Insights | 4D World

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Raphael Carmo · Managing Partner, 4D World

America is keeping its heifers. Brazil ships the difference.

Market Pulse Monday 10 August 2026 Key Takeaways USDA counted 28.5 million US beef cows on 1 July 2026 the smallest July figure on record. The 2026 calf crop, 32.5 million head, is the ninth consecuti...

Food Prices & Markets Rendering United States

Aug 10, 2026

Raphael Carmo · Managing Partner, 4D World

Phoenix claws: how chicken feet became a billion-dollar off-cut

INGREDIENT SPOTLIGHT N 8 Every broiler carries two of them. In most of the world they are worth less than the box they ship in. In China they are called phoenix claws, they outsell breast meat per kil...

Brazil China Food Prices & Markets

Aug 6, 2026

Raphael Carmo · Managing Partner, 4D World

Spain's €2.18 billion pet food year belongs to cats

EUROPE PET FOOD WATCH N 13 Spain just posted a 2.18 billion pet food year and almost every euro of the growth came from one animal. Dog food barely moved. Cats did the work. Key Takeaways ▸ Spain's pe...

Europe Pet Food Prices & Markets

Aug 4, 2026

Raphael Carmo · Managing Partner, 4D World

July 2026 scoreboard: beef pays China's quota toll, chicken flies

MARKET PULSE · Nº 13 July's books are closing, and the tape tells a split story: Brazil's beef machine finally slowed under the weight of China's exhausted quota — while chicken and pork sprinted hard...

Brazil China Food Prices & Markets

Aug 3, 2026

Raphael Carmo · Managing Partner, 4D World

Three months, one lesson: the year protein learned to diversify

Key Takeaways ▸ Brazil booked record H1 exports: beef US$9.85bn and chicken US$5.7bn. ▸ The FAO Meat Price Index hit a record 131.0 in June 2026. ▸ The US cattle herd fell to 86.2 million head, the sm...

Brazil Food Prices & Markets Trade Policy

Aug 2, 2026

Raphael Carmo · Managing Partner, 4D World

China's $24bn pet boom and Europe's ingredient math

Key Takeaways ▸ China produced 1.9 million tonnes of pet food in 2025, up 17.9%. ▸ Chinese pet-food sales rose roughly sixfold between 2014 and 2024. ▸ China's pet market is estimated at around US$24 ...

China Europe Pet Food Prices & Markets

Jul 28, 2026

Raphael Carmo · Managing Partner, 4D World

Brazil's Chicken Machine Breaks Its Own Record — Again

Key Takeaways ▸ Brazil is the world's largest chicken exporter and set another record in 2026. ▸ Industry association ABPA tracks and reports Brazil's poultry export volumes. ▸ China, Japan, and the U...

Brazil Food Prices & Markets

Jul 27, 2026

Raphael Carmo · Managing Partner, 4D World

Brazil's new address book: diversification in action

Key Takeaways ▸ With China's quota tight, Brazil courts Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and Turkey. ▸ In 2026, 109 destinations bought more Brazilian beef while 42 bought less. ▸ Four new priority markets...

Brazil Japan Prices & Markets South Korea

Jul 26, 2026

Raphael Carmo · Managing Partner, 4D World

The 90-Cent Pound: How Biofuel Turned Tallow Into America's Most Wanted Fat

Key Takeaways ▸ Beef tallow prices have climbed toward a record near 90 cents per pound. ▸ Renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel demand is driving tallow's price surge. ▸ Tallow is a rendered...

Prices & Markets Rendering United States

Jul 25, 2026

Raphael Carmo · Managing Partner, 4D World

Premium Pets, Premium Proteins: The $64 Billion Ingredient Race

Key Takeaways ▸ The pet food ingredients market is projected to approach US$64.5 billion by 2036. ▸ Pet humanization pushes owners toward higher-quality, human-grade protein ingredients. ▸ Named prote...

Pet Food Prices & Markets United States

Jul 21, 2026

Raphael Carmo · Managing Partner, 4D World

Brazil beef's first monthly dip since January 2025

Key Takeaways ▸ July 2026 beef exports track toward ~248,000 t, below 276,900 t a year earlier. ▸ It is Brazil's first year-on-year monthly beef decline since January 2025. ▸ The daily export average ...

Brazil China Prices & Markets

Jul 20, 2026

Raphael Carmo · Managing Partner, 4D World

Gelatin: the invisible ingredient in almost everything

Key Takeaways ▸ Gelatin is collagen partly broken down and purified into a protein. ▸ It gels when cool and melts when warm, a reversible, versatile trick. ▸ Gelatin makes up roughly 66.4% of the coll...

Food Pharma Prices & Markets Rendering

Jul 16, 2026

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