-
TOPIC

Food and agriculture

Food and agriculture
Latest news, in-depth features and opinion on food and agriculture, with a focus on Hong Kong, mainland China and Asia.
The Hong Kong-born chef and sustainable dining advocate talks about how we can change our food production systems for the better if we work together. Photo: Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026
Food and Drinks

Exclusive | Hong Kong chef wins Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants’ first Champions of Change Award

Sustainability pioneer Peggy Chan talks about her mission and what winning the Champions of Change award means for her and the industry.

Maxim’s

Video | Customer finds tooth in loaf of bread

US-China trade war

Trump sells tariffs as farmers’ win in Iowa, but many aren’t buying it

videocam
25
Tourism

Taste Sweden’s delicious ‘blue food’ fresh from the sea on boat tours

From oysters and mussels to superfood seaweed, Sweden’s west coast is a treasure trove of ‘blue food’ – sustainable aquatic produce.

FILED - Blue, or aquatic, foods hold support diets that are healthy, sustainable, inclusive, and climate-resilient. Here, Per Karlsson prepares to serve up Swedish treats from the sea. Photo: Sabine Glaubitz/dpa-tmn - ATTENTION: editorial use only in connection with the aforementioned text
United States

ByHeart baby formula botulism likely linked to contaminated milk powder: FDA

FDA testing found the type of bacteria that could cause the illness in two samples used to make ByHeart’s baby milk powder.

China trade

Vietnam grabs bigger slice of China’s durian market as Thailand loses ground

Vietnam’s exports of the pungent fruit to China rose by US$500 million in 2025 as the country emerges as a serious rival to Thailand.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
China food security

Rooted in resilience: how China’s seed push has planted agricultural ‘chips’

Domestic varieties claiming bigger market shares for key crops and livestock, curbing reliance on foreign sources for vital food production.

videocam
Vegetable seedlings are examined at a greenhouse in China’s Shandong province. Chinese authorities say considerable advances have been made in the domestic seed industry over the last few years. Photo: Getty Images
Brazil

Brazil beef exports seen as stable in 2026 as industry pivots beyond China

Beef lobby Abiec said volumes not sold to China could be redirected other markets.

Japan

Japan snaps into action as alligator weed chokes waterways

The seemingly innocuous alligator weed, or Alternanthera philoxeroides, poses a real problem, especially to rice farmers.

Malaysia

How a crop of young farmers is reshaping agriculture in Southeast Asia

Young people across Southeast Asia are using city spaces and new technologies to improve on traditional farming methods to grow produce.

Once seen as an unlikely career path for university graduates, farming is quietly being rebranded across Southeast Asia. Photo: Ushar Daniele
Lessons from China's history

Reflections | What a Chinese hero’s fatal love of raw fish warns us about uncooked food

The recent sale of the most expensive tuna in Tokyo reflects sushi’s popularity, but an episode in Chinese history shows raw food’s dangers.

A Kiyomura staff member holds meat from the 243kg bluefin tuna the company recently bought at a Tokyo fish auction for a record US$3.2 million. Photo: Reuters
Singapore

Can Singapore’s farming future grow in Malaysia’s US$123 million food hub?

The city state’s farmers eye the Johor-Singapore SEZ for cheaper land and labour to boost food security amid high local costs.

videocam
Trending in China

‘Hold on tight’: China woman wins 22 pig-catching contests, biggest hog weighs 73kg

31-year-old who excelled at tug of war, shot-put in her youth is top exponent of pinning down swine; says technique relies on speed.

Science

China creates world’s first clone-hybrid rice that could double global output

Team developed 6 apomictic rice varieties tested over multiple generations in Hainan and Zhejiang provinces.

videocam
Photo: Getty Images
Food and Drinks

Why crab is now fine dining’s ultimate luxury ingredient

American chefs are embracing this delicacy, used in omakase in New York and crab rice in San Francisco, as prices soar to over US$2,000 for a king crab.

Crab meat has become the season’s signifier in the luxury dining scene. Photo: @kinkan_la/Instagram
US-China relations

China buys two-thirds of pledged US soybeans as 2025 closes

Beijing has moved to reduce tariffs on the crop and lifted import bans on three US exporters after talks between Xi and Trump.

videocam
4
China trade

China imposes beef-import quota, adds over-quota tariffs to guard local industry

From Thursday, over-quota imports from Brazil, Australia, US and other trade partners face new duties to help local producers recover amid price declines.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Malaysia

‘It’s cheap and worth it’: Malaysia’s durian glut triggers ‘happy hour’ frenzy

Bumper harvests prompt traders to offer rock-bottom prices as locals and tourists grab time-based deals on the spiky fruit.

videocam
A worker checks a durian at a shop in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Photo: AFP
Mainland China

Video | China creates ‘bone-free’ fish for easier eating

The breakthrough comes from a six-year research programme using gene-editing technology to remove intermuscular bones from gibel carp.

China consumption

Wild goose chase? France works to rouse China’s appetite for foie gras imports

French producers hope their famed pate can win a slice of China’s market, but price sensitivities and domestic competition could mean their goose is cooked.

videocam
14
US-China trade war

China reportedly sticking to its soybean deal with US, but worries remain

Beijing secures 7 million tonnes of soybeans, passing halfway mark of its US purchase agreement. However, little has been shipped so far.

videocam
8
China secures 7 million tonnes of soybeans, passing halfway mark of its US purchase agreement. Photo: The Minnesota Star Tribune/TNS
Blockchain

Video | How a Shanghai start-up is digitalising Chinese tea

Safety, verification and trust behind start-up company Teakan Technology’s goal to make traditional Chinese tea digitally traceable.

Safety, verification and trust behind start-up company Teakan Technology’s goal to make traditional Chinese tea digitally traceable
China trade

Battle for China’s durian market gets even juicier as Laos enters the fray

Laos could present a real challenge to other players in China’s vast durian market due to its low costs and logistical advantages.

videocam
China food security

Explainer | What does future hold for Brazil, US in China’s soybean balancing act?

The two countries remain top suppliers, but efforts to promote self-sufficiency are set to reduce reliance on imports.

videocam
4
Indonesia

Calls to halt Indonesia’s free meal drive after horror crash injures 21 children

One child lost 18 teeth and had to undergo reconstructive surgery. Critics blame the scheme’s ‘chaotic’ roll-out for the tragedy.

videocam
Indonesian students eat a free school meal in Aceh Besar earlier this year. Photo: EPA
China-EU relations

China slaps anti-dumping duties on EU pork, but lowers final rates

Beijing goes ahead with tariffs of up to 19.8 per cent on pork products from the European Union after intense lobbying by several leaders.

videocam
A customer purchases pork at a supermarket in China’s central Anhui province. China is the world’s largest pork consumer. Photo: Getty Images
Hong Kong property

With luxury absent, new entrants steady Hong Kong retail property

Newcomers from across Asia and Europe take advantage of cheaper rents while big-ticket brands delay major commitments.

France

French farmers spray manure, block roads over cow ‘mass slaughter’ policy

Farmers in southern France are incensed by the government’s mandatory slaughter of herds to contain ‘lumpy skin disease’.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement