food

OpenAI has become the “Fast Food” of AI. And that means that for Sam Altman the business is attention, not AGI

by

It was sung that OpenAI was going to launch its browser, so the Yesterday launch of the Atlas browser It didn’t take us too much by surprise. What is important is the fact that the company does not stop constantly releasing products and services. The pace is the most extraordinary we have experienced in recent years, and the obvious question is, what is OpenAI pursuing with this strategy? OpenAI is the great machine churros AI products of the world. In recent weeks we have seen how OpenAI has not stopped launching new AI services and products that have managed to flood the market. Some examples: And that’s not counting the Recently announced agreements with NVIDIA, AMD and Broadcom which make it clear that the pace of OpenAI announcements is absolutely dizzying: too many new things too often. Because? The hype race as a business priority. That extraordinary flurry of releases suggests that OpenAI’s big corporate priority is not so much the vaunted pursuit of AGI as it is dominating the conversation and, above all, the attention economy. What OpenAI wants is for us to be constantly talking about it, and the truth is that these launches are not exactly small: they all pose notable changes in its ecosystem and in the technology industry itself. Smokescreen. And such frenzy also acts as a strategic smokescreen. With this bombardment of releases (browser, applications, SDKs, improved models), Altman and his team not only generate more hype, but saturate the competitive space. Rivals barely have time to assimilate or replicate a feature when the next one has already been announced. Towards an operating system. The launch of Atlas is an especially significant move. With it it seems to be clear that OpenAI no longer wants to be a simple layer, the engine of AI, but a complete operating environment in the style of WeChat or the App Store. In fact wants to be the Windows of AIbut either it turns out well, or it is going to be the mother of all bubbles. Expectations attract new users (and investors). These constant movements also mean that these products also generate new expectations, even if only temporarily. OpenAI has managed to partly conquer the attention economy with launches such as Studio Ghibli style images or more recently with Sora. This has allowed it to attract millions more free users, which the company then tries to convert into paying users. Not only that: its growth also helps investors want to participate in the company’s multimillion-dollar investment rounds. And the AGI, what? And while all these launches are taking place, we see how the holy grail of AI, getting a general artificial intelligence (AGI), seems to take a backseat. It is as if that speech had become an empty mantra or a long-term goal that is not credible in the middle of this chaos. Altman has achieved replace philosophical conversation —the one that caused the hypothetical arrival of the AGI— due to a consumer conversation. The Fast Food of AI. The AI ​​ecosystem that OpenAI is creating has adopted a consumption pattern similar to that we experience on social networks: fast and ephemeral, based on the latest viral news. The Studio Ghibli-style visuals were exciting for a couple of weeks, and the same has happened with Sora 2, but that “wow” effect fades quickly. What is OpenAI doing to revive the hype again? Launch a new product. Atlas is the latest example. Seeking to be a de facto monopoly. With all these movements, OpenAI continues to attract more and more users and dominate the conversation and gain attention. That may not get you what you really need (income) at the moment, but it solidifies your absolute benchmark position and helps make it what you’re really looking for: the de facto monopoly of AI. Image | Mariia Shalabaieva In Xataka | ChatGPT will let you have erotic conversations. Welcome to emotional intimacy with an AI

radishes confirm the entry of nanoplastics into the food chain

by

Living with microplastics It seems like the new normal in our diet. We already see them in things as everyday as bottled water either tapbut also within our body as in breast milk or their own testicles. Now the researchers, who remain very focused on the food chain, have wanted analyze its presence in crops and it has made it clear that the problem is more serious than we thought. The study. Published in the magazine Environmental Researchresearchers have used a technique of radiolabeling to demonstrate, for the first time quantitatively, that nanoplastics are not only absorbed by plants, but travel through them until they accumulate in the parts we eat. And the results, obtained with radishes, are a wake-up call to a very important food safety problem. The marking. The main challenge of studying nanoplastics in biological tissues is to distinguish them from the organic material that surrounds them. To overcome this obstacle, a team of scientists from the University of Plymouth in the United Kingdom synthesized polystyrene nanoplastics and “marked” them with a radioactive isotope: lime. famous carbon-14. In this way, it was possible to accurately monitor the movement of the plastic inside the plant. And precisely the material is more common in agricultural soils. Design. The experiment was meticulously designed to avoid any type of surface contamination. For this, radishes were used due to their rapid growth and their large fleshy root (the edible part), which were introduced into a hydroponic system with a liquid nutrient solution instead of being in their normal habitat, which is soil. This is where the key is: only the fine, non-fleshy roots were in contact with the water containing the nanoplastics. In this way, the edible part and the sprouts were never in contact with the contaminated medium. From here, the radishes were left for five days to absorb the solution and subsequently analyzed to check if the nanoplastics (which emit radiation) had been absorbed and what path they would follow. Results. After the passage of these five days, radioactivity was detected in all parts of the silver that had been exposed, demonstrating the absorption and transport of the nanoplastics. In total, the radishes managed to retain almost 5% of the nanoplastics that were in the water and of these, 65% remained in the non-fleshy roots (the entry point). But the alarming thing comes when in the part that is edible, a concentration of 25.5% of the nanoplastics that the plant had absorbed and transported to this area was found. Even the buds and leaves, the furthest part, accumulated almost 10% of the total absorbed. What does it mean. This finding demonstrates that polystyrene nanoplastics are capable of crossing the Caspary bandan impermeable layer of cells that functions as a protective barrier in the root of the plant, designed precisely to prevent the passage of unwanted substances into the vascular system. Once this barrier is overcome, the nanoplastics have free rein to distribute throughout the rest of the plant. Why it is important. These results open a direct and quantifiable pathway for human exposure to nanoplastics through diet. Unlike animals, which have rapid excretion mechanisms (such as feces or urine) to eliminate part of the contaminants, plants lack these systems. This makes them potential “sinks” for nanoplastics, accumulating them throughout their lives. And for humans, the fact that these particles are so small means that they can diffuse our biological barriers and enter the body to circulate through the bloodstream. Although the effects that these microplastics have on our body still remain to be known, something that is currently still being studied to know exactly their distribution throughout the body. Future research should explore whether other types of plastics behave the same, how soil type affects absorption, and what happens in longer growing cycles. But the door has already been opened: smaller plastics are no longer just pollute our oceans and air, but they have found a way to silently sneak into our food, from the roots. Images | Teslariu Mihai Marc Pell In Xataka | They clean your blood of microplastics for 11,500 euros: the startup that capitalizes on our fear of an invisible enemy

“Silence” The noise of food in our head

by

After several years using semaglutida drugs (such as Ozempic either Wegovy) For weight loss, we have gradually discovering how they exercise this function. These medications, initially developed as diabetes treatment, emulate an important hormone related to the digestive process. But there are still more details that we continue discovering. Silence the noise. A study He has found indications that Ozempic and the rest of the drug -based drugs are able to silence the “noise of the food.” This means that treatment is able to reduce obsessive and intrusive thoughts related to food and eat. Explaining operation. Biochemical mechanisms behind the effects of Semaglutida They were already known. This compound is an agonist of the GLP-1 receptors (peptide similar to glucagon 1), that is, they act as a kind of Analogue of this hormonemaking our body think that we are segregating it. This hormone fulfills two functions, each related to one of the clinical uses of this drug. The hormone is secreted when we eat and transmits information to the pancreas so that it begins to segregate insulin. That is why treatment is useful for glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes. The second hormone function is fulfilled in the brain, and that is that the LPG-1 is responsible for notifying the brain that we have eaten in order to generate the feeling of satiety. This would be at least one of the fundamentals behind the use of semaglutida as a formula to lose weight. Expanding our knowledge. The study was conducted by researchers from Novo Nordiskthe Danish pharmacist responsible for developing the semaglutida and therefore of the manufacture of medications based on the formula such as Ozempic and Wegovy and an external market for market research. The analysis was based on a survey of 550 participants, most women and with an average age of 53 years, all users of weight loss treatment. Most of the participants indicated having consumed psemaglutida for at least four months, and also a large majority indicated an initial weight of at least 92 kg at the beginning of the treatment. Four times less. According to Indicates the responsible team From the new study, the proportion of participants who “experienced constant thoughts about food” went from 62% to 16% throughout the study. The proportion of those who considered that “they spent too long thinking about food” went from 63% to 15%. According to the team responsible for the study, the “uncontrollable thoughts on food” also descended, moving from a 53% prevalence to one of 15%. The portion of participants also descended that they considered that thoughts on food distracted them from day -to -day activities, from 47% to 15%. The investigation has been presented at the annual EASD meeting (European Association for the Study of Diabetes), In Vienna. Placebo effect? There are some details that suggest caution when interpreting the results. The first is that we are faced with a survey and not before an experiment with a control group and randomized allocation of the participants between control group and the experimental group. This implies that we cannot rule out that what is observed is simply due to placebo effect or some other form of autosugestion. In the Press note It is pointed out that three of the researchers responsible for the new study are also employees of Pharmaceuticals Novo Nordisk. This does not necessarily remain validity to the study, but transparency is an indispensable requirement in this type of work. The study, for now, has not gone through the revision process of peers of those who are published in scientific journals. In Xataka | Novo Nordisk has found the formula to recover the profitability of Ozempic: fire 9,000 employees Image | Chemist4u / Xataka with Gemini

