Improving and expanding hedgerows—Recommendations for a semi‐natural habitat in agricultural landscapes.

1.Hedgerows provide habitat, shelter and resources for many species including functionally important taxa and threatened species. Hedgerows store carbon both above- and below-ground and provide a range of other ecosystem services. Policies incentivizing increases in the extent and quality of hedgerows require evidence to determine how these increases may best support a wide range of […]

Marketing Orders

USA: Assessment Rate, California Prunes This rule implements a recommendation from the Prune Marketing Committee to increase the assessment rate established for the 2022-23 crop year. This final rule increases the assessment rate from $0.28 per ton of assessed dried prunes, the rate that was established for the 2020-21 and subsequent crop years, to $0.33 […]

Latest Trade News and Agreements: April 2023

Costa Rica and Ecuador Sign FTA On March 1, 2023, Costa Rica and Ecuador signed a free trade agreement. This FTA intends to establish clear and transparent rules to regulate and promote trade between both countries. More information Israel-UAE Sign Free Trade Agreement Israel and the United Arab Emirates have signed a free trade agreement […]

Food Safety Update: April 2023

Codex Alimentarius, News and Updates The Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues (CCPR) is requesting comments on the recommendations of the Joint FAO/WHO Meeting on Pesticide Residues. During the last meeting, the FAO Panel of Experts agreed to review residue and analytical aspects of several pesticides, including data on their metabolism, fate in the environment and […]

Labeling Update: April 2023

Italy: Provisions on the Naming of Food Products Containing Vegetable Proteins A law proposal introduced to the Italian Parliament is seeking to prevent plant-based meat alternatives from using ‘meaty’ names. The provisions of this law proposal apply to food products containing vegetable proteins manufactured and marketed in Italy. More information

Sustainability Update: April 2023

IPCC: Climate Change, Synthesis Report On March 20, 2023, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released the final part of its Sixth Assessment Report. The report summarizes the state of knowledge of climate change, its widespread impacts and risks, and climate change mitigation and adaptation. It integrates the main findings of the AR6 based on […]

Where We Are and Where We Are Going in Nut Research.

Nuts have been part of the human diet for thousands of years. Traditionally, nuts have been incorporated as an ingredient in many dishes, and over the years, nuts have been consumed in various forms from raw or minimally processed to more processed forms and eaten as snacks as well as included within recipes for main […]

Effect of Nuts on Gastrointestinal Health

Nuts are high nutrient-dense foods containing healthy lipids, dietary fiber, and bioactive phytochemicals, including vitamins and minerals. Although the beneficial effect of nut consumption on different chronic diseases has been well documented, especially in relation to their cardiometabolic benefits, less scientific evidence is available on their possible beneficial effects on gastrointestinal health. In this narrative […]