This week marks the one-year anniversary since the Russia-Ukraine war began, when Russia invaded Ukraine after supporting the separation of Ukrainian territory. The impact has been global. Immediately, aid agencies worried that Ukraine’s grain would be stuck in ports, unable to reach countries that rely on it. This was just one example of how the regional conflict has forced countries around the world to source food, raw materials, fossil fuels and other key items from new trading partners. Asoo Vakharia, a supply chain researcher and McClatchy Professor in the University of Florida’s Warrington College of Business, has been tracking trends…
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11 Jul 2022 — For the third month in a row, food prices have decreased but still remain prohibitive in many countries where inflation has become the root of market instability for vulnerable markets, such as Sri Lanka. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reports that cereals, sugar and vegetable oil prices are at their lowest level since the start of the Ukraine war. However, the market is still showing mixed signals as meat and dairy prices have effectively hit all-time highs. “It is a positive sign in general. We don’t want to…
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Photo: USEPA Recycling in the U.S. is broken. In 1960, Americans generated 2.68 pounds of garbage per day; by 2017, it had grown to an average of 4.51 pounds. And while many Americans dutifully put items into their recycling bins, much of it does not actually end up being recycled. This post will explain why, and talk about potential solutions. Why recycling isn’t working in the U.S. Many recyclables become contaminated when items are placed in the wrong bin, or when a dirty food container gets into the recycling bin. Contamination can prevent large batches of material from being recycled.…
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