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Sara Warden

Commodity Journalist

Sara joined CZ in 2021 as a commodity journalist after a brief period covering commodities and leveraged finance at several London-based new outlets. In the four years prior, Sara lived in Mexico City, where she worked as a bilingual journalist and editor across several key industries, including mining, oil and gas, and health. Since joining CZ, she has led the creation of general interest content that uses data to present key trends, with a focus on attracting a new, broader audience base. She graduated from the University of Strathclyde in 2014 with joint honours in Journalism and Spanish and is currently studying a Master’s in Food Policy.

Food and Ingredients Grains
  • July 25, 2024

The Basics of Sorghum

Insight Focus  Sorghum is an ancient crop, but more and more uses...

Food and Ingredients
  • July 24, 2024

6 Factors Impacting Palm Oil Prices

Insight Focus  High concentration within vegetable and seed oil m...

Grains
  • July 12, 2024

Could India Offset Turkish Wheat Import Ban?

Insight Focus Turkiye recently imposed protectionist measures on wheat...

Grains
  • July 1, 2024

Biofuels to Overtake China as Soybean Demand Driver

Insight Focus Biofuel production is ramping up, and this is set to cou...

Freight
  • June 20, 2024

5 Risk Factors for Container Freight Prices

Insight Focus Freight prices have shot up since the Houthis began atta...

Grains
  • June 11, 2024

EU Imposes Animal Feed Tariffs on Russia, Belarus

Insight Focus Last week, the European Commission announced new tariffs...

Food and Ingredients
  • May 29, 2024

Peak Season Could Lift Container Prices Further

Insight Focus Container market struggles to cope with global conflict ...

Freight
  • May 20, 2024

The 4 Key Food Supply Issues of 2024 in Charts

Insight Focus At the beginning of the year, we identified the four key...

Food and Ingredients Grains
  • May 10, 2024

El Nino Drives Need For Food Trade Flexibility

Insight Focus El Nino has caused havoc across global agricultural mark...

Food and Ingredients Sugar
  • April 22, 2024

Will Weight Loss Drugs Really Change Consumption Patterns?

GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic seem to help weight loss by curbing impuls...

Food and Ingredients
  • March 25, 2024

US Farmers Face Tighter Margins As Crop Prices Slide

Insight Focus Despite rising food prices, US farmers have been squeeze...

Freight
  • March 19, 2024

Five Factors That Could Influence Dry Bulk Freight Prices

Insight Focus Dry bulk prices depend on factors such as grains flows a...

Grains
  • February 23, 2024

Ukraine and Grains Two Years On

Insight Focus After Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, there as ...

Food and Ingredients
  • February 20, 2024

Cost of Decarbonisation Means Food Prices May Rise

Insight Focus European farmers have taken to the streets in protest ov...

Freight
  • February 8, 2024

Panama Canal Situation to Get Worse Before It Gets Better

Insight Focus Panama Canal water levels are still critically low. Alte...

Freight
  • January 26, 2024

Why Lunar New Year Matters for Container Rates

Insight Focus The approach to Lunar New Year often provides a boost to...

Food and Ingredients
  • January 12, 2024

Container Industry Not Out Of the Woods for 2024

Insight Focus The container shipping industry has endured a tough 2023...

Food and Ingredients
  • December 20, 2023

2024 Elections and their Impact on Food Supply Chains

Insight Focus An unusually high number of elections are set to take pl...

Food and Ingredients
  • December 7, 2023

4 Key Food Supply Issues of 2023 in Charts

Insight Focus Certain key themes have plagued food markets and supply ...

Freight
  • November 22, 2023

Container Demurrage and Detention Explained

The terms “demurrage” and “detention” refer to...

Food and Ingredients Sugar
  • November 13, 2023

Could Chinese Population Decline Undermine Consumption Growth?

Insight Focus After decades of strong population growth, it seems that...

