Food Financial News

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.New Delhi: In a bid to tame recurring onion price shocks and improve farmer incomes, the Centre is working on a plan to help states locally procure and scientifically store the politically-sensitive crop in the producing regions, two people aware of the matter said. The strategy aims to cut wastage, reduce transport dependence on key producing states such as Maharashtra and create buffer stocks closer to demand centres to avert price spikes that stoke food inflation.Under the proposed framework for the world's second-largest onion producer, states would be encouraged to procure onions directly from local farmers and maintain buffer stocks through state warehousing corporations and other storage agencies, the people said.According to them, the government believes that improving storage infrastructure closer to cultivation clusters could help reduce wastage and stabilize supplies during tight availability periods.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.The India Meteorological Department (IMD) is rolling out an artificial-intelligence-powered system to predict the arrival of the southwest monsoon at the sub-district level, an upgrade from the national and state-level forecasting that has kept farmers unsure about when to plant their crops.Meanwhile, IMD will make the all-important announcement about the onset of the southwest monsoon on Thursday.IMD will provide block-level monsoon onset forecasts at least 10 days in advance, covering more than 3,000 sub-districts across 16 states, including Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh. The system draws on AI-based models, extended-range prediction tools, and statistical techniques to generate probabilistic forecasts and will disseminate alerts through mobile applications, SMS, and local agricultural extension networks."The AI-enabled monsoon advance forecasting system will provide probabilistic forecasts of monsoon progression," said Jitendra Singh, minister of Earth Sciences.Singh said the system combines AI-based forecasting models, extended-range prediction systems, and statistical techniques to provide operationally useful forecasts for agricultural planning and preparedness.IMD, Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, and National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF) have jointly developed the systems.IMD has already forecast a below-normal monsoon this year, about 92% of the long-period average, raising concerns for the farm sector, which remains mostly rain-dependent.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.The promoters of Bengaluru-based Truffles Hospitality Pvt Ltd, known for its continental cuisine, premium burgers and desserts, are exploring options to raise capital from private equity firms and have engaged Spark Capital to find buyers for the asset, three people familiar with the matter said.“The deal has been in the market for quite sometime now and several PE firms have been tapped,” one of the people cited above said.The transaction could see Truffles’ promoters sell anywhere between a significant minority and a majority stake, depending on the incoming investor and deal structure, the second person said.“The deal will likely value the overall company at about 3-4x revenue multiple which translates to nearly ₹800 crore,” a third person said, confirming the above details.India’s $80-billion food services market is projected to grow at a 10–11% CAGR through 2030, driven by the rapid expansion of organised players. The rise of online food delivery and branded dine-in formats is accelerating this shift.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.India’s food regulator has issued a show-cause notice to Fitshit Health Solutions-owned The Whole Truth over labelling that its chocolate products contained “no added sugar,” a move that could have a broader impact on how companies make and consumers perceive such claims.The notice issued by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) followed a complaint filed by rival chocolate maker Paul & Mike that The Whole Truth was using dates as sweeteners while claiming that no sugar was added to its cocoa products.Under FSSAI’s “non-addition of sugars” rules, such claims are not permitted if ingredients containing sugars are used as substitutes for added sugars. Following a Right to Information petition filed by the complainant in December, the Maharashtra FSSAI issued the notice to The Whole Truth.This tighter regulatory scrutiny could set a precedent how food companies make “no added sugar” claims while using dates, date paste and similar ingredients as sweeteners.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.AMERICANS ARE not famous for their love of vegetables. The staples of American cuisine are starchy, cheesy and heavy on meat. One vegetable, though, sneaks into everything: the tomato.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.For years, climate campaigners have claimed that our food supply is under grave threat from climate change caused by excessive fossil fuel use. Ironically, the war in West Asia is highlighting that the much bigger food challenge for the world is not having enough access to fossil fuels.Today, half of all the calories we consume are only possible because they are produced with artificial fertilizers, overwhelmingly from natural gas.