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How a key ingredient in Coca-Cola, M&M's is smuggled from war-torn Sudan
- latexr 2y agoThe “key ingredient” is “gum arabic”. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gum_arabic https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gum_arabic
- card_zero 2y agoUnexpectedly, this additive has an extensive "health benefits" section.
- LordShredda 2y agoThis seems to be a thing with a lot of wikipedia articles on various foods, especially in other languages.
- bdcravens 2y agoLiterally 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.
- latexr 2y agoI 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.
- btbuildem 2y agoExactly. How hard would it have been to include the two words "gum arabic" in the title in the first place?
- hnlmorg 2y agoProbably 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.
- bena 2y ago"How gum arabic, a key ingredient in Coca-Cola, M&M's, is smuggled from war-torn Sudan".
- hnlmorg 2y agoSure. But now you have a more verbose heading that places the emphasis (by being earlier in the title) on information that’s not actually relevant to the article itself. While also making is sound less accessible to the general audience of that specific website. In short, that’s not an improvement. This is a classic case of the HN crowd not understanding that different audiences are interested in different details.
- bena 2y agoPersonally, I'd flip it around to make Sudan the lead in. And it's two words, you could make other cuts if you want. However, at this point, you arguing a matter of taste. I don't think Coca-Cola or M&Ms are relevant to the article itself. Gum arabic isn't that uncommon. I mean, this is a largely software developer focused crowd and a lot of people here were like "Ah, gum arabic".
- pvg 2y agoIt mostly creates a thread of meta, as you can see.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- myself248 2y agoThanks, saved me a click.
- oinkbutton 2y ago[dead]
- soneca 2y agoI think which ingredient is being smuggled from a war-tone is the least interesting part of the article for me
- genewitch 2y agoit is (to me), if you want to know what not to buy. That's the easiest and practically, the only thing that a majority of people can do with this information.
- anon84873628 2y agoBy clicking into the comments instead of the article?
- dijksterhuis 2y agonot parent, but i often scan comments to get an idea of if it’s worth bothering to read an article. i was more interested in what the ingredient was. the fact its being smuggled (a) doesn’t surprise me and (b) isn’t something im particularly interested in learning about. so, in this case, it wasn’t worth opening the article for me. i learned what i wanted to learn during my normal comment scan that i usually do with titles like this (outside my wheel house).
- myself248 2y agoYes, exactly this. I don't read all the news in the world, I don't even read all the news on HN. Having that extra bit of info helps me decide whether to read the article.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- jmkd 2y ago80% 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.
- ceejayoz 2y ago60% 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-s1-5193027/nationwide-iv-fluid-shortage-intravenous-drugs-hospitals-patient-hydration-helene-hurricane-baxter 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.
- ipsum2 2y agoIV fluids aren't even difficult to produce compared to gum arabic, its just different salts in water. This is just pure government regulation causing rationing and harming people. For those downvoting me, here's the American Medical Association: https://www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/public-health/fixing-iv-fluid-shortage-only-start-addressing-drug-supply https://www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/public-health/fixin... > The Biden administration has invoked the Defense Production Act “to help speed up recovery efforts and get that North Cove plant back up and running,” Garcia noted. Hospitals, meanwhile, are turning to alternative options such as hydration tablets and sports drinks while prioritizing IV fluids for the higher-acuity and higher-risk patients. > The FDA, meanwhile, has “released new guidance that eases up on rules regarding the compounding of IV solutions,” she added. “That's to make it easier for hospitals and other facilities to do this during the shortage period.” NBC https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/long-helene-iv-fluid-shortages-plagued-hospitals-rcna175563 https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/long-helene-iv-fl...: > So, why are these essential fluids — a lifeline for hospitals — so hard to come by? > As is often the case with drug shortages, it comes down to money, and IV fluids don’t bring in much of it for manufacturers, said Erin Fox, senior pharmacy director at the University of Utah Health. > “These are life-saving products, but at the same time these are absolutely treated as kind of commodities,” Fox said. > The high barrier to entry — including the time and cost required to meet the regulatory requirements for setting up a manufacturing facility — along with the pressure to keep prices low, means drugmakers aren’t really motivated to jump into the market, Fox said. NPR: https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2024/10/11/nx-s1-5149344/hurricane-season-iv-fluid-supply-shortage https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2024/10/11/nx... > On Wednesday, the Food and Drug Administration announced it has authorized 19 IV products for temporary importation from Canada, China, Ireland and the U.K.