Food and Ingredients
  • November 10, 2023

The 5 Key Messages from Sustainable Foods London

Insight Focus The Sustainable Foods London event took place on Novembe...

Food and Ingredients
  • October 19, 2023

Israel-Palestine Trade Impacts in Seven Graphics

Insight Focus Research by the Bank for International Settlements shows...

Ethanol Grains
  • October 11, 2023

The Basics of Biofuels

Biofuels are liquid fuels that are produced using biological sources, ...

Food and Ingredients
  • October 3, 2023

Box Carriers Combat Weak Rates Through Diversification

Insight Focus From rail to feeder services, trucking, warehousing and ...

Food and Ingredients
  • September 20, 2023

Blanked Sailings Likely to Increase Amid Weak Demand

Insight Focus This year’s high season for containers has been partic...

Food and Ingredients
  • September 12, 2023

European Emissions Trading Scheme Explained

The implementation of the EU’s Emissions Trading Scheme is fast appr...

Food and Ingredients
  • September 7, 2023

Freight Rates Continue to Bear Brunt of China Weakness

New York Fed Insight Focus Earlier this summer, there was a glimmer of...

Food and Ingredients
  • September 7, 2023

Fruit Crop Calendar

In an era when many commodities are available on demand, it is easy to...

Food and Ingredients
  • August 31, 2023

Are Bee Populations Declining? Yes and No.

Insight Focus Contrary to popular belief, global honeybee populations ...

Food and Ingredients
  • August 17, 2023

Water Levels Threaten Trade Bottlenecks at Key Crossings

Insight Focus Waterways like the Panama Canal are vital in improving e...

Food and Ingredients
  • August 11, 2023

Freight Market Dynamics

The Covid-19 pandemic displayed just how important seaborne freight is...

Food and Ingredients
  • August 1, 2023

Extreme Weather Threatens Global Tomato Supply

Insight Focus Tomato trade is highly regionalised due to perishability...

Food and Ingredients Grains
  • July 27, 2023

Fertilisers, Grains Hang in the Balance Amid Canadian Port Strikes

Insight Focus Canadian port workers at West Coast ports recently follo...

Grains
  • July 21, 2023

Weather, Indian Export Ban Set to Send Rice Prices Higher

Insight Focus Rice stocks were at all-time highs just a few years ago....

  • July 17, 2023

Freight Market Bets on China Stimulus to Stir Up Demand

Insight Focus China is a massive global economy and a key engine in gl...

Food and Ingredients
  • July 12, 2023

What is El Niño?

If you’ve read the news in the past six months, you’ve probably re...

Food and Ingredients
  • July 11, 2023

6 Leaders in Shipping’s Race to Net Zero

Insight Focus The shipping industry is in a race to decarbonise as new...

Food and Ingredients
  • July 3, 2023

A Bottleneck for Larger Ships in the Panama Canal

Insight Focus The Panama Canal Authority announced last week it would ...

Grains
  • June 29, 2023

How a Strong US Dollar Impacts North African Food Security

Insight Focus North Africa has a diet rich in grains but most countrie...

Food and Ingredients
  • June 22, 2023

Despite Agreement, West Coast Labour Issues Not Over Yet

Insight Focus The ILWU union has been engaged in labour conflict with ...

Food and Ingredients
  • June 19, 2023

Food Inflation Explained

In recent months, the media has been abuzz with news about the skyrock...

Food and Ingredients
  • June 13, 2023

Will There Be a Peak Season For Containers in 2023?

Insight Focus Container freight rates have been in freefall for a year...

Food and Ingredients
  • June 7, 2023

How Revising Food Labels Could Temper Inflation

Insight Focus Expiration date labels have become more and more complex...

Food and Ingredients
  • May 30, 2023

Panama Canal Issues Show Cost Of Extreme Weather

Insight Focus The Panama Canal is vital for Asia – US East Coast tra...

