Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page.
27.07.2023 - 15:39 / bhg.com
Sugar shortages have hit the U.S.—and they might mean that it costs you way more to stock your bowls with Halloween candy this year.
Thanks to a sour combination of sugar shortages, import restrictions, and international competition, candy companies’ costs are rising just months before the Halloween season, The Wall Street Journal reports. Candy producers are blaming a U.S. agricultural policy that requires 85% of sugar comes from domestic producers, limiting sugar sourcing options for candy producers when U.S. farmers can’t make enough. Axios has reported that the National Confectioners Association is trying to reform this program with the help of lawmakers.
But sugar farmers and processors—who have already had a difficult year due to the ongoing climate crisis—depend on that policy to keep their livelihoods afloat. And the U.S. isn’t the only nation struggling with a sugar shortage: Malaysia, Britain, and India are seeing low supply levels for the sweet stuff too. No matter how you cut the cake, there isn’t enough sugar—but our demand hasn’t slowed one bit.
Raw cane sugar prices have increased to more than 42 cents per pound in the U.S. in May—the highest price since January 2011, according to USDA data—and the national sugar supply could decline by more than 2% during the next crop year.Moreover, Axios reported that sugar and sweets were up 11% in cost in June compared to last year. And Nidhi Jain, a specialist at business intelligence firm The Smart Cube company, told The Takeout that the impacts of El Niño could reduce sugarcane yield even more on a global level.
“The intensity of the dry season that El Niño is set to influence this year could result in a 10%–15% reduction in sugarcane yield globally,” Jain told
Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page.
Bloomcore, also known as flowercore, is an aesthetic trend that is just right for gardeners. It embraces the natural world, and most importantly, flowers. Putting nature first, it creates a pretty, flowery look both indoors and outside in the garden.
Like honeybees, bumblebees visit flowers to collect pollen and nectar to take back to their colonies to feed the developing brood.
Have you ever wondered which flower best reflects your personality? Fantastic Gardeners just made a quiz which aims to define exactly your inner soul flower, based on your answers in a quest-like scenario. Let’s dig deep into psychology!
Are you dreaming of an exotic garden full of flowers with hard to pronounce names that will awe your guests? An understandable dream. But most tropical green life are not meant to grow in the weather conditions that the UK offers.
Winter season doesn’t mean you have to turn your back to your flower garden until spring comes. There is a good number of plants that bloom beautifully even in the coldest of weather. Let’s dig into their world and see which ones you will fancy.
Window boxes are a fast and easy way to update your exterior and add a pop of colour to your walls. You can plant various types of plants and flowers and impress your guests and neighbours. If you were wondering what to put in a window box and what types of window boxes you can have, then continue reading our article.
“As cunning as a fox who’s just been appointed Professor of Cunning at Oxford University” Blackadder Goes Forth, 1989
You may have already noticed that rice prices are higher than normal, which is largely due to the impacts of the war in Ukraine and erratic weather for the leading global suppliers of the grain. Now, India, the world’s largest exporter of rice, just banned nearly half of its overall shipments in order to reduce its domestic prices following heavy rains, which impacted the rice harvest. You might be asking, “What does this mean for me?”—we’ve got you covered. The good news is, if you’re worried about how the ongoing global rice shortage could impact your plate, you’re not alone, but you don’t need to panic.
Tree of Knowledge
I have been reading the Penguin Encyclopedia of Gardening which aims to provide ‘….an explanation of words used in a technical sense in a horticultural context in the UK and USA.’ Set out as an A to Z this resulting post, missing a thousand definitions, is unlikely to rank highly with search engines.
Britain is known for introducing us the best of the best — think Princess Diana, Harry Potter and fish and chips. Now we can thank the UK for bringing us a fantastic sun safety idea: the 3-hour-gardening rule.