- oersted 2y agoAnd 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 trees produce it with barely any oversight and it is easy to harvest in large quantities compared to how much volume is needed in end-products. I suppose if Sudan tried to squeeze their monopoly other suppliers would easily come up in other regions. The reason for the monopoly must simply be a combination of a favorable environment and the fact that they are willing to do it very cheaply because unfortunately they don’t have many other options to sustain themselves.
- geraneum 2y ago> I wonder how the economics work to push the price down. Maybe it’s not only the economic strategies that push the price down?
- xyst 2y agoTime to start up a business as a “conflict free” gum arabic supplier. Maybe they will make a movie about it: Lord of Gum <WIP>
- sudahtigabulan 2y agoIt's not "lord of gum", it's "gumlord".
- deadbabe 2y agoI like his way better
- RandomBacon 2y agoI think they are referencing the Nicolas Cage movie, Lord of War.
- the-chitmonger 2y ago
- 0xbadcafebee 2y agoIf you don't want your corporation's supply chain at risk, maybe use your lobbying dollars to ask the executive branch to actually support foreign nations rather than let them fall into civil war. Sudan has had a military dictatorship from 1989-2019 (led by Omar al-Bashir). In 2017, both President Obama and President Trump lifted sanctions on Sudan, after al-Bashir reneged on a promise to step down just two years earlier. In 2018/2019, price hikes resulted in massive protests and a subsequent revolution against al-Bashir. This finally resolved in 2019, when a joint military-civilian political agreement, constitution, and council were formed. At that point, lots of aid was needed in order to rebuild and stabilize the country, but as usual, actually getting that money was difficult. The bulk of it came from Saudi Arabia and the UAE. In 2021, there were two more coups. In 2023, a new civil war broke out between the military dictatorship and a paramilitary branch of it. That war is still persisting. War crimes are rampant, mass-murder and genocide persist, almost the entire country cannot afford food. The main backer of the paramilitary group preventing the conflict from ending is the UAE.
- zdragnar 2y agoWhat do you think the executive branch of the USA could have done to prevent any of this instability? al-Burhan hardly seems better than al-Bashir.
- 0xbadcafebee 2y ago1) don't reward a dictator after renegging on promises by allowing them more trade 2) use foreign policy maneuvers to pressure UAE to end its support for the paramilitary group 3) provide aid of our own which strengthens our position and gives us more options to end the paramilitary group's reign 4) install a new dictator. it's not a good option, but if the previous options don't work, I think the citizens of Sudan would admit it's better than genocide and starvation at this point. Remember back in "Trump 1.0", when he stopped us from being involved in foreign affairs "because America First", and there were warnings that a lack of American presence would create a power vacuum that our enemies would fill? This is that outcome. If we had been the ones providing aid instead of the Saudis and the UAE, this whole recent catastrophe might have been avoided. An important lesson for the current administration as they continue to end foreign aid to gain cheap political points. And granted, I know a whole lot of people go "so what?" to genocide and starvation, but also Coke & M&Ms are now more expensive, so maybe that'll matter to them.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- meetkevin 2y ago[dead]
- nielsbot 2y ago(saved you a click) It's gum arabic. > Sudan produces around 80 per cent of the world’s gum arabic, a natural substance harvested from acacia trees that’s used widely to mix, stabilise and thicken ingredients in mass-market products including L’Oreal lipsticks and Nestle pet food.
- maxglute 2y ago> Sudanese gum accounted for 80 percent of the global gum trade. From 50,000 tons per annum in the 50’s and 60’s, Sudan’s gum exports declined to around 25,000 tons in the late 80’s. Since then, Sudanese exports have been at an average of 25,000 tons. https://www.ide.go.jp/English/Data/Africa_file/Company/sudan06.html https://www.ide.go.jp/English/Data/Africa_file/Company/sudan... Seems weird world population and consumption increased by... a lot sinc ethe 60s but Sudans production halfedand still accounts for 80% of world demand? I guess there's substitutes, or some uses deprecated.