Sugar
  • May 23, 2023

8 Ways Technology Can Optimize Shipping

Insight Focus The shipping industry is facing unprecedented environmen...

Sugar
  • May 18, 2023

Alternative Marine Fuels Series Wrapped Up

Insight Focus The shipping industry currently uses about 300 million t...

Sugar
  • May 16, 2023

Safety Concerns Hold Back Hydrogen Adoption

Insight Focus The shipping industry currently uses about 300 million t...

Sugar
  • May 11, 2023

Ammonia Challenged by Cost, Energy Intensity

Insight Focus The shipping industry currently uses about 300 million t...

Sugar
  • May 2, 2023

Why Freight Rates Won’t Face Another 10-Year Plateau

Insight Focus The freight market has gone through a bumpy few years. A...

Ethanol Sugar
  • April 27, 2023

Marine Industry Faces Stiff Competition for Biofuels

Insight Focus The shipping industry currently uses about 300 million t...

Sugar
  • April 26, 2023

Supply Chain Indicators Mixed But Rate Hikes Continue

Insight Focus Interpreting economic indicators has become more and mor...

Sugar
  • April 20, 2023

Czapp Explains: What is Corporate Finance?

Defining Corporate Finance Corporate finance is a field of finance tha...

Sugar
  • April 18, 2023

Methanol Picks Up Steam in Alt Marine Fuel Race

Insight Focus The shipping industry currently uses about 300 million t...

Sugar
  • April 11, 2023

LNG as the New Marine Fuel

Insight Focus The shipping industry currently uses about 300 million t...

Sugar
  • April 3, 2023

How to Replace 300 Million Tonnes of Fuel Oil

Insight Focus The shipping industry currently uses about 300 million t...

Sugar
  • March 28, 2023

The Netherlands Moves Away from Meat Production

Insight Focus The Netherlands is one of the world’s largest meat exp...

Sugar
  • March 27, 2023

Shipping Rules Threaten to Distort Emissions Savings

Insight Focus One of the biggest themes for the shipping industry in t...

Sugar
  • March 22, 2023

Regionalisation Poses Little Threat To Global Trade

Insight Focus The threat of deglobalization has hung over the economy ...

Sugar
  • March 10, 2023

How the 2020s Reshaped Global Food Markets

Insight Focus The 2020s have already made a remarkable impact on globa...

Sugar
  • March 2, 2023

Czapp Explains: How Shipping Risk Affects Rates

At noon on February 20 every year, shipowners, operators and charterer...

Grains Sugar
  • February 24, 2023

Dairy Farmers Face Rising Costs, Demand Erosion

Insight Focus Dairy farmer margins are under pressure despite rising m...

Sugar
  • February 22, 2023

Why China is a Crucial Link in The Food Supply Chain

Insight Focus Activity in China is often cited as a key indicator of g...

Sugar
  • February 10, 2023

Container Shipping Alliances Likely Here to Stay

Insight Focus The container shipping industry has become extremely con...

Food and Ingredients Grains
  • February 6, 2023

The 14 Top Food Policies to Watch In 2023

Insight Focus The world’s food supply chain is coming under the micr...

Sugar
  • January 19, 2023

Davos: Does Food Emissions Mapping Work?

Opinion Focus In WEF’s latest Global Risks Report, it identifies cli...

Sugar
  • January 16, 2023

Lagging Demand Tip of the Iceberg For Maritime Trade

Opinion Focus The world’s busiest ports, which have seen long runnin...

Sugar
  • January 12, 2023

Food Prices Stabilise & Tempers Inflation

Opinion Focus Prices of food commodities have dropped since highs at t...

Sugar
  • January 3, 2023

After the Holidays, Supply Chain’s Hangover Lingers

Opinion Focus As demand drops, there was a widespread expectation that...

Sugar
  • December 22, 2022

Holiday Costs Rise as Food Inflation Continues 

Opinion Focus The period from November to January mark holiday celebra...

