Trade Barriers to the EU are Likely not to be Lifted in Time for Canada’s 2011 Lentil Crop

Bureaucracy takes time. Unfortunately for Canadian growers, the EU and Canada’s growers associations may not reach an agreement over acceptable levels of glyphosate residue on lentil exports to the EU before 6-12 months, not in time for the harvest and marketing of the upcoming 2011 lentil crop. The current European Union’s maximum residue limit (MRL) is 0.1 parts per million (ppm) for glyphosate in lentils entering their market, whilst in Canada and the USA levels of 4 and 5 parts per million are allowed. Although Europe only accounts for 10-20% of Canada’s lentil exports (Canadian lentil exports to Europe exceeded $110 million in 2010), it is an important trade part for North American growers and a halt to pulse trading in this direction can only give way to other market players like Australia and Turkey. Consequently we have seen a surge in requests from Europe of glypho-free lentils from other supplying countries, which previously were not competitive against Canadian prices, but are now enjoying a growing demand since there’s a shortage of glypho-free product on the market. News of the new trade barrier to Europe came less than two months after Pulse Canada announced it had resolved a longstanding market access issue with China regarding selenium residue. So what’s going to be next?

Grain Watch: Quinoa’s Growing Popularity in the Western World

Quinoa, also known as the ‘lost crop’ of the Incas, has been cultivated across the South American Andes for centuries. Bolivia and Peru are amongst the major producers of this ancient grain, and whilst increased demand in the Western world have somewhat enriched the local farmers, on the other hand what used to be staple food of the region is now too expensive for a good part of the population. As eco18 reports quinoa prices have almost tripled over the past five years and in that time consumption in Bolivia of this staple food fell by 34% according to the country’s agricultural ministry. Thanks to the discovery and wise marketing of quinoa’s ‘superfood’ properties, this grain has enjoyed a growing demand for quinoa on a global scale. As the NY Times put it earlier this year, when NASA scientists were searching decades ago for an ideal food for long-term human space missions, they came across this Andean plant. With an exceptional balance of amino acids, quinoa, they declared is virtually unrivaled in the plant or animal kingdom for its life-sustaining nutrients. Not just Europe and the USA, Australia is also increasing its imports of quinoa as foodnews.co.nz reports: supermarkets in Australia are struggling to cope with demand… Sales of quinoa increased by almost 60 per cent at Coles after it featured on an episode of Masterchef Australia; and have more than doubled at Woolworths over the past year. However interest in the grain is now so high, that supermarkets are finding it difficult to source certain varieties. These include black and red quinoa, both of which are in short supply due to cold weather affecting crops in Bolivia and Peru.

How your Protein Eating Habits Affect the Environment

I came across this interesting post on GOOD and was surprised about some of the findings. If the fact that not all proteins are the same is quite common knowledge, who would have thought that lamb was the worst of all meats in terms of carbon footprint, ahead of pork and beef? Not surprisingly the prize for eco-friendly proteins goes to a non-animal product such as lentils, but not so obvious was cheese’s ranking before poultry in polluting terms. This study by the Environmental Working Group takes everything into account from fertilizers to energy, water, gas consumed in order to produce the final proteins. For someone like me that has built most of its business around pulse trading, this can only be a good prospect for the future… sorry lamb chops, lentils are the food of the future!

TRADESHOW WATCH – May 2011

May’s calendar is usually rich with trade show and business events. Here are a few worth a mentions:

Cicils Iptic – Barcelona, Spain April 28 – May 1 http://www.cicilsiptic.org

The International Pulses Trade and Industry Confederation is having their annual convention in Barcelona next week. A members’ only round table that offers unique business networking opportunities. Well worth the investment if you’re in the pulses trade business.

European Seafood Exposition – Brussels, Belgium May 3-5 http://www.euroseafood.com

The European Exhibition of Seafood is an event that assembles buyers and sellers of seafood of all parts of Europe and the world. Possibly one of the most important seafood trade shows globally, I’m very excited to be attending the Brussels fair in the coming month. I will have a full report after my visit.

TuttoFood – Milan, Italy May 8-10 http://www.tuttofood.it

Parma’s Cibus archrival, TuttoFood is Milan’s Biannual food and drink exhibition. I attended the show as visitor and exhibitor in the 2009 edition, which was the trade show’s second edition. Back then, whilst a mainly Italian industry presence was accounted for, I found there still was room for improvement in the overall organization (especially from an exhibitor’s point of view). In the lead up to the 2015 edition which will coincide with for Milan’s Expo, the event will invest to make its mark on the international food trade show scene.

PLMA’s World of Private Label – Amsterdam, Netherlands May 24-25 http://www.plmainternational.com

PLMA is the annual private international label trade show that brings together retailers and manufacturers. PLMA includes frozen products, fresh food, dry groceries and beverages as well as non food categories like cosmetics, beauty and health. Would love to hear comments of anyone who has visited this trade show!

HOFEX – Hong Kong May 11-14 http://www.hofex.com

Hofex is Hong Kong’s biannual hospitality and food industry trade show, displaying the latest equipment, supplies, food and drinks. My local sources tell me this is an unmissable event in the region. Any one of you has any feedback on it?

pulses from Australia just arrived

I just received samples of Australian pulses to dispatch to my clients. The recent floods that hit Australia in December literally washed away thousands of acres of crop, and the harvest of what was left was significantly delayed. Prices are higher and some varieties’ quality has been downgraded due to damage sustained during the floods. Having said this, luckily I’m still experiencing a good demand from buyers, as disastrous weather has hit other producing nations like China and Canada and political turmoil has slowed Egypt’s operations. Currently there’s interest for Faba beans, Broad beans and Mung beans.