Analysis of national and local agricultural policies, food policies, regulatory changes, and governance mechanisms.
Foodthink Says The ongoing saga of rice “shortages” and soaring prices in Japanese supermarkets has stretched from last summer to this one. Despite repeated government interventions, prices refused to drop. Instead, the crisis intensified, earning the media moniker the “Reiwa Rice Turmoil”. Japanese consumers were up in arms, and farmers…
Foodthink Says “Stories about food are the best stories we can tell.” This is what Dan Saladino, a senior BBC correspondent, said in an interview with Foodthink at the Third International Congress on Agricultural Biodiversity this past May. Saladino specialises in food and agriculture journalism. Over the past decade, he…
Foodthink Says 5 June is World Environment Day, and Foodthink continues to monitor the link between global meat consumption and illegal deforestation in the Amazon. Early in 2024, a joint investigation by the *Hong Kong Free Press* and the non-profit *Repórter Brasil* found that four trading companies in Hong Kong…
Foodthink Says Since this spring, Shaanxi has experienced its most severe drought since 1961. Combined with extreme weather such as high temperatures, strong winds, and sandstorms, these compound disasters have seriously threatened agricultural production and rural livelihoods. In May, with the support of the Oxfam Hong Kong Beijing office, Foodthink…
I. The Early Blooming Flowers On the morning of 3 May, in Jinqu Town, Meixian County, Shaanxi, Xu Yuanlin spotted the messenger flowers in his own vineyard. He was taken aback. The messenger flower is the first spike to bloom in a vineyard, acting as a herald to remind growers…
The delivery market clash between JD.com and Meituan is in full swing, with the most conspicuous battleground being the strategic tug-of-war over riders’ social security. On 19 February 2025, JD.com was the first to announce it would cover the full social insurance and housing fund contributions for its full-time riders.…
Foodthink Says “Is science oriented towards human needs even possible?” In a modern society that equates science with progress, this ought not to be a question. Yet one of the greatest tragedies of our time is that science, which could have been wielded to help humanity eradicate poverty, hunger, disease,…
“It’s all political games!” This was the near-universal response whenever I raised the government’s rice trade policies during my visit to Mindanao in the southern Philippines this past April. Those I spoke with ranged from mayors and government agricultural extension officers to ordinary smallholder farmers whose livelihoods depend on the…
From late last year through April this year, Chiang Mai—a popular tourist destination in northern Thailand—has frequently been shrouded in thick smog. On 29 March, IQAir ranked the city as the world’s most polluted, recording an AQI (Air Quality Index) of 188; this stands at 17.4 times the limit set…
A Note from Foodthink In a previous article, “Have Nutritionists Become Food Giants’ ‘Stooges’? What Do Registered Dietitians Think?”, Foodthink revealed how North American food companies sponsor influencer nutritionists and industry bodies, relying on plausible-sounding but misleading science communication to try and shape public perception of food. A similar issue…