Sugar
  • December 14, 2022

Banks Struggle to Juggle Rates Through 2023

Opinion Focus Despite a slowdown in the interest rate hikes, officials...

Sugar
  • December 8, 2022

Turkey Still on the Menu This Christmas

Opinion Focus About 40% of outdoor turkeys raised for the holiday have...

Sugar
  • December 2, 2022

Maritime Trade Faces Tough 2023

Opinion Focus Shipping firms have benefitted from unprecedented rate i...

Sugar
  • November 29, 2022

What is Sustainable Palm Oil?

Opinion Focus Palm oil is one of the most versatile ingredients in foo...

Sugar
  • November 28, 2022

Does Sugar Leave Sour Taste for Gen Z?

Opinion Focus Studies are showing that, among younger generations, pre...

Sugar
  • November 17, 2022

Freight Efficiency Key to Reducing Carbon Impact

Opinion Focus Transportation accounts for almost a quarter of global C...

Sugar
  • November 10, 2022

All Signs Point to Recession

Opinion Focus There has been talk of an imminent recession for much of...

Sugar
  • November 8, 2022

Recession Data Points Away From Consumption Slump

Opinion Focus As the cost of living rises sharply, there are fears of ...

Sugar
  • November 3, 2022

Where Your Favourite Food Really Comes From

Opinion Focus According to the WTO, one third of the world’s food ex...

Sugar
  • October 25, 2022

Freight Capacity Under Threat Despite New Vessel Orders

Opinion Focus With freight prices coming down across the board, there ...

Sugar
  • October 19, 2022

Logistics Chokepoints in Five Maps

Opinion Focus The global freight industry has experienced a bumpy few ...

Sugar
  • October 12, 2022

Supply Chain Snarls Require Freight Flexibility

Opinion Focus As container rates drop, more and more freight forwarder...

Sugar
  • October 6, 2022

Shipping Industry Gears Up For New Emissions Rules

Opinion Focus The EU’s Emissions Trading Scheme will be extended to ...

  • October 4, 2022

New Shipping Emissions Regulations Explained

In the final months of 2019, there was a flurry of activity in the shi...

Food and Ingredients
  • September 29, 2022

Macro Outlook Suggests Higher Supply Chain Costs

Opinion Focus The global economy is undergoing a transition from a per...

  • September 28, 2022

Greater Tech Adoption Moves Goalposts for Employees

Opinion Focus Staffing shortages have plagued the supply chain since t...

  • September 22, 2022

Decarbonisation Challenges the Container Market

Opinion Focus The last few years have been full of ups and downs for t...

  • September 15, 2022

Gas Price Rise Leaves EU Aluminium Buyers Vulnerable

 Opinion Focus Some major European finished aluminium manufacture...

  • September 14, 2022

EU Protectionism Will Disrupt Global Supply

The EU may publish emergency measures related to supply chain disrupti...

Grains
  • September 6, 2022

Is the Ukraine Invasion Threatening Seed Diversity?

Opinion Focus Ukraine’s national seed bank, where seed samples are c...

Sugar
  • August 30, 2022

Retailers Face Inventory Pile Ups Ahead of Holiday Period

Opinion Focus  Retailers have changed strategies to carry higher ...

Sugar
  • August 23, 2022

Dry Weather to Push Up European Food, Energy Costs

Opinion Focus Dry weather across Europe has played havoc with crops. L...

  • August 22, 2022

Interest Rate Hikes Risk Increasing Cost Pressures

Opinion Focus Central banks are raising Interest rates in response to ...

Food and Ingredients
  • August 8, 2022

Investors, Regulators Drive Carbon Labelling Agenda

Opinion Focus   Carbon labelling has become a key trend in the fo...

  • August 4, 2022

Freight Price Fall Likely to Reverse

Opinion Focus The price of freight has dropped as much as 40% since it...