We have been submerged in “High Protein” food fever. Science has enough doubts that it is useful

by

In a quick visit to the supermarket, it is observed how the shelves no longer compete in flavors, compete in promises: High Protein, extra protein, muscle. We see it in yogurts, breads, tuna and even water, under the promise of the protein. Today we are immersed in the Era of chic proteinwhich turned an essential nutrient into an aspirational banner that jumped from the gym to the purchase cart. However, meanwhile container and slogans emerges the question that many ask ourselves: do we really need so much protein? No more is better. To begin with, protein matters, since it participates in the construction and repair of tissues, immunity and hormonal regulation, among other functions, as explained in the MedlinePlus Medical Portal. In addition, it has a satiating effect, which helps control intake, provided it does not derive in hyperproteic diets, Andrea Jarque nutritionist warns. However, to understand the jump to the shelves of the supermarket responds rather to a market logic. The industry, As always happenshe detected a “reef” in the protein claim and extended it from the cultural niche to the general public, with visual codes and messages that They associate protein By force, aesthetics and performance. Do we need “more protein”? It all depends on the person, but there is something in which almost all coincide Clinical guides: The reference figures change little. In an average and sedentary adult, the daily recommendation is around 0.8 grams of protein per kilo of body weight per day. From the age of 40 or 50 – and especially in menopause – it is convenient to slightly raise the intake up to 1 and 1.2 grams per kilo. In other words, a 70 kilos person would need between 70 and 84 grams of daily protein to curb the loss of muscle associated with age: Sarcopenia. Athletes play in another league. Those who train strength or practice resistance regularly may need more: between 1.2 and 1.7 grams per kilo. Above 2 grams per kilo, the benefits are more than doubtful and, in predisposed people, problems could even appear, as they warn in May Clinic. In practice, most arrive – or even pass – from those amounts. In Spain it is not different: meat intake It is still very high. Hence the nutritionist Jorge Jaldón summarize it with irony in the zero habit podcast: “Shortly after breakfasts, lunch and cenes, you have plenty of protein.” Its example is clear: an egg (6 grams of protein), 100 grams of chicken (22 grams) and a plate of lentils (15–18 grams) are enough to meet the needs of an adult in one day. In other words, a combined dish already covers what many are looking for in a container with the High Protein label. Deficit and excess, the two faces. The shortcomings are unusual in the general population. They appear in cases of aggressive caloric restriction, eating disorders either use of slimming drugs that lead meals. Alert signals They are clear: Little satiety between meals and worse recovery after exercise or disease. At the opposite end, the body does not store protein. Once the needs are covered, the excess is used as energy or becomes fat. “The muscle is built by strength training, not the shake”, Clinic point out in May. In the long term, the effect of excessive chronic intake It is a reason for debate. Specialists from the Spanish Society of Endocrinology and Nutrition (SEEN) They advise caution in people with kidney or liver disease. And what happens to supplements? And this is where the great parallel industry appears. It is not the same to train strength than to lead a sedentary life. Protein supplements can be useful in specific situations: greater with chewing problems, clinical contexts, recovery after training or simply by logistics. Three nutritionists They coincided in a report of this house: They are a tool, not universal shortcut. The Basic Council: Check labels. A good product should provide at least 70–80% real protein by ration, low in sugars, with few additives and reliable brand. And it should not forget the obvious: a shake also adds calories. In addition, many of these products cost more than their equivalent in real food. As some experts ironize, a surcharge is often paid so they already provide lentils or egg. The boom of the plant protein. The other great change is of origin. For decades the recommendation was to replace red meat with chicken or fish. Today the focus is in legumes, nuts, tofu or quinoa. A meta -analysis Confirm that following The so -called Planetary Health Diet (rich in plant proteins) is associated with 21% less mortality and lower carbon footprint. “The more the dish looked like this diet, the lower the risk of dying and the environmental impact,” summarizes the study. Along the same lines, vegetable proteins are also beginning to prioritize food guides, As Stanford professor, Christopher Gardner details: “The beans, peas and lentils would head the list.” Now, the vegetable protein has less bioavailability. “Those who follow exclusively vegetable diets need more quantity and combine different sources,” Remember dietitian Marie Spano. Despite this, as Isabel Martorell, dietitian-nutritionist of Nootric: “No deficits have been observed in vegans with well -planned diets.” Here enters a key concept, that of the Package protein, Popularized by Harvard: The important thing is not only the protein, but the set of nutrients that accompany it. It is not the same to obtain it from a fillet with saturated fats than from a dish of chickpeas with fiber, minerals and antioxidants. Beyond fashion. The evidence points to a simple route (and less expensive): it distributes the protein of the day, prioritizes quality sources – better if they are vegetables -, trains strength and distrust of the Atheat powder. The muscle is built by the gym and constancy. The rest is noise and labels. Image | Pexels Xataka | The greatest study on sustainable food confirms it: the vegetable protein wins the game

