Australian diet set to worsen as national food policy is drawn up by profit-driven industry, experts warn
Exclusive: Many industries on new council are ‘associated with significant health harms’, one academic says
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Cheap and unhealthy foods are set to become further entrenched in the Australian diet, according to health experts, who warn the federal government is developing a national food policy with heavy influence from profit-driven food and agriculture industries.
Dr Matt Fisher from the University of Adelaide’s Stretton Institute’s health equity department said the policy could “compromise crucial public health considerations”.
Continue reading...We know ultra-processed foods are bad for you – but can you spot them? Take our quiz
Test your knowledge in eight questions to prove you know your onions from your emulsifiers
A major global report released this week linked ultra-processed foods to harm in every major human organ. For people in the US, the UK and Australia, these foods make up more than half the calories they consume each day.
But it’s not always easy to tell which foods are ultra-processed.
Group one: unprocessed or minimally processed foods including whole fruits and vegetables, milk, oats and rice.
Group two: processed basic ingredients used in cooking including salt, sugar and vegetable oils.
Group three: processed foods made by adding items from groups one and two. Includes canned legumes, bread and cheese.
Group four: ultra-processed foods which are commercial products made from extracts of foods, often with added chemicals, flavours and other ingredients you wouldn’t find in a home kitchen.
With thanks to Dr Priscila Machado from the Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition at Deakin University for checking this quiz for accuracy
Continue reading...La Niña conditions are present. Dryness have expanded over Eastern Africa, Honduras and Colombia. Floods threats continues in parts of eastern Africa, Central America and Hispaniola.
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16Food Assistance Outlook Brief, November 2025
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9La Niña conditions are present in November. Central Africa faces dryness and Eastern Africa continues to experience drought. Heavy rains have been falling in parts of the Caribbean and Colombia.
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16IFPRI and Digital Green expand collaboration to test AI innovations for smallholder farmers
IFPRI and Digital Green expand collaboration to test AI innovations for smallholder farmers
Building on years of joint research on digital extension, the collaboration will now focus on user testing of Digital Green’s FarmerChat application as part of IFPRI’s Generative AI for Agriculture (GAIA) initiative.
The post IFPRI and Digital Green expand collaboration to test AI innovations for smallholder farmers appeared first on IFPRI.
Smartphones, women’s rights and coupons: new trends that can boost insurance for African farmers (The Conversation)
IFPRI's Berber Kramer and Ruth Hill discuss how new, innovative forms of insurance could help insure farmers against weather shocks, and how South Africa’s G20 presidency can support these initiatives.
The post Smartphones, women’s rights and coupons: new trends that can boost insurance for African farmers (The Conversation) appeared first on IFPRI.
SPECIAL EDITION: November 2025 Weather and Agriculture Briefing
Dr. Inbal Becker-Reshef (NASA Harvest/Microsoft AI For Good Lab) will present her team’s innovative use of satellite data to support Ukraine's Ministry of Agriculture in assessing the impacts of conflict on food production and food security. She will also discuss how this model is being applied to monitor conflict-related impacts on agricultural production in other geographies.
Drs. Chris Funk and Laura Harrison (UCSB Climate Hazards Center) will share how the Center’s cutting-edge Defense-in-Depth drought early warning system is used to anticipate severe droughts in the eastern Horn of Africa. This system seamlessly combines observations, weather predictions, and long-lead climate forecasts to anticipate agro-climatic disasters. Learn more about our services: https://fews.net/services
Friday, November 21st, 10:00 - 11:00 AM SEO Description FEWS NET is hosting a special edition of our monthly Weather and Agriculture Briefing, featuring world-renowned scientists who are pushing the boundaries of computer modeling and satellite monitoring to deliver the most accurate and forward-looking forecasts for global food security.FEWS NET is hosting a special edition of our monthly Weather and Agriculture Briefing, featuring world-renowned scientists who are pushing the boundaries of computer modeling and satellite monitoring to deliver the most accurate and forward-looking forecasts for global food security.
Global, Weather and Agriculture Outlook FEWS NET Events events@fews.net Virtual – register for meeting link Register NowCould urban farming feed the world?
From back gardens to hi-tech hydroponics, the future of food doesn’t have to be rural
In 1982, artist Agnes Denes planted 2.2 acres of wheat on waste ground in New York’s Battery Park, near the recently completed World Trade Center. The towers soared over a golden field, as if dropped into Andrew Wyeth’s bucolic painting Christina’s World. Denes’s Wheatfield: A Confrontation was a challenge to what she called a “powerful paradox”: the absurdity of hunger in a wealthy world.
The global population in 1982 was 4.6 billion. By 2050, it will be more than double that, and the prospect of feeding everyone looks uncertain. Food insecurity already affects 2.3 billion people. Covid-19 and extreme weather have revealed the fragility of the food system. Denes was called a prophet for drawing attention to ecological breakdown decades before widespread public awareness. But perhaps she was prophetic, too, in foreseeing how we would feed ourselves. By 2050, more than two-thirds of us will live in cities. Could urban farming feed 10 billion?
Continue reading...La Niña conditions are present in November. Central Africa faces dryness and Eastern Africa continues to experience persistent dry conditions. Hurricane Melissa brought very significant impacts to Hispaniola and other parts of the Caribbean.
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16New study examines affordability and nutritional implications of the 2025 EAT–Lancet Commission diet
New study examines affordability and nutritional implications of the 2025 EAT–Lancet Commission diet
The study, published in The Lancet Planetary Health, used IFPRI’s IMPACT model to assess how adopting the EAT-Lancet diet could affect calorie availability, share of income spent on food, nutrient availability, and food prices.
