppages at the border and staff being unable to come to work were the main issues. Stores sales suffered but online sales boomed. Original article hereMr Apple and China Resources Enterprise donate container of new season apples to WuhanWith imported fruit now flowing through channels in China, Mr Apple and partner China Resources Enterprise have donated one container (1,176 cartons) of fresh, new season, New Zealand apples to two hospitals in Wuhan. Original article hereCMA CGM announces start of rebound in China container volumesShipping giant CMA CGM says there has been an upturn in volumes from the China market after the coronavirus sharply impacted shipments from the country during the month of February.As of last week, container lines had blanked 75 sailings on the Asia – Europe and transpacific trade due to lower volumes from China. However, with the market now recovering, CMA CGM said it expects to operate its normal fleet capacity by mid-March.“Production capacity of Chinese manufacturing plants is monitored daily and has shown signs of improvement since the end of February,” CMA CGM said in its annual results statement.“There has been an upturn in volumes and a major catch-up effect is expected once the health situation stabilizes, as Western countries will be seeking to rebuild their inventories,” it added. Original article available hereTrains could replace blank sailings and cancelled flights from ChinaDue to the COVID-19 outbreak and the resulting blank sailings and cancelled flights, Chinese ports and airports are congested. Rail transportation is a feasible alternative to sea or airfreight. The rail journey from terminal to terminal currently takes between 11 and 15 days from northern and central China to Europe. Transit time from Europe to China is slightly longer at 18 – 20 days. In addition to rail, road transport from China to Europe is also possible again. The route via Russia (the Manchurian border) is feasible and door-to-door it takes 18 – 20 days. Original article available hereUS: "Coronavirus impact on imports expected to be larger and longer than previously expected"The coronavirus outbreak is expected to have a longer and larger impact on imports at major U.S. retail container ports than previously believed as factory shutdowns and travel restrictions in China continue to affect production, according to the Global Port Tracker report released by the National Retail “Now that we are in the coronavirus environment, uncertainty has expanded exponentially,” Hackett Associates Founder Ben Hackett said. “Our projections are based on the optimistic view that by the end of March or early April some sort of normalcy will have returned to trade.”This month’s report comes as a separate NRF survey of members found 40 percent of respondents said they are seeing disruptions to their supply chains from the virus and that another 26 percent expect to see disruptions as the situation continues.U.S. ports covered by Global Port Tracker handled 1.82 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units in January, the latest month for which after-the-fact numbers are available. That was up 5.7 percent from December but down 3.8 percent from unusually high numbers a year ago. February was an estimated 12.6 percent down from last year Original article hereCoronavirus: no evidence that food is a source or transmission routeEFSA is closely monitoring the situation regarding the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) that is affecting a large number of countries across the globe. There is currently no evidence that food is a likely source or route of transmission of the virus.The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has said that while animals in China were the likely source of the initial infection, the virus is spreading from person to person – mainly via respiratory droplets that people sneeze, cough, or exhale. More information on coronavirus and food can be found in this FAQ by the BfR, Germany’s risk assessment body.Regarding food safety, the World Health Organization (WHO) has issued precautionary recommendations including advice on following good hygiene practices during food handling and preparation, such as washing hands, cooking meat thoroughly and avoiding potential cross-contamination between cooked and uncooked foods. More information can be found on the WHO website. Original article hereWash fruit and veg, urges WHOConsumers should be careful to wash their fruit and veg before eating it to avoid the spread of coronavirus, the World Health Organisation has advised. The biggest risk lies in handling fresh produce and packaged goods that have been touched, coughed on or sneezed upon by an infected person. Original article hereFresh produce industry events cancelled due to coronavirusAs the coronavirus spreads around the world and movement is restricted gatherings of large numbers of people are banned, a number of industry trade fairs have been postponed or cancelled. This article lists 13 International meetings that are postponed and three cancelled Original article here Marketing Workshopping a road map for the next big vegetable trendHealthy living and tailor-made diets are continuing to make their mark on Australians’ eating habits. In a strategic levy investment project funded by Hort Innovation, Workshop Australia analysed consumer trends to find out how growers can position their vegetables front and centre, as well as create trends of their own. The project Vegetable trend forecasting and analysis (VG16027) was a strategic levy investment under the Hort Innovation Vegetable Fund. It was commissioned to research trends and produce a resource for growers to better understand how to go about undertaking their own marketing activities.At the outset of the project, Hort Innovation delivery partner Workshop Australia looked at kale, one of the biggest recent trend foods, to find out what drove each boom. Kale is perhaps the most successful ‘superfood’ of the last decade, rising from being used as decoration at Pizza Hut salad bars to becoming a household name. The article goes on to talk about ways in which the production of vegetables can be increased, Read the project’s final report on the InfoVeg database. Full article available here Chiquita releases new sustainability reportCarrying on from last week’s article about Chiquita’s work in the sustainability space Chiquita has released its sustainability report this week. The report states it honors its global responsibility by continuing its sustainability practices that have led the industry for nearly three decades. Building