May your cat ignore that appetizing food has a scientific explanation. Is called neophobia and it’s life insurance

by

You open one of the littleirs that you have bought your cat and flips with the good f see, it almost makes you want to try it, but when you offer it, all bad. It smells it, looks at you with contempt and leaves. Yes, it has happened to me and I have thought that my cat enjoyed watching me money on food that was not going to eat. Your cat does not hate you, it is its nature. Food neopobia in cats A search on the subject returns hundreds of results of Tutors asking for advice to get their cat to eat something new and tips to get it. The most common are usually cats that reject wet food and They just want to eat their feedwhich is not recommended because it can lead to the dreaded kidney disease. What happens to cats? Neophobia is the fear of something new, in this case new foods. Although food neophabia is not exclusive to cats (It also happens in humans), it is a fairly common behavior in cats and one of the reasons that have made them win the Fame of Sibaritas. It is not a feline whim, it is pure instinct, An adaptation strategy to protect yourself from possible poisoning. It is not a feline whim, it is pure instinct, an adaptation strategy to protect itself from possible intoxication. Beyond the inheritance of its wild ancestors, neophy and domestic cats may appear for other causes and one of them is stress. Cats are very sensitive to changes. In This study They analyzed stress in cats and the consequences it can have on their behavior and health. A stressed cat tends to eat less, but it is also more prone to develop neophobia. If a new meal is offered in a stress situation, it is more likely to reject it. Cat’s food preferences In This complete article of Vet Times magazinedelve into the mechanisms that form the food preferences of cats. In his first months of life he is strongly influenced by his mother’s. In fact, this influence begins even before birth, by transfer of flavors through amniotic fluid and milk. It has been proven That the kittens whose mother ate unusual foods in the cat such as milk or banana, showed inclination for these foods. “Eat it” Genetics only plays a small role, but the food to which the cat is exposed in their first months of life will be decisive when forming their adult preferences. In this sense, a kitten that only eats a type of food is more likely to develop neophobia towards unknown foods, while A more varied diet will become familiar with more flavors and textures. Experience is another decisive factor and is the one that is defining how the cat selects food during your life. For example if they eat something and feel bad, they will create a negative association and will not eat it again. The food to which the cat is exposed in their first months of life are decisive when forming their adult preferences. Of course it also influences palatability, that is to say, how nice the smell, taste and texture find of a specific food. As strict carnivores, they are attracted to protein -rich foods and tend to reject bitter or sweet flavors. In the case of feed addicted cats several factors come together and palatability is one of them. Feed manufacturers have “hacked” the feline palate with flavor enhancers (palatal) to make them more attractive and want to eat it all the time. If we add that we usually have the feed at the disposal of the animal, the habit is reinforced to the point that some cats do not want to eat anything else. In addition, the crunchy texture of the feed further reinforces that preference, making wet food something strange to them. My cat rejects food. What I do? The first, be patient. Getting a cat with a very strong neopobia start eating new foods is a background race. The first step is Get familiar with the new food. In This study He gathered fourteen adult cats that showed neophobia towards a lamb flavor food. What they did was vaporize the smell of food while cats ate their usual food. The result was that neophobia was reduced considerably. I like this. You can start by putting A bowl with wet food by feedso that I associate that it is a safe food. It is important to offer variety, because it can be the case that we are determined to eat a single option and that it turns out that you simply do not like. If your cat does not eat any wet food, there are Nutritionists who advise starting with little cans that are unhealthy. The reason is that they usually have a very attractive and flavoring smell more similar to those of the feed. In this way, it is first familiar with wet food and little by little you can introduce healthier cans. It is also recommended slightly heat the fooddo not give it directly from the fridge because it will almost certainly reject it. To start eating something new, the obvious is important: to be hungry. I think freely is not recommended. To start eating something new, the obvious is important: to be hungry. In this sense, I think freely 24 hours is not the most recommended. You can serve food three or four times a day or use An automatic feeder. Yes indeed, A cat should never be more than a whole day without eating since it can develop Hepatic lipidosis and even die. Each cat is a world and There are many more tricks That you can use, such as soaking or crushing the feed and putting a little on wet food. Also You can use others TOPPINGS like a churu -type liquid snack and sprinkle supplements such as Fortiflora (is a probiotic) or Green lip mussel powder. In Xataka | Genetics offers … Read more

