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Pick Up780. Extension of the Black Sea Grain Initiative for 60 Days
Russia's invasion of Ukraine last February raised fears of supply chain disruptions from major grain producers and exporters, which could lead to a spike in food prices in 2022. The Black Sea Grain Initiative, signed last July to guarantee Ukrainian grain exports, was extended for 120 days in November to address the situation, but the Russian side refused to budge when the initiative was extended again in March, making it valid for only 60 days. On May 17, the day before the deadline, Russia reportedly agreed to a 60-day extension.
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Pick Up779. Global, Regional and National Animal Source Food Intake of Children by Age Group
Today’s Pick up features an article that quantify global, regional and national animal source foods intake of children by age group in 185 countries.
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Pick Up778. Health and Sustainability Impact of Daily Meals
In a sustainable food system transformation, what we eat and how we cook should be part of the solution, but we also need insight into culturally and economically realistic diets in different parts of the world. A recent paper in Nature Food analyzed 600 dinner recipes from online and popular cookbooks for Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States, and showed that this approach could be an entry point for understanding food-related habits.
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Pick Up777. Nature Food: The Food-Climate Nexus
Food systems are highly vulnerable to climate change, but they also contribute negatively to climate change by emitting greenhouse gases through excessive fertilizer use and land-use change. On the other hand, innovations in the food system can contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation. This bidirectional link between food systems and climate change is sometimes referred to as the nexus, and we present here a discussion of the nexus between food and climate, food systems and climate change, published in Nature Food.
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Pick Up776. Global Commodity Market Price Trends
According to the World Bank's Global Commodity Market Outlook released in April, overall commodity prices in 2023 are projected to be 21% lower than in 2022, with energy prices, agricultural commodity prices, food prices, and fertilizer prices, among others, expected to decline by 26%, 7%, 8%, and 37%, respectively. Despite the general decline in these commodity prices, the fertilizer and food price indices remain above pre-pandemic levels. -
Pick Up775. International Day of Plant Health
May 12 is International Day of Plant Health (IDPH). The purpose of International Day of Plant Health (IDPH) is to raise global awareness of the importance of preventing the spread of plant pests and diseases. JIRCAS also promotes international collaborative research to control plant pests, which are a global problem.
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Pick Up774. Global Report on Food Crises 2023
According to the Global Report on the Food Crises 2023 (GRFC 2023), more than 250 million people were acutely food-insecure in 2022, the highest level in the last seven years.
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Pick Up773. El Niño Phenomenon Outlook for 2023
On May 3, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) released its outlook for the possible increasing impact of an El Niño event later this year. The El Niño event will have a contrasting effect to the weather and climate patterns caused by La Niña events in recent years and could push global temperatures even higher. -
Pick Up772. Reducing Food Loss and Waste Benefits the World
One third of the food produced in the world is lost without being consumed, causing enormous damage not only to human health and nutrition, but also to the economy and the environment.
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Pick Up771. April 2023 World Food Price Index
After three years of COVID-19 influencing trends in the food supply chain, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced on May 5 the end of its global emergency declaration for COVID-19. Also on May 5, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization FAO) released its monthly World Food Price Index, which showed a slight increase of 0.6% in April compared to the previous month, reflecting a reversal in the meat price index and a sharp increase in the sugar price index.
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Pick Up770. Impact of Extreme Weather in Vulnerable Areas
Climate change is making extreme events more frequent in many parts of the world, and a paper published in Nature Communications shows that regions that have never experienced extreme temperatures may be more vulnerable when exposed to risk. The more vulnerable regions need to reassess their ability to adequately adapt.
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Pick Up769. Are Animal Products Friend or Foe?
There has been much debate about the health and environmental benefits and risks of animal products. Today we present a review article from the Journal of Nutrition.
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Pick Up768. Overcoming the Interlinked Crises of Climate Change and Biodiversity Loss
Climate change and biodiversity loss are having a huge impact on our societies and ecosystems. In April, researchers from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) published a paper in Science on the need to address both the interlinked climate change and biodiversity crises.
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Pick Up767. JIRCAS Mango Genetic Resources Site Now Available in English
The JIRCAS Mango Genetic Resources website has been open to the public since 2017, providing information on mango genetic resources to researchers, producers, and consumers in Japan. In recent years, we have received many visits and inquiries from overseas, and in response to this, we have reorganized the information on the current site and launched an English version of the site with content specifically for overseas users.
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Pick Up766. Global Climate in 2022
On April 21, the World Meteorological Organization released its 2022 Global Climate White Paper, noting that climate change is progressing, with societies on every continent being hit hard by extreme weather events, Antarctic sea ice is at an all-time low, and the melting of European glaciers is accelerating.
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Pick Up765. Is Cultured Meat Considered Kosher?
Some religions prescribe foods that should not be eaten, but how do new foods that have emerged with advances in food technology fit into the religious prescriptions? -
Pick Up764. EU’s Climate Change Policy
On April 18, the European Parliament adopted a policy to promote ambitious greenhouse gas emission reductions within the region and ambitious targets for non-EU member states to reach 2030 climate targets. As a major global influence in setting rules on climate change and environmental measures, Europe's actions are likely to have a significant impact on the policies and strategies of countries around the world. -
Pick Up763. Earth System and Socio-economic System
Tomorrow, April 22, is International Mother Earth Day. This day was first observed on April 22, 1970, in the United States, where interest in environmental issues had been growing since the 1960s, and has since helped to raise international awareness of the global environment. This year’s theme is "Invest in Our Planet. -
Pick Up762. IFPRI Flagship Report on Global Food Policy for 2023
In April, the flagship report of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) on global food policy for 2023 was released. This year's subtitle is "Rethinking Food Crisis Responses".
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Pick Up761. Current Food Price Situation
On April 14, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reported that international prices for all major cereals fell in March, with wheat, maize and rice prices all falling due to a combination of factors. Meanwhile, FAO analysis shows that domestic prices for staple crops remain high. The Black Sea Grains Initiative, which was agreed to be extended for 60 days on 18 March, is now less than a month away from its expiry date, and uncertainty is growing as Russia has announced its refusal to extend it and neighboring countries are reportedly moving to ban Ukrainian wheat exports and transit.