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.India’s retail inflation likely rose to 3.8% in April from 3.4% in March, moving closer to the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) medium-term target of 4% as food prices firmed up across key categories and favourable base effects continued to fade, according to the median estimate of 20 economists polled by Mint. Official data is due on 12 May.Economists expect Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation for April to print between 3.5% and 4.2%, with all respondents anticipating further firming under the revised CPI series with 2024 as the base year.India’s retail inflation had risen to 3.4% in March from 3.21% in February, driven by higher food and energy prices amid tensions in West Asia.“CPI inflation is expected to rise in April 2026 from March, largely on account of hardening food and beverages inflation led by edible oils, vegetables, and readymade food segments,” said Aditi Nayar, chief economist at ratings agency Icra Ltd.Economists at Societe Generale said simultaneous increases in vegetable and edible oil prices tend to broaden food inflation pressures, raising the risk of spillovers into headline inflation.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Indian cuisine rarely takes salads seriously, or just does not call them that. What is a kachumber if not a salad? Or a kosambari/koshimbir of cucumbers, carrots or beetroot tossed with yoghurt and roasted peanuts? Isn’t the Manipuri singju a salad of vegetables and herbs mixed with ngari or fermented fish paste?Call them what you want, but salads bring something extra to the table.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.For years, the potato has been one of the most misunderstood foods, dismissed by wellness culture as a “bad carb,” a supposed culprit behind weight gain, insulin spikes and metabolic woes. Yet new research, and medical experts are offering a newer, more nuanced perspective: the problem, it seems, was never the potato itself, but how we cook and consume it.Dr.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.War in the Persian Gulf and new Chinese export restrictions have sent sulfuric-acid prices soaring and raised concerns about the availability of a chemical that the world relies on for food, metal, paper, computer chips and clean water.Sulfuric acid is the most consumed chemical on the planet, produced by smelting and refining nonferrous metals, such as copper and nickel, or by burning sulfur, a byproduct of oil-and-gas processing.The acid can burn a hole in a steel shelf at the hardware store, where it is sold by the bottle as extra-strength drain opener. But it is more prevalently used higher up the supply chain by heavy industry to make a ubiquitous array of products and materials.Sulfuric acid is used to produce phosphate fertilizers, leach copper and other metals from rock, pulp wood, pickle steel, tan leather and vulcanize rubber.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.What do you do when a Bollywood power couple settles in at a table next to yours to eat tisrya (clams) and surmai fry? If you are someone who respects their privacy, you’d carry on with your meal, offer a polite smile if your eyes meet, and avoid turning the moment into a spectacle.What should have been a leisurely Sunday lunch with the family turned into an ordeal when a popular filmy couple walked into a seafood restaurant in Mumbai. Despite arriving before them and placing our orders promptly, our food, except for a couple of appetisers, never made it to the table.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.For Gurugram-based marketing professional SP, 34, eating out was once a way to unwind after long workdays with sushi dinners and Sunday brunches that often doubled as preparation for the week ahead. Over time, the routine led to weight gain and lifestyle concerns, though she wasn’t ready to give up on it.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.It was 2-3 hours into my bus journey from Tokyo to Takayama when I opened my eyes and looked out of the window. The landscape had changed. The tall buildings of the city were nowhere to be seen and instead the bus was slowly driving past hills packed with alpine cedar, the trees covered in fresh snow.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.MUMBAI: Private equity firm Everstone Capital has acquired Germany-based industrial equipment maker Qlar Group from Blackstone, the companies said in a statement on Thursday.While the companies did not disclose financial details, the transaction is estimated to be worth $150-200 million, including equity and debt, according to a person familiar with the matter.The acquisition underscores Singapore-based Everstone’s push to back global manufacturing and engineering businesses with significant operations in India and Asia. Qlar derives about 25% of its revenue from India, the person said.“Qlar is a differentiated industrial technology platform with a strong global footprint and deep engineering capabilities,” said Avnish Mehra, vice chairman, private equity at Everstone Capital, adding that the company’s operations in India and Asia position it to benefit from competitive manufacturing and proximity to high-growth markets.“We see a clear opportunity to build on these strengths, supported by our cross-border experience and network, to drive disciplined and sustainable growth,” he added.Everstone said it will partner with Qlar’s management team to strengthen market access and commercial capabilities while expanding the company’s portfolio of lower-carbon and circular material-processing solutions.