More and more voices think that keeping food in plastic is not a good idea

by

A kitchen that boards has a drawer up to numerous tuppers with the tapas on the other hand. Although it is not the only place, we open the fridge and find even more stacked: some keep the leftovers of noon, others contain freshly taken food from their original container. Behind this daily life – so assumed that goes unnoticed – hides an uncomfortable question: are we storing our food well? The plastic under suspicion. Light, cheap, resistant: plastic became the great ally of modern cuisine. However, recent studies call their safety when they come into contact with food. A BBC report He explained That thousands of chemicals are part of their composition and that some can migrate to food, especially when they come into contact with fatty, acid or hot foods. The problem is not only the food we keep, but also the use we give: the microwave, the dishwasher or the rayons due to repeated use accelerate the release of compounds. And microplastics. To them is added another invisible problem. As Delish magazine has pointed outtuppers release microplastics, tiny particles that have already been found in blood, lungs and even human placenta. A health problem. The debate about tuppers is not a simple kitchen detail: what is at stake is hormonal health. Many of the compounds that migrate from food plastics are classified as endocrine disruptors, substances capable of altering the balance of our hormones. The best known case is bisphenol A (BPA), used for decades in rigid plastics and linked to fertility and development problems. The European Food Security Authority (EFSA) recently reviewed its safety and reduced tolerable intake at a level 20,000 times lower than the previous one. Something similar happens with phthalates, employees to give flexibility to plastic and also associated with hormonal and reproductive alterations, As the BBC has detailed. Plans b. However, trusting alternatives is not a guarantee either. The Guardian He has warned that compounds used as BPA substitutes – the so -called BPS and BPF – have similar effects on the body. AND, According to a study cited by The I Papermore than 3,600 chemicals of plastic containers present in humans have been identified, many of them barely studied. Therefore, some expert voices are overwhelming. Lisa Zimmerman, from Food Packaging Forum, summarized it like this For the same medium: “If you care about your health, you should throw your plastic tuppers and use glass or steel.” The stations also influence. Beyond chemicals, summer heat adds another threat: bacteria. In statements collected by El Confidencialdietitian Judit Carreira, from the Sant Pau Hospital, explained that high temperatures favor food poisoning. Its advice is clear: transport the taperes in thermal bags or portable refrigerators, avoid exposing them to the sun and, above all, separating raw cooked in the fridge to prevent cross contamination. “When you return from the supermarket, the meat and the raw fish should be removed from the container and stored in a clean taper,” He has insisted. He also remembered the four basic food security rules: clean, separate, cook and cool. So, throw all my tuppers? It is not about emptying the kitchen, but of changing habits. Various media They coincide In a series of recommendations: Avoid reheating in plastic: although the container indicates “suitable for microwave”, heat accelerates chemical migration. Reserve them only for cold or dry foods, never for oily, acid or hot meals. Replace them if they are scratched, deformed or with persistent smell. Opt for glass, steel or ceramics for hot meals or prolonged conservation. Now, not all alternatives are perfect. Ceramics, although it is considered safe if it is certified, can be a problem in cases of artisanal productions. The mail reported a few months ago The case of a family of Getxo (Vizcaya) poisoned with lead after drinking for years of an enameled ceramic jug bought in Andalusia. Lead, prohibited in pottery since the 60s, can cause abdominal pain, anemia or neurological alterations. An easier life, at risk. It is true that tuppers have made our lives easier, but they have also exposed us to a chemical soup not yet known. Science still investigates the cumulative effects, but there is consensus on something simple: heat, fat and plastic do not combine well. Perhaps the true luxury of modern cuisine is not accumulating containers of all sizes, but choosing containers that take care of our health. Image | Unspash Xataka | I have a decade teleworking and I have discovered the best productivity trick: plan a weekly meal menu

