Americans consume more than the dietary guidelines recommend for meat and grains while under-consuming fruit and vegetables. Vegetable consumption has been rising and is now at around 70 percent of recommended levels. This has been helped in part by fresh, low-cost supplies from Mexico. The U.S. imports about 6.8 MMT of vegetables from Mexico and they have been growing at 3 percent CAGR. However, there is a group of selected horticultural product imports that have been growing at 6.2 percent CAGR. Imports in this category grew by 34 percent in January and February of this year. Meanwhile, U.S. vegetable production has been declining on a 1.66 percent annual basis. A group of U.S. lawmakers want the U.S. International Trade Commission...
What You Need to Know Today: Russia rejected calls for a ceasefire in the Black Sea, including a proposal to halt attacks on civilian shipping that could help restore grain flows from Ukrainian ports. Tyson Foods announced plans to permanently close its Joslin, Illinois, beef processing facili...
The big news in the cattle markets yesterday was Tyson Foods’ move to close two more beef plants. One of them, the Joslin, Illinois, plant was shuttered immediately after the announcement. The other, in Eagle Mountain, Utah, is a case-ready plant that does not slaughter cattle. Tyson also...
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released the Consumer Price Index (CPI) on Wednesday. In July, the CPI rose 0.1 percent, seasonally adjusted, and rose 3.4 percent over the last 12 months, not seasonally adjusted. The index for all items less food and energy, or the “core” infla...
From WPI Consulting
Weighing in on strategic realignment
WPI’s team was retained by the governing board of a U.S. industry organization to review a decision, reached by vote, to invest significant assets into the development and management of an export trading company. WPI’s team conducted a formal review of this decision and concluded that the current level of market saturation would limit the benefits of the investment. Based on WPI’s analysis and recommended actions, the board subsequently reversed its decision and undertook a strategic planning effort to identify more impactful investments. On behalf of numerous clients, WPI has not only assisted in identifying strategic paths but also advised their implementation.