(Dave Bedard photo)

World wine output seen at four-year low

Paris | Reuters –– Worldwide wine production is expected to fall this year to its lowest since 2012, chiefly due to adverse weather that sharply cut output in France and South America, wine body OIV estimated on Thursday. Global wine output is set to decrease by five per cent compared with last year to 259.5 […] Read more

(Save-A-Lot.com)

Canada’s Onex to buy U.S. grocery chain Save-A-Lot

Reuters — Food retailer and wholesaler Supervalu Inc. said it will sell its Save-A-Lot business to Canadian private equity firm Onex Corp. for US$1.37 billion rather than spinning off the discount grocery chain as previously planned, the companies said on Monday. Eden Prairie, Minnesota-based Supervalu had been looking to separate the more profitable division, which […] Read more


Syngenta’s Interaction Centre at Stein, Switzerland. (Syngenta.com)

ChemChina, Syngenta ready to offer EU remedies over merger

Florence | Reuters — Chinese state-owned chemical company ChemChina and Swiss pesticides and seeds group Syngenta are prepared to offer concessions to EU antitrust regulators to ease concerns over their US$43 billion deal, a person familiar with the matter said Friday. The companies will meet European Commission officials on Monday in a meeting called by […] Read more

U.S. forecaster sees La Nina likely in coming months

New York | Reuters — A U.S. government forecaster on Thursday said the chance has increased for weather phenomenon La Nina developing in the coming months in the Northern Hemisphere fall and persist into winter 2016-17. The Climate Prediction Center (CPC), an agency of the National Weather Service, in a monthly forecast pegged the chance […] Read more


A preserved portion of the Berlin Wall in Berlin, Germany. (CIA.gov)

Germany’s top court hears CETA challenge

Karlsruhe, Germany | Reuters — Germany’s Constitutional Court on Wednesday began hearing a legal challenge to a planned EU-Canada free trade deal that could paralyze the accord. Three German activist groups handed in 125,000 signatures to the court in August in opposition to the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), which they fear will undermine […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

U.S. biodiesel executives plead guilty over fraud scheme

New York | Reuters — Two men pleaded guilty in a U.S. court on Wednesday to conspiracy, fraud and making false statements related to the U.S. government’s controversial policy designed to boost use of renewable fuels, according to court documents. The case comes in the last four weeks of a contentious U.S. presidential election campaign […] Read more



(TysonFoods.com)

Tyson invests in non-meat protein

Reuters — Tyson Foods, the largest U.S. meat processor, took a five per cent stake in plant-based protein maker Beyond Meat amid growing pressure on food companies to reduce environmental and health risks by changing the way they source protein. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Manhattan Beach, Calif.-based Beyond Meat sells plant-based burger […] Read more



(Dave Bedard photo)

Agrium, PotashCorp shareholders vote on merger next month

Reuters — Agrium and PotashCorp shareholders will hold separate meetings next month to vote on a merger agreement between the two fertilizer companies, they said in a filing on Thursday. The all-stock deal would combine Potash’s crop nutrient production capacity, the world’s largest, with Agrium’s farm retail network, North America’s biggest. Agrium shareholders will meet […] Read more