The science behind one of the AI pillars has an origin as unexpected as unknown: pigeons pecking for food

by

Imagine a missile guided by a dove. It sounds absurd, but it happened in the middle of war: someone proposed to train them to Picute the target from a screen and thus redirect the projectile. The system was never usedbut left something more powerful than the anecdote: A way of learning based on proof, error and reward. The comparison helps to understand logic, but it is not literal: today there are no birds in algorithms; What is maintained is the idea of strengthening behaviors through signals. That logic, simple and direct, is the one that many artificial intelligence models follow. What was previously an answer conditioned by food, is now a score, a preference or human indication that the model learns to pursue. The test and reinforcement mechanism was not lost over time. In the 1940s and 1950s, the American psychologist Burrhus Frederic Skinner formalized that idea with his theory of “operant conditioning”: A behavior increases its probability of repeating itself if its consequences are positive. Although behaviorism was displaced by approaches focused on mental processes, its logic found a new field in computer science. Since the end of the seventies and, above all, in the eighties and ninety, Richard Sutton and Andrew Barto applied it to the design of artificial agents capable of acting, receiving a signal and adjust ‘Reinforcement Learning: An Introduction’. As Mit Technology Review points outthe idea of molding behaviors without resorting to fixed rules became a useful tool to teach machines. From the 1980s, reinforcement learning began to be implemented in algorithms that explore simulated environments, fail, receive feedback and try again. They do not follow human instructions step by step: learn based on the result. This approach proved to be especially effective in tasks with clear objectives, such as games. And it was there that he gave one of his most visible jumps. Alphago’s story marked a before and after in artificial intelligence. In March 2016, he beat South Korean Lee Sedol 4-1 in a series of Go games. He succeeded by combining supervised learning of human games and reinforcement learning. A year later, Deepmind was one step further with Alphago Zero. Instead of training with human data, he started from scratch and learned playing against himself: each victory reinforced his strategy, each defeat the corregía. In 40 days he surpassed not only the human championbut also to all the previous versions of Alphago himself. Today, reinforcement learning is not only used in games; It is also used to refine the models behind services such as Chatgpt. The OpenAI system incorporates a technique known as Reinforcement learning with human feedback (RLHF): people compare model responses and those preferences become a signal that guides their evolution. According to Openai, this phase seeks to align the behavior of the model with the user’s intention. It does not learn explicit rules, but patterns that maximize the reward, that is, what receives better assessments. Reinforcement works, but it doesn’t work for everything. Its effectiveness depends on the signal being well defined and represents the objective well. If it is confused or poorly designed, andThe system can adopt ineffective or even problematic strategies. This has fed a scientific debate. Some biologists have indicated the paradox: Association learning is considered limited to animals, but is celebrated in AI when it produces advanced results. It is no accident that great technology have adopted this approach. More than 80 years after that experiment with pigeons, their pecks are still present in the technology we use every day. Images | Nist Museum | Google | Xataka with Gemini 2.5 Pro In Xataka | The strange case of the diminutive AI: how tiny models are taking the colors to the mastodons of the AI

The most self -sufficient countries on the planet at the food level, gathered in a surprising graphic

