FAQs
As with all AI tools, Expana IQ can hallucinate or make mistakes. Whilst we take great care in creating the best products that we can, users are responsible for checking that the outputs from Expana IQ are correct.
AI tools can sometimes behave in ways that are inaccurate, incomplete, or unreliable. For example, the responses that you receive may not accurately reflect the content they are based on, or they may generate content that sounds reasonable but is incomplete.
Expana IQ should therefore be used as a tool, rather than as a definitive authority. We encourage you to think about the situations when you use these features and review the quality of the responses you receive.
No. Expana IQ uses specific models for specific use cases to ensure a high-quality experience. We do not support provider selection.
Expana IQ utilises LLMs provided by established third–party LLM providers, hosted directly within Expana’s private cloud infrastructure on Azure. The specific models used vary by use case and are subject to change over time, as we seek to use the most suitable models for each use case.
Expana IQ uses a variety of AI techniques and technologies, depending on the specific use case. This includes machine learning models trained on Expana data, natural language processing (NLP) techniques such as embedding models, and large language models (LLMs) to power generative AI use cases.
An early version of Expana IQ is already live, powering a range of features in the Expana platform, including search and automated cost model building. Expana IQ is still in active development, and we will be releasing more features over time.
Expana IQ is Expana’s AI engine, designed to enhance the functionality of the Expana platform with advanced AI features. It helps users maximize the value of their Expana subscription by sifting through vast amounts of data and content to quickly highlight the most important and relevant information, automating time-consuming tasks, and compiling insights into clear and actionable summaries and reports.
Under ‘Latest’ on the right side of your customized Home page you’ll easily find your usual newsletter content (e.g. US Egg Market Update, US Poultry Market Update, etc) and can click in from there.
Once viewing the newsletter you’ll see the download button in the top right to save the PDF to your device.
For further guidance, download our explainer here.
As your Home page is customized to the commodities you added to your favorites, the ‘Latest’ section on the right of the screen shows the same content you’re used to reading.
Along the bottom of the page under ‘Your top stories’ you’ll find news tailored to your commodities. Whereas in COMTELL this was on a local level only, in Expana you’ll also see Global news that’s relevant to your category.
For further guidance, download our explainer here.
Once logged in you will see the onboarding page which asks for you to select a few favorite commodities in order to personalize your home page.
If you know the Comcode you can type that in the search bar. If not, you can use key words, such as “large white, midwest” if you’re searching for our UB Shell Egg series. Click the series from the search results and it’ll be added to your favorites. You can search for as many series as you need to.
Click ‘Done’ on the bottom right of the page and you’ll be taken to your customized home page.
If you need further guidance, download our guide here.
Your log-in details for COMTELL and Expana are the same.
From the transition date, you can simply go to https://app.expanamarkets.com/en and login.
TOP TIP: Your password may already be stored in your browser, so you may not need to remember it. If you can’t remember it, just click on the Forgotten Password link to reset it.
If you are not sure of the email address you use for COMTELL, you can find it in COMTELL by clicking on your initials and then My Account.
If you need further guidance, download our explainer here.
To ensure you receive all important migration updates, please add [email protected] and [email protected] to your allow list in your email settings. Adding these addresses ensures our messages aren’t blocked or sent to your spam/junk folder.
If you’ve already added the addresses and still aren’t receiving emails, please check your spam folder and contact your IT team to confirm that emails from our domain are not being filtered.
We’d love to hear from you! Feel free to email your Client Success Executive or Account Manager with your thoughts or recommendations on Expana and they will pass them onto our Product Development Team. You can also submit feedback through the Support Form: https://www.expanamarkets.com/contact/contact-support/.
The Client Success Team is ready to assist you. You can contact us anytime via this support form: https://www.expanamarkets.com/contact/contact-support/.
COMTELL will soon be discontinued for all users, following a personalized timeline based on your transition date—typically within a month. You’ll receive notifications within COMTELL and by email before your access ends. For updates, questions, or feedback, please stay in touch with your Expana account team.
We’ll be retiring the COMTELL platform to give you access to a more powerful experience with Expana. Built from the ground up, Expana combines the best of our legacy platforms – Urner Barry, Mintec and Feedinfo – into one unified solution. It delivers broader data coverage, smarter features and advanced tools that simply weren’t possible on the older platforms. You will be given a few weeks notice before we turn off the Urner Barry platform.
Price data is typically updated weekly, with ongoing commentary and analysis during major harvest and export periods.
Yes. Our data supports cost modelling for seasoning mixes, chilli sauces, frozen meals, and spice-forward ready-to-eat products.
They’re used in spice blends, sauces, seasonings, hot sauces, ready meals, and marinades. They’re also used in non-food applications like traditional remedies and some cosmetic products.
We track whole chillies (by origin and variety), crushed variants including powder and flakes, and some related capsicum-based products where relevant to cost modelling and procurement.
Prices are influenced by climate conditions during harvest, pest infestations, post-harvest drying quality, logistics bottlenecks, and food safety standards such as pesticide residue levels.
India is the dominant producer and exporter, followed by China and Mexico. Indian regions like Andhra Pradesh and Telangana lead domestic production, with key export markets in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.
