Agriculture & Food Production

Oakland – September 22, 2026 -- Fair Trade USA has launched Stories of Impact, a public data platform built on its Impact Intelligence Hub, giving buyers and consumers an interactive view of the supply chains behind Fair Trade Certified products.

Platform launch precedes October's Fair Trade Month campaign

The rollout arrives days before Fair Trade Month, timed to give the public early access to impact data as the organization's annual campaign begins. This year's campaign theme is "Fair Trade Future."

Site combines mapping, producer stories and 2025 metrics

The platform includes an interactive impact map, a producer story library covering 2023 to present, visualized 2025 impact metrics, eco-region overlays showing the environments tied to specific certified products, and cross-regional project themes spanning multiple commodities.

Beijing – September 22, 2026 -- ADAMA Ltd. (SZSE 000553) has launched Actagon®, a ready-mix pre-emergent herbicide for wheat growers in India, targeting the herbicide-resistant grass weed Phalaris minor.

ADAMA combines two active ingredients into a single ready-mix formulation

Actagon® blends pyroxasulfone and metribuzin in one liquid formulation applied pre-emergence, eliminating the need for on-farm tank mixing. The dual-mode combination is designed to deliver long-lasting control of Phalaris minor along with other grass and broadleaf weeds while supporting resistance management strategies.

Launch targets Punjab and Haryana, India's top wheat-growing states

The rollout focuses on regions where Phalaris minor pressure is highest and farmers face mounting difficulty controlling the weed. Actagon® is registered in India, with commercial launch expected in September 2026.

Charlotte, N.C. – September 22, 2026 -- Sealed Air Corporation has launched CRYOVAC® brand ZeroPrep hand-dispensing pouches, a pre-filled packaging format designed to eliminate squeeze bottle preparation and cleanup in restaurant back-of-house operations.

Pre-filled pouches replace rigid squeeze bottles in food service kitchens

Each ZeroPrep pouch includes an easy-open seal and a resealable spout that allows one-handed dispensing of condiments and sauces without drips. The pouches are hermetically sealed until first use, reducing contamination risk by removing the step of transferring condiments into secondary containers.

Anyang – September 22, 2026 -- Anyang Indorama Gases Co., Ltd. has signed an RMB 2.4 billion (c. US$358 million) long-term loan facility with five banks to fund a Phase II fertilizer capacity expansion in Anyang City, Henan Province, China.

Financing will double urea capacity to 2 million tonnes annually by 2029

The subsidiary of Singapore-based Indorama Corporation Pte. Ltd. will use the loan to partially fund construction that will double its urea fertilizer capacity, produced from syngas and ammonia, to approximately 2 million tonnes per annum by 2029. The project follows Indorama's acquisition of the Anyang nitrogen fertilizer business earlier in 2026 and marks a brownfield expansion of its Chinese operations.

Bardstown, Ky. – September 22, 2026 -- CaskX closed out its presence at the 2026 Kentucky Bourbon Festival with 2,354 spins recorded on its World Famous CaskX Bourbon Wheel, capped by a single attendee winning an entire barrel of 2026 Jackson Purchase bourbon.

Saturday spins hit a one-day record of 1,140 as rare pours drew crowds

Friday produced 698 spins before Saturday set a new one-day high of 1,140, according to CaskX. Guests sampled a rotating lineup of rare, limited and sold-out whiskeys over the three-day event, including six bottles of Pappy Van Winkle.

Jinan – September 21, 2026 -- Bestzyme, a synthetic biology unit of GenScript Biotech, has completed what it calls the world's first dedicated, automated smart production line for sweet proteins at its Jinan facility, integrating R&D, mass production and application for the ingredient category for the first time globally.

Jinan facility delivers 100 tons of annual capacity equal to 300,000 tons of sucrose sweetness

The 5,000-square-meter plant runs a fully automated fermentation-purification-freeze-drying process for Bestzyme's flagship Mellia® Brazzein sweet protein. Once operational, the line will produce over 100 tons annually, a volume the company says matches the sweetness output of 300,000 tons of sucrose. Bestzyme expects capacity to potentially double within two years.

Washington – – September 21, 2026 -- The Walton Family Foundation has launched Human Nature, a storytelling initiative documenting nature-based water projects that a June 2026 University of Georgia study found can deliver returns of up to $8 for every $1 invested when flood reduction, clean water, habitat and recreation benefits are counted.

Foundation expands Environment Program to scale proven water solutions

The initiative pairs on-the-ground restoration work with efforts to shift policy, financing and market conditions, according to Moira Mcdonald, director of the foundation's Environment Program. A 2025 Morning Consult poll cited by the foundation found 80% of Americans want wetland restoration prioritized by state and local governments.

Minneapolis – September 21, 2026 -- Proterra Investment Partners has hired Jennie Park as Head of Capital Formation and appointed Matt Coad as Head of Investor Solutions, expanding leadership as the food value chain-focused alternative asset manager grows its institutional investor base.

Park joins from H.I.G. Capital, a $75 billion global alternative investment firm

At H.I.G. Capital, Park served as a Principal responsible for capital raising and investor relations across the firm's credit strategies in North America. She previously held Managing Director roles at Briarcliffe Credit Partners focused on private credit fundraising, and led North American business development and investor relations at Vantage Infrastructure. Earlier stops include Apollo Global Management, Anchorage Capital, and leveraged finance at Goldman Sachs, where she began her career.

Hyderabad – September 21, 2026 -- The global soybean oil market is set to expand from $43.87 billion in 2026 to $57.66 billion by 2031, a 5.62% compound annual growth rate, according to Mordor Intelligence. Renewable diesel mandates and the EU Deforestation Regulation are reshaping demand and sourcing patterns across the value chain, while new crushing capacity in Brazil and Argentina offsets slower North American expansion.

US biofuel mandates lock in record demand floor for soybean oil

The EPA finalized record-high Renewable Fuel Standard volumes for 2026 and 2027 in March 2026, with biodiesel and renewable diesel production projected to grow more than 60% versus 2025 levels. The rule strengthens crush margins for domestic processors and guarantees a structural demand base that buffers the market against swings in food consumption, according to the report.

Chicago and Lyon – September 21, 2026 -- Mérieux NutriSciences has secured Peugeot Invest and Continental Grain Company (Conti) as new strategic minority shareholders to help finance its acquisition of Certified Group, a North American testing, inspection and certification (TIC) operator generating approximately $300 million in revenue.

Certified Group deal adds 31 laboratories across North America

The acquisition expands Mérieux NutriSciences' footprint in the world's largest food TIC market, which the company estimates at more than $2.5 billion for outsourced services. Certified Group's network brings capabilities in animal protein, dairy and packaged foods, alongside adjacent sectors including cosmetics, health supplements, over-the-counter drugs and reduced-harm nicotine products.