Food and Ingredients
  • August 1, 2022

The (Stomach) Churning Butter Price Rise

Opinion Focus Soaring energy costs hit dairy industry hard. Labour sho...

Ethanol
  • July 26, 2022

Have the Indicators the Supply Chain Should Monitor Changed?

Opinion Focus This month, some positive economic signs continued to em...

Food and Ingredients
  • July 20, 2022

Rising Meat Prices Will Gnaw Away Demand

Opinion Focus Meat has been viewed as a luxury, and in a recession, co...

Food and Ingredients
  • July 7, 2022

Why Demurrage is Bolstering Inflation

Demurrage and detention are essential tools to ensure the container in...

Grains
  • July 5, 2022

Rising Rice Prices Could Signal Winter of Unrest

Opinion Focus Rice is a staple for 50% of the global population, mainl...

Food and Ingredients Grains
  • June 30, 2022

Inflation to Take Bite Out of Alternative Meat Demand

Opinion Focus Food prices are rising, causing many to re-evaluate purc...

Grains
  • June 27, 2022

E Europe Wheat Harvest Adds to Ukraine Grain Logjam

Opinion Focus Ukraine has been relying on piecemeal rail export of its...

Food and Ingredients Grains
  • June 22, 2022

Future Food Security Jeopardised by Short-Term Price Taming

Opinion Focus Food producers are coming up with new ways to cut costs ...

Ethanol Food and Ingredients
  • June 20, 2022

Six Indicators the Supply Chain Should Monitor

Opinion Focus Container prices are down 27% from September’s all...

PET
  • June 6, 2022

Lockdown Behaviour Shifts Offer rPET Opportunities

Opinion Focus Plastic demand pattern shifted in 2020 due to the pandem...

Food and Ingredients
  • June 2, 2022

Food Supply Chain Key Factor in Inflation Surge

Opinion Focus Food prices are rising to their highest in 40 years. A m...

Grains
  • May 31, 2022

French Weather Fuels Grains Supply Concerns

Opinion Focus  France is a major grains exporter and a strategic ...

Energy Food and Ingredients
  • May 19, 2022

Covid Aftermath: Is the ‘New Normal’ Just the ‘Old Normal’?

Opinion Focus Over the past two years, the COVID pandemic’s long-ter...

Grains
  • May 16, 2022

US, EU Mull Alternative Export Route for Ukrainian Grains

Opinion Focus Grains exports from Ukraine are continuing despite a Bla...

Food and Ingredients Sugar
  • May 12, 2022

Food, Beverage Processors Face Procurement Crunch

Opinion Focus Supply chain issues are still snarling the food and beve...

  • May 3, 2022

Seafarer Shortage Foreshadows More Freight Bottlenecks

Insight Focus Seafarer shortages have been crippling the freight indus...

Ethanol
  • April 27, 2022

Could Food Shortages Slow Drive for Biofuels?

Insight Focus Promotion of ethanol use could offset rising gasoline pr...

  • April 25, 2022

Onshoring Won’t Fix Supply Chain Woes

Insight Focus Onshoring initiatives were launched last year in respons...

Food and Ingredients Grains
  • April 19, 2022

Will 2022 Be the Summer of Port Congestion?

Insight Focus Logistics bottlenecks have been felt since late 2020 and...

  • April 13, 2022

Supply Chain Shocks Disturb Breakfast

Insight Focus Global supply chains have still not returned to normal. ...

Ethanol
  • April 12, 2022

Fuel Price Hikes Spark Unrest & Food Insecurity

Insight Focus Unrest is brewing as the cost of living rises alongside ...

Grains Sugar
  • April 6, 2022

Ukraine Crisis Adds Another Twist to Sudan’s Food Insecurity Spiral

Insight Focus Escalating food and fuel prices have caused widescale ri...

PET
  • March 24, 2022

Russian Invasion Sparks Packaging Shortage for Food & Bev Companies

Aversion to buying Russian metals driving up global prices. Aluminium ...

