(Xinzheng/Getty Images)

New China import rules bring headaches for food, beverage makers

Cooking oil, milled grains among foods moved to higher-risk categories

Beijing | Reuters — Makers of Irish whiskey, Belgian chocolate and European coffee brands are scrambling to comply with new Chinese food and beverage regulations, with many fearful their goods will be unable to enter the giant market as a Jan. 1 deadline looms. China’s customs authority published new food safety rules in April stipulating […] Read more

Dominic Barton. (Video screengrab from McKinsey.com)

Ambassador to China to leave post after helping free detainees

Canola, 5G access, other issues remain

Ottawa | Reuters –– Canada’s ambassador to China said on Monday he would soon leave his post after a two-year assignment where he helped secure the freedom of two Canadian detainees despite icy relations between Beijing and Ottawa. Dominic Barton’s departure, which will take effect Dec. 31, leaves a crucial diplomatic post open at a […] Read more

CBOT March 2022 wheat (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (yellow, orange and dark green lines). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Wheat rallies as global demand offsets virus worries

USDA confirms China buys U.S. soybeans

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. and European wheat futures jumped on Thursday as a series of import tenders and fears of rain damage to Australia’s harvest overshadowed concerns over the spread of the new coronavirus variant. Soybean and corn futures also advanced at the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT). Global demand for wheat put renewed […] Read more



CBOT December 2021 wheat (candlesticks) with K.C. December 2021 wheat (orange line) and MGEX December 2021 wheat (green line, left column). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: CBOT wheat down off nine-year high

Chicago corn, soybeans also weak

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures fell on Tuesday on a profit-taking setback, with the benchmark Chicago Board of Trade soft red winter wheat contract sagging 1.9 per cent from the nine-year high it hit on Monday. Corn and soybean futures also were lower, but the declines were kept in check by signs of […] Read more

CBOT December 2021 wheat (candlesticks) with K.C. December 2021 wheat (orange line) and MGEX December 2021 wheat (green line, left column). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: CBOT wheat down off nine-year high

Chicago corn, soybeans also weak

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures fell on Tuesday on a profit-taking setback, with the benchmark Chicago Board of Trade soft red winter wheat contract sagging 1.9 per cent from the nine-year high it hit on Monday. Corn and soybean futures also were lower, but the declines were kept in check by signs of […] Read more

File photo of a Chinese cornfield. (Baona/iStock/Getty Images)

China proposes new rules to ease GMO approvals

Leadership seeks 'turnaround' in seed sector

Beijing | Reuters — China is planning changes to its seed regulations that will make it easier to approve genetically modified crops, a move seen as a critical step toward commercializing GM corn. The ministry of agriculture and rural affairs published a draft document late on Friday proposing a series of amendments to several different […] Read more


CBOT January 2022 soybeans (candlesticks) with 20-day moving average (yellow line) and December 2021 soymeal (black line, left column). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soybeans climb as soymeal surges

U.S. wheat nears nine-year top

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures rose about two per cent on Friday, led by soaring soymeal futures tied to technical buying, brisk demand for the high-protein feed ingredient and logistical hurdles, traders said. Corn and wheat futures followed the higher trend, supported by tightening global grain supplies and fund-driven buying, and U.S. wheat […] Read more

A Western blot analysis, used to detect specific proteins in tissue samples, is used to confirm BSE in cattle. (Peggy Greb photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Brazil plays down BSE risk in suspect cases in people

Sao Paulo/Rio de Janeiro | Reuters — Brazil’s agriculture ministry said that two cases reported on Thursday of a neurodegenerative disorder in patients in Rio de Janeiro state were not related to beef consumption, tamping down fears of possible BSE causing human illness. Federal biomedical institute Fiocruz, which is investigating the possibility of bovine spongiform […] Read more