by

Humanity has eaten what it played For thousands of years. With globalizationhe has started eating what he wants and that, together with the population increase, It has consequences. Not being able to meet the demand of some foods, Import is a necessity. But it turns out that there is a unique country in the world, a completely self -sufficient one if we talk about food. Guyana The All-Star of Self-sufficiency. In the upper graph, prepared by Visual Capitalistwe can see the 50 most self -sufficient countries in the world at the food level. It reflects seven food groups: Fruit. Vegetables. Legumes. Starchy foods such as flours or rice. Meat. Fish. Dairy. And the only country that not only complies, but exceeds the production of what its population of each of these groups needs is Guyana. It is a small country of about 815,000 inhabitants located in northern South America that has shot your GDP These last years. Partly, thanks to discovery Of great oil reserves in 2015, but before that boom, their agricultural and mining industry were the ones that pulled the car. Closing the podium. So much that it is, as we say, the only one that produces its own food in all groups, highlighting in one that does not usually highlight: starchy foods. Closing the podium, we must look at Asia. Vietnam and China are two other countries that meet in six of the seven groups. The common strong point is the production of meat and fish (Meritory in the case of China, but At the expense of half -world folders). The weak is that of dairy products. It is common in Asia, with cases as dramatic as Indonesia, Thailand, Tonga, Laos or Philippines, which satisfy 0% of their dairy consumption with the national product. To the tail … On the other side of the balance we have Armenia, Thailand and Greece. The three countries are in the group of those that meet in the production of four categories (where the vast majority of countries are found), but with low percentages in general in almost all groups and a total dependence on dairy and vegetables in the case of Thailand, starchy and, curiously, fish in the case of Greece and legumes and fish in the case of Armenia. Europe and the fruits that come through those who come out. Taking an eye on the panorama of the member countries of the European Union (Greece is an example), we see that some falter, others stand out. And vice versa. The north, for example, does not get along with the Fruit culturesomething that does stand out in the countries of the South. The key in this case is the Single market Agricultural that allows food products to circulate freely between member countries, without regulatory tariffs or barriers. More than 70% of EU’s food products is carried out between member countries, being something that ensures balance and supply even in cases of local productive problems. In Xataka | The size of the submerged economy of all countries in the world, exposed in this developer map

The food industry is living its highest price drop since 2014. There is a clear suspect: white brands

by

Manufacturers in the food sector are living an interesting phenomenon. They go up Industry prices in general, Upload the CPIgo up What they pay consumers in stores when they buy food and yet The rates That applies the food industry have been in free fall for almost a year. Moreover, the sector is facing its highest price decrease since early 2014. Behind that apparent nonsense there is a clear suspect: the effect of white brands and The fight that is getting rid of supermarkets. We explain ourselves. A percentage: 3.3%. Among the many indicators that periodically publishes the INE there is one that helps us better understand a key link of trade, which connects industry with the chain of distributors that take their merchandise to stores. The so -called Industrial Price Index (IPRI) records the oscillations in the right prices in That “first stage” of “internal market”, when the articles leave the factories and do not yet incorporate other added expenses, such as transport, marketing or VAT. Your approach is different from that of IPCwhich takes into account the prices paid by consumers. The INE calculates the IPRI for large sectors every month and sometimes the indicator leaves us some surprise, as happened in June, when it showed an annual fall of the 3.3% In the food industry. What does that mean? That month food manufacturers decided to reduce their rates. Why is it important? For what that percentage means. What reveals to us is a Price drop In the food industry, an adjustment of the rates with which the products leave the factory. The most curious thing is that this fall is not the dominant tonic in the industrial sector. On the contrary. Even beverage manufacturers saw in June how their industrial prices experienced A 2.7% rise. He IPRI General registered one 0.8% rise and if We go down to detail We observed that the indicator rose in most industrial branches. It only retreated in oil refinement, the chemical, metallurgical sector … and food. The annual IPC rate, which reflects the prices paid by consumers, also It was positive: In June it rose 2.2%. If we talk about the specific IPC of non -alcoholic foods and beverages of the purchase basket, it also grew 2.8%. It matters what … And imports when. If we look back, to the context, we observe two interesting data. The first is that the price index of the food industry has already a few months adjusting down. In June he scored a variation of -3.3%, but in May he had already done -2.7%and in April 2.2%. Actually the indicator has been going back. The second fact that we must take into account is that the food industry I had a decade without registering such a pronounced price drop. To find a major year -on -year drop, you have to go back to February 2014. What is the reason? The million dollar question. In a context of industrial inflationwith energy, a 3.5% And the increasing industrial prices, why do those in the food sector descend? In An article in which he delves into that phenomenon, Javier Romera, from The economisthe remembered yesterday that the reduction of the industry arrives in a context marked by a crucial factor: the rise of white brands and their growing competition In supermarkets. THE GREAT PULSE OF THE SECTOR. The industry price adjustment therefore coincides with a key moment for manufacturers, marked by the pulse with supermarket chains and The growing weight that white marks have (those of the distributor itself, such as Auchan, Hacondado or Seleqtia). All this also after years marked by a deep inflationary crisis that has made the big chains that manage supermarkets try to contain prices. The phenomenon is not new and Manuel Morales, manager of the IFA group, in An interview with The economist: “If they don’t react, brands are dead.” His notice, he remembered, comes in a context in which white brands have a greater weight in the linear of supermarkets. “Already almost 50% add up and will continue to grow because they have increased quality and differentiating prices is increasing,” Morales foreshadowed. With that backdrop, the food industry has begun to Cut your profitability. In the first quarter it stood at 6.81% after falling for the first time since 2022. Does the white mark grow so much? Yeah. Last year Promarca presented A report which shows that in just a five years, between 2018 and 2023, the presence of white -branded goods in supermarkets increased by 13%. The opposite path followed the articles sold with the brand of its manufacturer, which during that same period they retreated 23%. Promarca represents manufacturers and is therefore interested in, but their report provides a valuable track. Promarca estimates that in a five years they have disappeared from the super more than 3,600 Products marketed by manufacturers outside the distribution chains while theirs, those of the white brand, added 1,800 only in the feeding and hygiene sections. The calculation was made after analyzing six large chains. The Statista platform estimates that the market share of the white brands grew between 2005 and 2015, fell for a few years and would rebound again in 2019 until they were in 2024 in about 46%. Other studies consider that their mark on the linear of supermarkets is greater and already exceeds 50%. Images | Arno Senoner (UNSPLASH) and Alcampo In Xataka | The favorite ice cream in Spain are from Mercadona and have no “brand”. And there is a Valencian company making gold with them

