After more than a decade in regulatory limbo, genetically engineered Atlantic salmon that grow faster than their naturally born counterparts moved closer to American plates, with the publication just before Christmas of a government report that found the fish wouldn't hurt the environment and would be safe to eat.

As demand for all-things-coconut grows in the US, coconut-producing countries from Sri Lanka to Brazil are scrambling to supply foreign firms on the hunt for more fruit. What’s less clear is how — or if — this boom will benefit the men and women at the heart of this global business.

America's Kansas City Star newspaper has published a hard-hitting investigative series into the current state of the US beef industry, called “Beef’s Raw Edges”. The project was spearheaded by Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter, Mike McGraw. Needless to say, the industry is less than happy with the reports. [Must read for anyone in the meat industry! Ed]

Precious cocoa - caught between the chocolate appetite of the affluent West and the struggles of small-scale African farmers. New efforts and business/NGO partnerships are underway to bolster production and sustainability.

Barry Callebaut, the largest maker of bulk chocolate, agreed to buy Singapore-based and listed Petra Foods' cocoa-ingredients unit for $950-million to expand processing capacity and boost sales in Asia, and thereby becoming the world’s biggest cocoa processor.

Turkish immigrant to the US, Hamdi Ulukaya, wanted yogurt like that back home, so he made some – like a billion dollars' worth of it. [An excellent article on what has to be one of the most amazing food success stories ever. Ed]