TOPIC

Food and agriculture

Food and agriculture
Latest news, in-depth features and opinion on food and agriculture, with a focus on Hong Kong, mainland China and Asia.
last updated:
9 September, 2024
China is the world’s largest consumer of soybeans, but less of its supply has been coming from American farmers. Photo: Getty Images
China trade

Will Trump’s hard line on China tariffs put US farmers in Beijing’s crosshairs?

China, the world’s largest soybean consumer, now gets most of its supply from Brazil, but securing a new trade deal with the US could protect American farmers’ interests.

Climate change

Outside In | The industry is in crisis, but wine lovers should hold their panic

videocam
China technology

Nowhere to go but up: China’s farming drones take root as industry grows

videocam
8
United States

‘Americans don’t want these jobs’: US farmers fret over Trump deportation plans

Despite claims that immigrants are stealing jobs, farmers rely on undocumented workers because Americans are unwilling to do the hard, dangerous jobs.

videocam
8
A supervisor talks to workers, some undocumented, at the start of a workday at Del Bosque Farms in Firebaugh, California. Photo: AFP
Indonesia

‘Palm oil is strategic’: Indonesia’s Prabowo calls for protection

Foreign countries are eyeing Indonesian palm oil as the ‘strategic material’ is crucial to their industries, President Prabowo Subianto says.

videocam
China trade

China’s cattle farmers, beefing with importers, lobby for probe as prices drop

China’s beef industry, imperiled amid a 11-year low in prices, has blamed imports for the slump and called for government action.

10
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Food and Drinks

Explainer | What is umami? How the savoury flavour makes food taste better

One of the five primary human tastes, umami is a key feature of Asian – especially Japanese – cuisine commonly enhanced by dashi or MSG.

videocam
Japanese. Dashi soup. Studio shooting. Shutterstock
Trade

China launches investigation into beef imports as local price of the meat falls

Imports have surged, with China representing a hugely important market for countries such as Brazil, Argentina and Australia.

Health & Fitness

Outside In | Eating simply is the best cure for our Christmas excesses

The holidays are an ideal time to revisit Michael Pollan’s rules for food and examine how we buy and consume what we eat every day.

China food security

Opinion | Next Christmas, let’s do more to feed the world’s hungry

The world produces enough to feed all its people, but we still suffer from huge amounts of food waste and millions not having enough to eat.

videocam
People carry bags of food after visiting the Welcome Hall Mission grocery service for those experiencing food insecurity in Montreal on December 19. A report by food rescue organisation Second Harvest found 21.18 tonnes, or 46.5 per cent of all food produced in Canada, is wasted every year. That ranks Canada among the most wasteful countries in the world. Photo: AFP
Hong Kong property

Mainland Chinese retailers make their presence felt in Hong Kong

China’s largest coffee chain opens first outlet in the city as it goes up against US rival Starbucks.

videocam
Luckin Coffee, China’s biggest coffee chain, has expanded into Hong Kong. Photo: China News Service via Getty Images
Hong Kong

Can this new wave of Hong Kong farmers bring agriculture back to the city?

Netflix docu Kiss The Ground argues that sustainable regenerative farming practices are a potential solution to our climate crisis – meet the Hong Kong food producers getting down to earth.

Science

Scientists find key nutrient missing in China-grown durian

A study of the popular, pungent fruit grown in Hainan has discovered some stark differences with their Thai counterparts.

videocam
8
Hong Kong society

Suspected pufferfish poisoning leaves 2 Hong Kong men in hospital

One man is in a critical condition and the other is stable after eating a pufferfish they caught themselves.

The two men have been admitted to Queen Mary Hospital, with one in a critical condition. Photo: K. Y. Cheng
Hong Kong society

Dried fruits have highest sulphite levels, Hong Kong survey finds

But researchers say health risks are low given the population’s low dietary intake of the food preservative.

Dried fruits were found to contain the highest mean concentration of sulphites at 240mg/kg. Photo: Shutterstock
China food security

Fertiliser on its way out, advanced tech is in, as China sees record farm yields

Modernisation efforts come as food-security stability grows more critical in China’s agrarian undertakings.

videocam
10
China food security

Opinion | China’s ‘Food Silk Road’ holds key to thwarting Trump tariffs

Policymakers in Beijing have taken steps to address supply chain vulnerabilities and the weaponisation of imported food supplies.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Japan

In Japan, a protein pioneer’s edible insect experiment fails to fly

The founder of Gryllus Inc, which has filed for bankruptcy, maintains that his company’s insect-based food was ahead of its time.

videocam
While crickets are traditionally consumed as snacks in rural Japan, Gryllus Inc. aimed to elevate their status as a viable food source. Photo: Shutterstock
China economy

China’s crop import curbs causing soybean shortage

Some soybean crushers in Dongguan in Guangdong province have had to suspend operations for the last three weeks, traders say.

Donald Trump

Trump vows to eliminate Daylight Saving Time

The US president-elect says the practice of moving clocks forward an hour in the spring ‘inconvenient’ and ‘costly’.

Japan

Japan auctions fresh fin whale meat for first time in decades

Japan resumed commercial whaling within its exclusive economic zone after withdrawing from the International Whaling Commission in 2019.

videocam
An auction selling fresh meat of fin whales at a fish market in Shimonoseki. Photo: AP
US-China relations

US House advances defence bill that bans Chinese goods from tech to garlic

The US$884 billion measure, which is considered ‘must-pass’ legislation, now moves to the US Senate.

29
The annual US defence spending bill is considered “must-pass” because its enactment is required for members of the military to receive their pay and benefits. Photo: Getty Images/TNS
China food security

China hopes to breed success with focus on quality soybean varieties

China completed a census of its agricultural germ plasma resources earlier this year amid a focus on food security.

videocam
Wellness

Beans, peas better than veggie burgers as alternatives to meat

Eating plant-based alternatives to meat and dairy lowers the chance of an early death. Scientists ranked the best foods to switch to.

Food and Drinks

Why prickly pear is a crop with potential in a warming world

In arid southern Italy, where drought, disease and global warming ravage olive trees, a start-up is growing prickly pear, a food and biofuel.

A worker picks prickly pears in Egypt. Photo: Reuters
China trade

Will China turn to Argentina to fill its farming import gap? Wheat and see

The first wheat shipment from Argentina to China since the 1990s suggests a deeper trade relationship could be on the horizon.

videocam
4
China could widen its trade relationship with Argentina to ensure its supply of staple crops like wheat. Photo: Xinhua
China food security

China announces plan to cut food waste at production, transport and storage end

Amid climate change and geopolitical pressures, Communist Party aims to raise public awareness about saving food, waste and healthy eating.

videocam
Robotics

Chinese start-up wants to replace human chefs with robots

Cooking robots can help restaurants cut labour costs by 30 per cent, and reduce food and seasoning waste by 10 per cent.

4
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
loading