China has just banned beef exports from the JBS plant in Greeley, Colorado over ractopamine. A shipment of frozen omasum (the third stomach in a ruminant animal) tested positive in China for ractopamine, which is banned in China. Additionally, a cold storage facility in California, Cool Point Oakland, was also delisted by China as a facility approved by for export. While this is a specific finding on the banned ractopamine, which the U.S. Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) will be investigating, it also comes as markets generally are anxious about retaliatory tariffs from China over the newly increased Section 301 tariffs on a host of imports from China, after the Biden Administration’s statutory four-year review of those du...
Weighing in on strategic realignment
WPI’s team was retained by the governing board of a U.S. industry organization to review a decision, reached by vote, to invest significant assets into the development and management of an export trading company. WPI’s team conducted a formal review of this decision and concluded that the current level of market saturation would limit the benefits of the investment. Based on WPI’s analysis and recommended actions, the board subsequently reversed its decision and undertook a strategic planning effort to identify more impactful investments. On behalf of numerous clients, WPI has not only assisted in identifying strategic paths but also advised their implementation.
Key Market Insights The broad market is locked in on this week’s Trump-Xi meeting in Beijing, but this is no longer just a trade summit. Increasingly, the meeting is becoming tied directly to Iran, energy security, and the growing global economic fallout from disruptions through the Strai...