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.One of the more surprising stock stories of 2026 has to be Coca-Cola’s year-to-date outpacing of the S&P 500 index and its ancient foe, PepsiCo—with the latter point being as significant as the former to well-versed investors.Of course, this is the shortest of short time periods, the very opposite of what Coke’s biggest champion, Warren Buffett, the recently retired CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, would consider prudent. In fact, over the past nine years—basically the tenure of Coke’s former CEO James Quincey, who stepped down on March 31—Coke’s stock performance has been decidedly meh versus the market, though again, superior to Pepsi’s, for those keeping score at home.Why, then, does Berkshire continue to hold 400 million shares of Coke, a stake that Buffett built in the late 1980s and now worth some $31 billion, accounting for 9.3% of that company and 9.6% of Berkshire’s investment portfolio? (Note that new Berkshire CEO Greg Abel has called Coke one of Berkshire’s “core four” investments, along with Apple, Moody’s, and American Express.)A look at the current state of Coke—“by America’s side for 140 years of its 250 years”—provides some compelling clues.First, let’s acknowledge the brisk headwinds Coke faces.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.New Delhi: The government’s subsidy spending has already reached 91% of the revised estimate for financial year 2026 in the first 11 months, highlighting sustained strain from welfare commitments that is unlikely to ease soon, as the West Asia war fuels cost pressures in the economy.According to the Department of Expenditure data, reviewed by Mint, total expenditure on major subsidies including food and fertilizers stood at ₹3.89 trillion during April–February, against the revised estimate of ₹4.29 trillion. The department is still collating the final month's figure.The subsidy spending is higher than ₹3.63 trillion recorded in the same period of FY25.Despite higher subsidy spending, the fiscal deficit moderated to ₹12.52 trillion during April–February FY26, lower than the ₹13.46 trillion in the same period last year, the ministry data showed.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Mumbai: Marico Ltd, synonymous with brands such as Parachute and Saffola, aims to earn ₹15,000 crore revenue in FY27 and ₹20,000 crore by FY30, as the consumer goods major sharpens its focus on premium products, packaged foods and a digital-first push. To meet its targets, the company looks to tap the growing wellness and premium personal care segments, moving from its commodity-centric profile.“We have multiple vectors of growth, and we have factored that not all 100% will fire every year,” managing director and chief executive officer Saugata Gupta told Mint in an interview.Marico on Tuesday reported a 9.3% rise in FY26 consolidated net profit to ₹1,813 crore.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.For a little over two months now, the world has speculated on the impact of the Israel-US-Iran war on the world economy. As the war’s disruption stretched on, concern began turning into panic over energy and food security. India is in a particularly vulnerable position—both directly, given its high energy dependence on West Asia, and indirectly due to the ripple effects of various impacts across the world.India’s large import dependence makes adaptive responses to economic and social impacts of the war enormously challenging, especially in the immediate time-frame of two years.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has disrupted not just oil and gas supplies, but caused a global fertilizer shock as well. Of the world’s traded fertilizers, more than 40% of urea and 20-30% of potassic and phosphatic fertilizers—as well as 45% of the sulphur that goes into fertilizer manufacture—are shipped from Gulf countries via that vital waterway.The blocked region also accounted for a fifth of all traded liquefied natural gas (LNG), some of which was feedstock for urea, before traffic through the strait came to halt. A shortage of all these products threatens food production and signals higher food prices globally, with hunger a distinct likelihood in countries that rely on imports for nutrition.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.WASHINGTON—The antiabortion lobby expected to be more triumphant by now: A conservative Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Republicans control both chambers of Congress, and the self-styled “most pro-life president in history” again occupies the Oval Office.But abortions are up in the years after the overturning of Roe, and the antiabortion lobby has a new locus for blame.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Benne dosa for ₹99”, reads a board outside Maa Annapurna, a small eatery tucked between coffee shops and snack joints in a residential neighbourhood in Mumbai’s western suburb of Andheri. The menu has the usual idli-vada, chaat and pav bhaji. But the real draw is the benne dosa. With the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan campus a few blocks away, it has, in just a couple of weeks, become a favourite among students and those in nearby PG accommodations.Even as his small eatery clocks over 100 benne dosas daily, owner Animesh Shah says he is perplexed by the long queues at a popular dosa spot in the city.