on the foundation of the brand’s “Behind the Blue Sticker” approach, Chiquita is releasing its updated sustainability report, highlighting its efforts to maintain sustainability from farm to table. Chiquita’s commitment to promote sustainability is not new, making this report an update on previous efforts rather than a radical departure from previous reports. To read the full sustainability report, click here.Full article available here British property group diversifies into hydroponic vertical farmingTrafalgar intends to add an additional business unit to operate alongside the company's existing property development operations.? The company intends to invest in the hydroponic vertical farming sector. The Board has looked at other opportunities where it can utilise its property development skills and diversify into other sectors. It has identified hydroponic food production, which requires significant property investment and expertise, as an area for investment. Full article available here Video shows results of gender equality effortsIDH - The Sustainable Trade Initiative has seen throughout the years that gender equality is a catalyst for economy growth. For the last five years they have been implementing initiatives to increase women’s access to resources, their position in leadership roles and women’s workplace safety around the globe and are seeing results in different industries.For International Women’s day, they shared some of these initiatives and results. Find out more about IDH Gender Empowerment and Equality work. Full article available here Even concerned consumers don’t know which food choices have the lowest climate?impact The energy used to grow, process, package and transport food accounts for about a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions. But not all food is equally carbon-intensive. Researchers can measure the impact of different food choices at each stage of their journey – from farm to fork – to work out their carbon footprint. Experts suggest that, to reduce your food-related carbon footprint, the best dietary changes to make include replacing red meat and dairy products with plant-based alternatives, and avoiding products that are flown in, or grown in a commercial greenhouse.In our research, we found that many people aren’t aware of this advice. In a national UK sample, most people mentioned one or two dietary changes for reducing the climate impact of their food choices, but they rarely mentioned the strategies that experts suggest are the most effective. Cut out red meat and dairy, say experts. But is it getting through to people? Respondents in our study thought that buying local and organic were the best choices for the climate, with reducing packaging and avoiding processed food coming close behind. Although these strategies can have benefits for the environment and animal welfare, they are far from the most effective strategies for mitigating climate change. So why are people in the dark about the right dietary choices for the climate?For one, corporate sustainability campaigns tend to shift responsibility onto consumers by focusing on reusing and recycling packaging. This has the obvious appeal of presenting no risk to a company’s bottom line. Although reducing the amount of plastic packaging that ends up in landfill is important, it’s unlikely to make much difference to climate change.Another cause for confusion might be the nature of advice given by climate experts. Often, the climate impact of food choices is presented in terms of grams of greenhouse gas emissions. We found that people were confused when they were asked “how many grams of greenhouse gas emissions could be saved by growing 1 kg of produce organically instead of conventionally?”, or “packing 1 kg of produce into a paper bag instead of plastic”? They were less confused and could answer more accurately when asked the same questions about the percentage of the greenhouse gas emissions that could be saved. For most of us, decisions about what to eat involve many factors, including how healthy or tasty food is likely to be. We simply don’t have the time, the motivation, or the ability to always figure out exactly which food option has the lowest carbon footprint. Making choices becomes a lot easier when we have simple rules of thumb. One example is the five-a-day rule, It’s much easier to follow than weighing and adding up your daily intake of different fruits and vegetables to see if you’ve consumed the necessary amount in grams.Popularising simple rules of thumb – like replace red meat and dairy with plant-based products – helps people skip the stupefying step of computing the complex carbon footprint of every single meal they eat. They allow people to make fast and effective decisions about what to eat. Full article available here Health Researchers study the effectiveness of a component of oranges and mandarins against obesityResearchers at the Western University of Ontario, Canada, have conducted a study on the effectiveness of nobiletin, a flavonoid naturally found in oranges and mandarins, against obesity.Researchers has shown that mice that consume a diet high in fat and cholesterol but receive nobiletin at the same time have a lower overall weight, lower levels of insulin resistance (a precursor to diabetes), and less blood fat than those who took the hypercaloric diet without the supplement. Their hypothesis is that the molecule intervenes on the channel that regulates how the body manages calories, activating the process that burns lipids in the body to generate energy and, at the same time, blocking the process that creates more body fat. Full article available here InnovationHow scientists create new fruits and vegetablesThere are thousands of different kinds of apples on the market, and 2,500 of those are grown in the United States, like the Granny Smith, Fuji, Honeycrisp, and America’s favorite, the Gala, which just beat out the Red Delicious variety for the first time ever. Scientists are still developing new varieties, like the Cosmic Crisp apple from Washington State University. CNBC took a look at the world of breeding new fruits and vegetables: A fantastic 15 minute video on breeding new apples Full article available here Subscribe/ Unsubscribe If you no longer wish to receive this email please send a note to info@pmac.co.nz asking to be added/ removed and providing the nominated email address Disclaimer Please note this information has been accessed from emails that have been forwarded to info@PMAC.co.nz and are distributed as a weekly update. 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