Agrifood for Thought

In this episode of Agri-food for Thought, host Simon Duke welcomes Expana Editorial team member Fei Thompson to discuss the dynamic and challenging landscape of the food additives sector in early 2026. They begin with the global infant formula recalls triggered by cereulide toxin found in arachidonic acid (ARA) oil supplied to major manufacturers like Nestlé, Danone, and Lactalis. The contamination highlights vulnerabilities in global ingredient supply chains and has led to widespread recalls across more than 50 countries. Recent investigations focus on Chinese supplier Cabio Biotech amid regulatory scrutiny and ongoing probes into potential health impacts.The episode then explores the US "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) initiative, led by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. MAHA emphasizes reducing exposure to synthetic additives, especially artificial food dyes, which the FDA aims to phase out through voluntary industry commitments by 2026–2027. Industry reaction is cautious, balancing reformulation costs, supply constraints, and consumer preferences. Attention also turns to new European Commission regulations tightening safety standards on six common food additives with phased compliance deadlines aimed at preventing supply shocks. These regulatory changes, alongside growing demands for cleaner, natural ingredients and enhanced traceability, reflect a global trend toward stricter oversight and transparency in the food additives and ingredients sectors.

In this episode, we dive into Expana's Thanksgiving Dinner Index for 2025.

On today's episode, we welcome Malcolm Harrison, an international board-level executive with expertise in general management, operations, procurement, and sales. He has worked in diverse business environments across Brazil, China, France, Gulf states, the UK, the US, and West Africa. A veteran and engaging leader, Malcolm has always sought to improve business performance through growth and efficiency. He has a track record of quickly identifying gaps and opportunities for continuous improvement, developing strategies in complex environments, and building and leading high-performing international teams to deliver results. Malcolm has 40+ years' experience in the consumer goods sector. He began his career at Mars, where he spent 10 years. He later served as divisional CEO at Rexam plc, global chief procurement officer for AB InBev and for Nestlé. He was also a board member of Britvic Soft Drinks. Malcolm is also on the Expana Revenue Advisory Board.
Drawing from this extensive background, Harrison outlined how procurement has transformed through three distinct market phases. The last five years have marked a watershed moment, as the simultaneous shocks of COVID-19, the Ukraine war, and rising geopolitical tensions finally elevated procurement from operational function to strategic business partner. He discussed the ecolution of the modern procurement professional's role which requires both technical skills (AI, data science, analytics) and behavioral competencies (communication, relationship management, strategic thinking), as well as topics such as crisis management, cyber crime, and what's in store for the future.

Today we discuss the role of procurement, and how Procurement Decisions Turn Market Insight into Business Advantage. This is a complex issue, a lot more than one may think. Procurement professionals operate in a high-pressure environment characterized by aggressive goals, tight deadlines, and complex supply chains. But there are ways to stay ahead of the game. On today's episode, I welcome Janet Lung Standing. Janet is a board advisor and former CPO with over 30 years of global leadership experience at Mars, Danone and Johnson Matthey. She has transformed procurement and supply chains across Fast Moving Consumer Goods, chemicals and energy transition sectors, delivering resilience, sustainability, and strategic partnerships. Today, she bridges the gap between AI innovators in Procurement and the Corporate practitioners. Janet is passionate about harnessing AI to create efficient, inclusive and sustainable supply chains, and brings her expertise to boards shaping the future of procurement. She also joined the Expana Revenue Advisory Board earlier this year and her help has been instrumental as we continue to roll out the Expana data, news, and forecasting platform to the global agri-food sector.

Today we explore something different. A trend that is definitely here to stay and one that we are all integrating into our workflows. This transformative trend, however, is only in the infancy stages of its huge potential, and many of us, it is fair to say, are struggling to realize how to use it, and some of us even fear it… I’m talking about AI, of course. 
On today's episode of Agri-Food for Thought, I welcome Beth Pollack, who, a few months ago, started a new position as Advisory Board Member at Expana, and has helped conceptualize and launch Expana's AI strategy. Beth is the Managing Partner of Decision Science Advisors, an Applied AI and Data Strategy advisory firm. Decision Science Advisors partners with investors and their portfolio companies to drive top line growth, create efficiencies and achieve scale through design and execution of production grade Applied GenAI, AI integrated Product and Data Monetization initiatives.  Before founding Decision Science Advisors, Beth led AI and Data Value Creation efforts as an Operating Advisor for Private Equity firm Warburg Pincus.

Expana presents Agri-Food for Thought, the podcast series for agriculture and food professionals.Today, we bring you up to speed with merger & acquisition activity in the global agrifood landscape that occurred in August 2025 as part of the monthly M&A focus series. 
This episode breaks down the deals by segment, covering most of the 23 agricultural commodity categories tracked on Expana.
This episode is hosted by Simon Duke, Managing Editor - EMEA.

Expana presents Agri-Food for Thought, the podcast series for agriculture and food professionals.Today, we bring you up to speed with merger & acquisition activity in the global agrifood landscape that occurred in July 2025 as part of the monthly M&A focus series. July 2025 M&A activity somewhat slowed down compared to previous months. The ongoing tariffs situation, the global focus on trade deals, other trade disputes, and market uncertainty, have a role to play here, and contribute to this wait and see behaviour in markets.
This episode breaks down the deals by segment, covering most of the 23 agricultural commodity categories tracked on Expana.
This episode is hosted by Simon Duke, Managing Editor - EMEA.

Jamie gets the scoop from Market Analyst Pete Iridoy on how pork is benefitting at retail amidst high beef prices.

Episode 30 - M&A in the Global Agri-Food Industry - June 2025 by Expana
Expana presents Agri-Food for Thought, the podcast series for agriculture and food professionals.Today, we bring you up to speed with merger & acquisition activity in the global agrifood landscape that occurred in June 2025 as part of the monthly M&A focus series.June 2025 M&A activity picked up marginally compared to previous months. The ongoing tariffs situation, looming deadlines, other trade disputes, and market uncertainty, have a role to play here. And let's not forget the major volatility within markets throughout June due to the escalation of hostilities between Israel and Iran. Markets were greatly concerned throughout the month about the possible impacts of the conflict.

This episode breaks down the deals by segment, covering most of the 23 agricultural commodity categories tracked on Expana.

This episode is hosted by Simon Duke, Managing Editor - EMEA.

Episode 29 - M&A in the Global Agri-Food Industry - May 2025 Overview by Expana
Expana presents Agri-Food for Thought, the podcast series for agriculture and food professionals.Today, we bring you up to speed with merger & acquisition activity in the global agrifood landscape that occurred in May 2025 as part of the monthly M&A focus series. May 2025 was generally quieter in terms of M&A compared to previous months. There are many factors influencing this but the ongoing tariffs situation, trade disputes, and market uncertainty, likely playe a role here.

This episode breaks down the deals by segment, covering most of the 23 agricultural commodity categories tracked on Expana.

This episode is hosted by Simon Duke, Managing Editor - EMEA.