FAQs

Prices are influenced by seasonal production cycles, export availability from Australia and New Zealand, shifting demand around holidays like Easter and Eid, and external factors like droughts, trade policy, and port congestion.

Chilled lamb offers superior texture, flavor, and freshness, making it the preferred option for high-end retail and foodservice. The higher cost reflects expedited logistics, reduced shelf life, and strict cold chain requirements.

Approximately 60 to 70 percent of boxed lamb sold in the US is imported, primarily from Australia and New Zealand. These imports help meet domestic demand that exceeds local production capacity.

Lamb comes from sheep less than one year old and is prized for its tenderness and mild flavor. Mutton, from older animals, has a stronger, gamier taste and is often used in stews or value-added products.

Lamb typically commands a higher price due to lower global supply, slower animal growth cycles, and smaller flock sizes. These factors result in higher production and processing costs compared to beef or poultry.

• Price fluctuations
• Adulteration and contamination concerns
• Ensuring consistent quality (curcumin content)
• Supply chain and export regulations

India is the largest producer, accounting for about 75-80% of global turmeric production.

Turmeric is used as:

• A spice and coloring agent in food
• An ingredient in traditional medicines and supplements
• A cosmetic ingredient
• A natural textile dye

Key factors include:

• Weather and climate conditions
• Crop diseases and pests
• Domestic demand and export policies
• Global market demand
• Farming methods and use of technology

These numbers refer to the lean-to-fat ratio in pork trimmings.

• 42s are higher-fat trimmings used in products like sausages and ground pork blends.
  
• 72s are mid-lean, ideal for processed meats.
  
• 90s are leaner and often used in low-fat or premium formulations.

Proposition 12 sets specific animal welfare standards for pork sold in California, requiring compliant sow housing practices. This has reduced the availability of eligible pork, altered supply chains, and increased market segmentation – often leading to price premiums for compliant product.

Belly prices – used primarily for bacon – can spike due to tight supplies, low cold storage inventories, or increased retail and foodservice demand. Seasonality plays a key role, with strong summer grilling demand often tightening fresh supply.

Pork prices are highly sensitive to changes in slaughter volumes, seasonal demand (such as grilling season or holidays), and international trade flows. Export demand – particularly from major buyers like Mexico and China – can shift quickly, while disease outbreaks and feed costs also contribute to price fluctuations.

The largest consumers are China, the United States, and the European Union. These regions drive demand for packaging, printing, and tissue products.

Wildfires can significantly disrupt raw material supply by damaging forestlands, reducing harvestable timber, and delaying transport through affected regions.

Prices are influenced by pulpwood availability, transportation and energy costs, labor shortages, and seasonal demand shifts – particularly in packaging, retail, and agriculture.

Expana updates its vanilla price assessments daily and weekly, incorporating fresh market data and commentary to ensure timely, accurate reporting.

Expana provides separate assessments for industrial-grade vanilla (primarily used for extract in large-scale food manufacturing) and gourmet-grade vanilla (used in premium culinary applications).

Vanilla prices are highly sensitive to weather events, political interference, and changes in export regulation – especially in Madagascar. Additionally, the small size of the global market means even slight shifts in supply or demand can lead to significant price swings.

Madagascar accounts for the majority of global vanilla production, often contributing 60–80% of total supply depending on the season. Other key producers include Papua New Guinea, Uganda, and Indonesia.

Yes. The Expana platform includes 20+ black pepper price series, including proprietary Expana Benchmark prices.

• Pepper plants require a large amount of water and as such regular rainfall is essential for good growth and yield. Unfavourable weather conditions, such as drier than average monsoon seasons and drought will therefore have adverse effects on production.
• White pepper commands a price premium over black pepper. This is due to higher processing costs incurred in the production of white pepper from pepper fruit (due to the removal of the flesh before drying).
• In emerging markets such as Asia, with its growing middle-class population, consumption of pepper is on the rise. If this increased demand for pepper is not met with growth in global production, it could put pressure on global pepper supplies and help to keep prices supported.

The largest producers are Vietnam (37% of world output), India (18%), Indonesia (14%) and Brazil (12%). The main exporters are Vietnam (49% of world exports), Indonesia (15%) and Brazil (13%).

To produce black pepper, the unripe (green) fruit of the pepper plant is first cooked in hot water and then dried either naturally in the sun or artificially. During drying, the skin and flesh of the fruit become black and wrinkled and are known as black peppercorns. Black peppercorns can be traded whole or cracked, or they can be ground into a fine powder. Once ground, peppercorns can lose their flavour quickly unless stored properly and thus are usually ground just prior to use.