The post New study examines affordability and nutritional implications of the 2025 EAT–Lancet Commission diet appeared first on IFPRI.
Jamaican farmers warn of food shortages after destruction of Hurricane Melissa – video
The category 5 hurricane has decimated the country's breadbasket of St Elizabeth and neighbouring Manchester and Trelawny, destroying farms and klling livestock. Melissa hit an island that was still recovering from last winter, prompting fears of possible food shortages in early 2026
Continue reading...October 2025 Global Price Watch
- In East Africa, staple food prices generally decreased in September, driven by improved availability from dry and green harvests and price-setting policies. Price declines were observed in Tanzania's consumption areas, Kenya's unimodal production zones, and Burundi's surplus markets, although prices remained elevated compared to the previous year in several countries. Prices increased in conflict- and flood-affected areas, including North Darfur in Sudan, Baidoa in Somalia, Ethiopia's northern and southern zones due to late rains, and Burundi's deficit markets. Livestock prices were mixed across the region as improved body conditions from better rangeland were offset by seasonal supply declines.
- In Southern Africa, staple food prices showed mixed trends in September, with significant year-over-year declines in major surplus-producing countries contrasted by elevated prices in import-dependent markets. South Africa, Zambia, and Mozambique recorded prices approximately 30 percent below the previous year's levels due to slower exports, a strong production recovery, and currency appreciation. However, Malawi's limited maize availability pushed prices 76 percent above the previous year. Tanzania recorded unusually high prices despite record harvests, and Madagascar experienced price spikes due to disruptions caused by sociopolitical crises.
- In West Africa, staple food prices declined, driven by the start of harvests and government interventions such as subsidized cereal sales in Niger and import waivers in Nigeria. Prices were below last year’s levels and close to the five-year average. Localized price anomalies persisted in parts of Burkina Faso, Mali, Chad, and Cameroon, where insecurity, trade route blockades, and high transportation costs continue to drive above-average prices. In Nigeria, easing inflation and seasonal supplies have driven consistent price moderation. Prices are expected to remain seasonally low through December/January due to ongoing harvests.
- In Central America, white maize prices were stable in Guatemala and Honduras but increased in El Salvador, while imports supported a close to average supply. Black bean prices remained stable in Guatemala due to higher import volumes, and red bean prices showed mixed trends across the region, influenced by below average carryover stocks. In Haiti, insecurity continues to constrain market operations. Local and imported staple food prices were stable due to improved availability. The price of imported foods such as wheat flour, vegetable oil, and rice remained stable due to easing international cereal prices and currency stability.
- In the Middle East, Europe, and Asia, post-harvest price stability in Afghanistan was supported by currency appreciation, steady imports, and lower tariffs, while localized increases in a few provinces reflected supply shortfalls from the north. In Yemen, IRG-controlled areas experienced price decreases driven by improved macroeconomic conditions, while SBA-controlled markets remained under strict price controls and had adequate stock levels. In Gaza, aid inflows temporarily eased prices, whereas in the West Bank, markets functioned normally with stable prices.
International markets showed mixed trends in September, with maize prices rising three percent due to EU heat stress, while rice prices fell 30-40 percent below last year’s levels due to high global supply. Wheat prices declined slightly on stronger EU and Australian production. Crude oil remained stable at 68 USD/bbl. Fertilizer prices were mixed, with urea down nine percent and ammonia up eight percent.
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15La Niña conditions emerged in September. Heavy rainfall continues to impact tropical Africa and Northern South America. Hurricane Melissa brought very significant impacts to Hispaniola and other parts of the Caribbean.
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16Agricultural drones are taking off globally, saving farmers time and money (The Conversation)
Agricultural drones are taking off globally, saving farmers time and money (The Conversation)
Ben Belton (IFPRI/MSU) and Leo Baldiga (MSU) share findings from their new study published in 'Science' documenting a rapid growth of agricultural drones usage around the world.
The post Agricultural drones are taking off globally, saving farmers time and money (The Conversation) appeared first on IFPRI.
In Memoriam: Dr. Elisabeth Sadoulet
In Memoriam: Dr. Elisabeth Sadoulet
IFPRI mourns the passing of Betty Sadoulet, a leading figure in development economics.
The post In Memoriam: Dr. Elisabeth Sadoulet appeared first on IFPRI.
FEWS NET Weather and Agriculture Outlook, October 2025
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638Food prices are likely to remain high and volatile (Welternährung)
Food prices are likely to remain high and volatile (Welternährung)
Rob Vos (Markets, Trade, and Institutions unit) explores the persistent volatility and inflation in global food prices.
The post Food prices are likely to remain high and volatile (Welternährung) appeared first on IFPRI.
Africa’s children: 20 years on, what happened to the millennium babies?
In 2005, the Guardian documented the births of 10 babies as a way to tell the story of millions across the continent. We caught up with three of them, finding hardship – and hope
Twenty years ago, the Guardian featured 10 newborn babies in countries across Africa, describing their births, their families and the environments they had been born into. We followed these babies at five-year intervals up to 2015 – the date the United Nations had set for achieving the millennium development goals – as a way to tell stories that might be those of millions of others across the continent as they worked to provide the best chance for their children.
Although some progress was made, the millennium development goals were not met by 2015 and that year UN member states adopted a new approach – the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development with 17 goals for ending poverty and inequality, while also tackling the climate crisis. With five years to go, only 18% of those goals are on track to be met.
Continue reading...La Niña conditions emerged in September. Heavy rainfall continues to impact tropical Africa, and Central America and Northern South America. Tropical storm Melissa is threatening Hispaniola.
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