On 17 July, on the eve of the 2024 Summer Olympics opening in Paris, a coalition of international organisations launched the “Kick Big Soda Out of Sport” campaign, taking on the world’s largest soft drink manufacturers, including Coca-Cola. The initiative contends that “Big Soda” – soft drink industry giants epitomised…
Recently, the chaotic practice of using tankers intended for coal-derived oil to also transport edible oils has sparked public outrage, once again bringing food safety and public health to the forefront of national concern. In truth, hidden risks in our food supply have always been present. In March this year,…
I. Catastrophic Harvest Collapse: Lychees Face a ‘Super Lean Year’ Conghua District in Guangzhou is one of Guangdong’s main lychee-growing regions. July is normally the peak of the local harvest, yet familiar sights are disappearing. Branches that once bowed under heavy fruiting are now just lush with green leaves; you…
“These oats were sown in mid-October last year, and we found the ‘Eagle’ variety gave the best performance. If we opt for closer planting, the yield per hectare will be higher.” “Have you ever tried wider spacing?” On 12 June, at Gut Wilmersdorf, an organic farm an hour’s drive from…
On 12 April, a week after Grain Rain, eastern Sichuan had seen several consecutive showers, easing a drought that had persisted since the Spring Festival. Rice seedlings in the fields were now nearing transplanting season. That afternoon, senior agronomist Yuan Yong and a colleague travelled from Jianyang City to Zaizi…
Is genetically modified rice truly safe? Why can it not be commercialised without scrutiny? On 18 April, a Philippine court ruled that the commercial promotion of Golden Rice is unconstitutional, once again reflecting society’s cautious stance towards GM staple crops. The court also ordered the Philippine government to revoke the…
Foodthink Says Now that the Grain Rain solar term has passed, the peak season for this year’s spring tea harvest draws to a close. During the Qingming Festival holiday, Foodthink shared a story about the climate resilience of a natural farming tea garden in Xinyang. We are now publishing the…
As 2024 began, farmer protests swept across Europe, spreading like wildfire from Germany. At the peak of the demonstrations in mid-January, over 30,000 farmers drove more than 5,000 tractors from across Germany to protest in Berlin. The direct trigger for these protests was the German government’s announcement at the end…
I. The fruit buyers didn’t come this year On 13 December 2023, in Huichang County, Ganzhou City, Jiangxi Province – the heartland of Gannan navel oranges – Liao Hai, a farmer born in the 1990s, and his mother, Auntie Zou, were getting ready to start the harvest. Early that morning,…
The 28th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) has opened in Dubai. While humanity continues to squabble over how to shoulder the burden of saving the planet—over who should bear the costs, and who must step outside their comfort zones to transform entrenched…