If you think hospital food is terrible, science has just proved you

by

The industrial aspect of the trays in which food is served in the clinics, the aseptic environment of the room, or the bad drink that generally implies the visit to the health center are factors that convert hospital food into a dish of the liking of few. Well, the problem can be even more serious. Health and environment. A team of researchers has analyzed the food served in two hospitals and three residences in Germany and He has found reasons For concern, both for the health impact of menus and for their environmental effects. The team detected, in all the institutions analyzed, shortcomings in fundamental nutrients, including folate, potassium and vitamin B6. In addition, they also detected that in residences patients failed to achieve the required provision of proteins. “We have found that meals contained insufficient plant foods, such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes; and too many refined grains, added sugars, salt and saturated fats,” pointed in a press release Lisa Pörtner, co -author of the study. “This leads us to an inadequate provision of nutrients and poor dietary quality.” Not only a matter of health. According to the equipment, the diet in health centers should be model in relation to its dietary quality, but the problems detected by the study go further, and the study found that the analyzed diets had a negative environmental impact. “We find that (these menus) contribute to environmental degradation and climate change (which also threatens health),” Nathalie Lambrecht highlightedalso member of the team. Planetary health diet. How did the team reach these conclusions? The study was based on the comparison between the sampled diets and a model diet, in this case the so -called Planetary Health Diet or phd. PHD is a diet Proposal in 2019 by experts of the Eat-Lancet commission, linked to the magazine specialized in medical studies The Lancet. This diet prepares the consumption of plant foods, limiting in turn the consumption of meats and dairy (without eliminating them). The equine not only contrasted the degree of adhesion of these menus to the PHD, it also cotnrasted its nutritional qualities through the so-called Healthy Eating Index-2020 and a nutritional adaptation evaluation. In addition, they calculated the “environmental footprint” of diets through an estimate of the requirements in land use, greenhouse gas emissions, eutrophication (excess nutrients caused by waste emission), water -water acidification and expenditure. The details of the study have been published In an article In the magazine The Lancet: Planetary Health. And in Spain? The results are not directly extrapolated to Spanish hospitals, after all ingredients and cooking techniques can vary much from country to country, even in something as apparently bland as hospital food. However the situation here It doesn’t seem much betterto the point that the complaints of users and professionals took a few months ago to the ministries of health and consumption to take action on the matter. In May, the project of a new Royal Decree focused on improving the quality of menus in health centers, a framework similar to the announced months ago for the improvement of food quality in teaching centers, was announced. The process for the development of the new standard began with a public consultation announced the same May. In Xataka | How much meat is too much meat? This is how the debate about meat is changing Image | Xataka with Gemini

Log In

Forgot password?

Forgot password?

Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password.

Your password reset link appears to be invalid or expired.

Log in

Privacy Policy

Add to Collection

No Collections

Here you'll find all collections you've created before.