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How a key ingredient in Coca-Cola, M&M's is smuggled from war-torn Sudan

middleeastmonitor.com

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Re: How a key ingredient in Coca-Cola, M&M's is smuggled from war-torn Sudan

#11

Post by geraneum »

oersted wrote: post #9

And yet Gum Arabic is extremely cheap for the amounts needed. At $4-$7 per Kg in the US, the cost per Coke can would be in the order of 0.025 cents (guesstimate). This is interesting considering that 80% of the supply comes from Sudan. It is a nearly universal ingredient in processed foods and professional kitchens. I wonder how the economics work to push the price down. EDIT: Apparently naturally abundant Acacia tre…

> I wonder how the economics work to push the price down.

Maybe it’s not only the economic strategies that push the price down?

Re: How a key ingredient in Coca-Cola, M&M's is smuggled from war-torn Sudan

#12

Post by hnlmorg »

btbuildem wrote: post #10
latexr wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know it’s in the first sentence, I read the article, that’s how I know what the ingredient is. The point of my comment was to reduce the click-bait so people are better informed regarding if they want to read more or not, and provide an easy reference for more information.

Exactly. How hard would it have been to include the two words "gum arabic" in the title in the first place?

Probably because the article is about how this important ingredient is smuggled rather than a list of ingredients for popular drinks and snacks.

And also probably because the article is featured on general audience site rather than a scientific or culinary journal.

I get that people hate clickbait headlines but this is hardly misleading, impossibly vague nor exaggerated.

Re: How a key ingredient in Coca-Cola, M&M's is smuggled from war-torn Sudan

#14

Post by soneca »

myself248 wrote: post #7
latexr wrote: post #2

The “key ingredient” is “gum arabic”. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gum_arabic

Thanks, saved me a click.

I think which ingredient is being smuggled from a war-tone is the least interesting part of the article for me

Re: How a key ingredient in Coca-Cola, M&M's is smuggled from war-torn Sudan

#16

Post by pvg »

latexr wrote: post #6
bdcravens wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Literally the first sentence in the article: "Gum arabic, a vital ingredient used in everything...." The identity of this secret isn't what makes this article worth reading.

I know it’s in the first sentence, I read the article, that’s how I know what the ingredient is. The point of my comment was to reduce the click-bait so people are better informed regarding if they want to read more or not, and provide an easy reference for more information.

It mostly creates a thread of meta, as you can see.

Re: How a key ingredient in Coca-Cola, M&M's is smuggled from war-torn Sudan

#17

Post by xyst »

oersted wrote: post #9

And yet Gum Arabic is extremely cheap for the amounts needed. At $4-$7 per Kg in the US, the cost per Coke can would be in the order of 0.025 cents (guesstimate). This is interesting considering that 80% of the supply comes from Sudan. It is a nearly universal ingredient in processed foods and professional kitchens. I wonder how the economics work to push the price down. EDIT: Apparently naturally abundant Acacia tre…

Time to start up a business as a “conflict free” gum arabic supplier.

Maybe they will make a movie about it: Lord of Gum

Re: How a key ingredient in Coca-Cola, M&M's is smuggled from war-torn Sudan

#18

Post by ceejayoz »

jmkd wrote: post #5

80% of the world's supply comes from Sudan...that is certainly a surprise. I'd love to see a table of some of the world's most essential goods that have 80% or more reliance on a single market.

60% of IV fluids used in the US came from a single manufacturing plant that got hit by a hurricane last year. https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2024/11/19/nx...

My wife gets regular infusions and had to ration for months; the local hospital canceled elective surgeries as well.

Re: How a key ingredient in Coca-Cola, M&M's is smuggled from war-torn Sudan

#19

Post by bena »

hnlmorg wrote: post #12
btbuildem wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exactly. How hard would it have been to include the two words "gum arabic" in the title in the first place?

Probably because the article is about how this important ingredient is smuggled rather than a list of ingredients for popular drinks and snacks. And also probably because the article is featured on general audience site rather than a scientific or culinary journal. I get that people hate clickbait headlines but this is hardly misleading, impossibly vague nor exaggerated.

"How gum arabic, a key ingredient in Coca-Cola, M&M's, is smuggled from war-torn Sudan".

Re: How a key ingredient in Coca-Cola, M&M's is smuggled from war-torn Sudan

#20

Post by cess11 »

oersted wrote: post #9

And yet Gum Arabic is extremely cheap for the amounts needed. At $4-$7 per Kg in the US, the cost per Coke can would be in the order of 0.025 cents (guesstimate). This is interesting considering that 80% of the supply comes from Sudan. It is a nearly universal ingredient in processed foods and professional kitchens. I wonder how the economics work to push the price down. EDIT: Apparently naturally abundant Acacia tre…

"I wonder how the economics work to push the price down."

Nomads and colonisers mostly. Interesting keywords/phrases to look into might include janjaweed, Muammar Ghadaffi, Omar al-Bashir, genocide in Darfur, United Arab Emirates, anglo-egyptian forces.

There are also tangential events worth looking into, like the 1998 attack on the Al-Shifa factory.

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