Grains
  • March 17, 2022

Russian Invasion Could Make India a Major Global Wheat Player

Insight Focus Russia-induced grains shortages could prompt instability...

  • March 10, 2022

How Farmers are Working Around High Fertiliser Prices and Shortages

Insight Focus Russia is the world’s fourth-largest fertiliser produc...

Grains Sugar
  • March 8, 2022

Russia Sanctions Weigh on Agri Trade Flows

Insight Focus Risk rises for Black Sea freight on Russia-Ukraine confl...

  • March 2, 2022

Fertiliser Importers Caught in Russia-Ukraine Crossfire

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has implications for global fertiliser ...

Grains
  • March 1, 2022

Russia & Ukraine Grain Flows Likely to Be Disrupted into H2’22

Insight Focus Ukraine is world’s fifth-largest grains exporter, Russ...

  • March 1, 2022

What Potatoes Tell Us About Supply Chains

Insight Focus Widespread potato shortages are causing chaos for multin...

Grains
  • February 28, 2022

Ukraine & Grains: Who is Most at Risk?

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has sent shockwaves along the grains su...

  • February 23, 2022

Will the EU’s Plan to Cut Inputs Hit Yields?

Insight Focus EU aims to cut fertilizer use by 20% and pesticide use b...

  • February 21, 2022

Alternative Protein: The Future or Just Hype?

Insight Focus Alternative protein more sustainable than meat on lower ...

  • February 16, 2022

Going Organic Could Curb Fertiliser Price Rise

Fertiliser prices have been especially volatile in recent months. This...

  • February 10, 2022

Is the EU Focusing on the Right Area of Food Waste?

Insight Focus The EU wants to half retail and consumer food waste by 2...

  • February 10, 2022

The EU Pivots to Sustainable Agriculture

Farm to Fork The EU’s Farm to Fork strategy was launched in May 2020...

  • January 11, 2022

The EU’s Push for Sustainable Fishing

As part of the Farm to Fork strategy, the EU has made commitments to f...

  • December 23, 2021

The EU’s Push for Sustainable Livestock Farming

The Farm to Fork strategy’s goals for animals and livestock are less...

  • December 9, 2021

The EU’s Push for Organic Farming Practices

The use of land is an area in which the EU Farm to Fork policy makes t...

Sugar
  • December 6, 2021

The Link Between Sugar Consumption and Health

The link between carbohydrates and diabetes is much debated. The narra...

Sugar
  • November 24, 2021

Is the New Italian Diet Favouring Sugar Consumption?

The Italian diet has long been touted as one of the healthiest in the ...

Sugar
  • October 25, 2021

Where Next for Indian Sugar Consumption?

India is the world’s largest sugar consumer. However, per capita sug...

  • September 30, 2021

UK Struggles with Chronic Lack of Labour

Both Brexit and COVID-19 have been blamed for labour shortages across ...

Sugar
  • September 22, 2021

Thai Sugar Consumption…Has it Peaked?

We think Thai sugar consumption could have peaked. There’s been a su...

PET
  • September 16, 2021

Czapp Explains: What You Can Recycle

Not all plastic is made equal. In developed countries, most local auth...

Sugar
  • September 13, 2021

What’s Really Happening in the Container Market?

2021 is a torrid year for the container market. It’s difficult to se...

  • September 8, 2021

Climate Change: Why Agribusiness Should Take Note

The agricultural sector is perhaps the most vulnerable to climate chan...

Sugar
  • August 25, 2021

The Mexican Sugar Decline: Taxes, COVID or Something Else?

Mexican sugar consumption dropped in 2020 to its lowest level since 20...

  • August 12, 2021

How Do You Feed 7.9 Billion People?

The world’s currently home to about 7.9 billion people, but this num...

Sugar
  • August 2, 2021

New UK Sugar Taxes: Will They Really Work?

The UK may implement a new tax on sugar and salt. It’s come under fi...

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