United States Herbs, Spices & Seasonings insights

Despite the strong opposition from Chinese processing factories to the frequent price increases of Russian raw materials, Russian suppliers still have no plans to lower prices. According to the suppliers, the Chinese factories currently purchasing pollock at high prices are mainly for the domestic dried fish market, not for export. For twice-frozen pollock, the current raw material and finished product prices are extremely mismatched, and European buyers are also unwilling to pay high prices unless the processing factories have orders to fulfill, otherwise it is unlikely they will chase higher prices. Moreover, the European market is in the summer season, with people on vacation abroad, and the circulation speed of finished pollock products is relatively slow. European merchants still have some inventory from earlier this year, which they purchased at low prices, with block-frozen prices around $2,500/ton. If calculated based on the current raw material costs, the FOB price of block-frozen products should be around $3,100/ton. If adding $100/ton for shipping costs (to Europe), as well as the 13.7% tariff on Russian raw materials, the cost of twice-frozen prices is almost equivalent to the U.S. once-frozen prices. Sources said that EU buyers are still negotiating with Chinese procurement, but due to the holiday season, there is not much concrete news at present, and more changes are expected by the end of August or September. In addition, if the U.S. PBO production in the second quarter continues to be low, it will drive up the prices of twice-frozen products. As of July 12, U.S. PBO production in the second season decreased by 9% year-on-year to 18,612 tons; while the cumulative production year-to-date increased by 9% year-on-year to 77,560 tons. "If we compare the U.S. production in the first and second seasons, PBO sales have increased compared to last year. However, the inventory of the first season has basically been sold out, and buyers are focusing on the second season, and so far, the sales of PBO in the second season have decreased," a source said. Another source said: "Regarding the Russian PBO production, we expect exports to Europe to decrease in the second half of the year. Russia does not have more products to supply, either they are sold out, or they are sanctioned, or they do not have an EU number." The well-known Russian manufacturer Norebo Holding is still on the EU sanctions list, and four out of five new ships of the Russian Fishing Company (RFC) have not obtained EU permits, and one ship of Okeanrybflot also does not have an EU number. However, the ships built by Okeanrybflot and RFC in Turkey have EU permits.

A possible move by Coca-Cola (KO.N), opens new tab , and other beverage and food industries, to use cane sugar instead of corn syrup as a sweetener would be difficult and expensive to implement, while mostly negative for farmers in the United States. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Coca-Cola had agreed to use cane sugar in its

Coca-Cola Co. plans to launch a new product with American cane sugar this fall. This statement came less than a week after US President Donald Trump announced such a decision. Bloomberg reports that for decades, Coca-Cola has used high-fructose corn syrup, which is cheaper than cane sugar, to sweeten its signature product in the US. However, the more expensive version of the soft drink, sweetened with cane sugar imported from Mexico, has gained cult popularity. At the same time, CFRA analyst Arun Sundaram noted that it is "unlikely" that Coca-Cola will completely eliminate corn syrup from its lineup, adding that "a more probable option would be to introduce a new product line made using cane sugar, which will likely have a higher cost and retail price". On Tuesday, April 22, Coca-Cola reported sales and profit growth in the second quarter that exceeded Wall Street expectations, as consumers continue to pay higher prices for the company's soft drinks. This year, the company's ...