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"The worst is still yet to come": Grim warning for chocolate lovers

<p>Chocolate lovers could be facing a potential nightmare ahead of the festive season as cocoa supplies hit an all time low, driving confectionary prices to a record high.</p> <p>Most of the world's cocoa beans are grown in West Africa, where ongoing inclement weather and crippling crop diseases, coupled with economy-wide pressures like rising labour, packaging and energy costs, have put unprecedented pressure on the chocolate industry in recent months. </p> <p>However, market analyst Rabobank’s Paul Joules told <a title="www.smh.com.au" href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/why-a-global-cocoa-crunch-will-sour-chocolate-for-years-to-come-20240927-p5ke0w.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>The Sydney Morning Herald</em>, </a> “the worst is still yet to come for consumers”, as the stockpiles of cocoa that manufacturers have been relying on for the past 18 months have run out. </p> <p>“While hedging has protected many manufacturers from the worst effects of the price rises until now, eventually all these forward contracts will get used up, and prices will have to increase to reflect the current cocoa price,” Rabobank’s Soaring chocolate prices report, released last week, read.</p> <p>Rabobank wanted that the increased costs of manufacturing will be passed down to consumers, with dark chocolate lovers being the most affected due to the high concentration of cocoa. </p> <p>Analysis by Mr Joules found that, worldwide, a 100 gram block of chocolate with 70 per cent cocoa content could rise from $4.90 to $6.50, with a “similar increase could be expected in Australia”.</p> <p>“It can take anywhere from six to 12 months for … price hikes to be reflected in the retail pricing of products,” Saxo Head of Commodity Strategy, Ole Sloth Hansen said. </p> <p>“The trend of shrinkflation is likely to become more pronounced. Consequently, while there might not be a stark rise in the price tags of chocolate items, the quantity offered for the same price will see a reduction.” </p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p>

Money & Banking

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Why is gluten-free bread so expensive? A food supply chain expert explains

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/flavio-macau-998456">Flavio Macau</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/edith-cowan-university-720">Edith Cowan University</a></em></p> <p>Before the cost of living hit Australian families hard, a group of consumers were already paying top dollar for their staples. Whether it be gluten free, dairy free or lactose free, people with special dietary requirements are used to spending more at the supermarket checkout.</p> <p>A 2016 study from the University of Wollongong found that Australians were <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1747-0080.12171">paying up to 17% more for a gluten-free diet</a>.</p> <p>Current examples are easy to find. A <a href="https://www.coles.com.au/product/coles-white-bread-650g-4901345">white sandwich loaf at Coles</a> costs A$2.40 (or A$0.37 per 100g), whereas <a href="https://www.coles.com.au/product/coles-i'm-free-from-white-loaf-500g-3216673">the cheapest gluten-free option</a> costs $5.70 (or $1.14 per 100g). That’s over three times as much. Prices are closer comparing Coles Full Cream Milk at A$1.50 per litre with Coles Lactose Free Lite Milk at A$1.60, the exception that confirms the rule.</p> <p>So why are allergen-free products more expensive?</p> <h2>Is it the ingredients?</h2> <p>If manufacturers pay more for ingredients, this is usually reflected in the price of the final product. Regular and gluten-free bread share many common ingredients, but there is a substantial change where wheat flour is replaced by gluten-free flour. This ingredient may cost manufacturers around two times as much given the uniqueness of gluten-free grains, seeds, and nuts. These special ingredients are not as abundant or easy to process as wheat, and are also a bit more difficult to buy in very large scale.</p> <p>For a simple reference, compare <a href="https://www.coles.com.au/product/coles-white-plain-flour-1kg-5881232">regular</a> and <a href="https://www.coles.com.au/product/coles-i'm-free-from-plain-flour-gluten-free-500g-2478197">gluten-free flour</a> at Coles.</p> <p>Gluten, <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jgh.13703">a complex mixture of hundreds of related but distinct proteins</a>, has unique properties. It is a binding agent that improves texture in recipes. Gluten-free bread therefore needs extra help to, literally, hold it together. Additional items such as thickeners, tapioca and maize starches are added to gluten-free recipes to improve viscosity and keep baked items in shape. That means a longer ingredient list and a slightly more complex manufacturing process.</p> <p>So, from an ingredient perspective, gluten-free bread costs more than regular bread. This applies for other allergen-free products as well. But with so many common ingredients, it is reasonable to say that this is not the main explanation.</p> <h2>Is it manufacturing and transporting?</h2> <p>A substantial part of price differences between regular and allergen-free foods comes from <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/terms/e/economiesofscale.asp">economies of scale</a>. Regular products are manufactured in very large quantities, while allergen-free products involve much smaller volumes.</p> <p>Bulk buying from large suppliers gets you bigger discounts. The more machines in a factory, the cheaper it is to run them. Larger outputs coming from the same place mean smaller costs for each individual product. Given that you have fixed costs to pay anyway, size is king.</p> <p>You pay the same amount for a grain mill regardless of whether you grind one kilo or one tonne of grains a day. Sure, you spend more on electricity or gas, but those are <a href="https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/accounting/fixed-and-variable-costs/">variable costs</a>.</p> <p>Then, there is the need for rigorous quality control. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization has a detailed <a href="https://www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/sh-proxy/en/?lnk=1&amp;url=https%253A%252F%252Fworkspace.fao.org%252Fsites%252Fcodex%252FStandards%252FCXC%2B80-2020%252FCXC_080e.pdf">code of practice on food allergen management for food business operators</a>, covering harvesting, handling, storage, transportation, packaging, and more. The <a href="https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/food-standards-code">Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code</a> also sets specific standards.</p> <p>Deep cleaning machines, thoroughly checking that standards are met, and scrapping whole batches when they are not makes manufacturing allergen-free products more complex and expensive. The <a href="https://www.health.wa.gov.au/-/media/Files/Corporate/general-documents/food/PDF/DOHComplianceandEnforcementPolicyVersion3.pdf">implications for non-compliance</a> vary in severity, from a simple recall to a costly infringement notice, plus <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10574315/">reputational damage to consumer trust</a>.</p> <p>It is hard to exactly measure the impact of economies of scale and quality costs on the price of allergen-free products. Each manufacturer will have its own challenges and solutions. But it is reasonable to say a considerable chunk of the difference we see when comparing gluten-free bread with its regular counterpart comes from these factors.</p> <p>Transportation costs follow a similar rule. If it is easier and quicker to fill your trucks with regular products, while allergen-free products have a hard time making a full load, there are disadvantages in the latter.</p> <h2>Is it the marketing strategy?</h2> <p>The final consideration on allergen-free food prices has to do with competition and willingness to pay.</p> <p>A quick search on Coles’ website shows 276 results for “bread” once you remove the 42 items that are gluten-free. That means that there are many more brands and products competing for bread consumers than for gluten-free bread consumers. That’s over six to one! This means customers with dietary restrictions are at a disadvantage as they are beholden to the limited options on offer. As noted by the Australian Competition &amp; Consumer Commission, “<a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/business/competition-and-exemptions/competition-and-anti-competitive-behaviour">competition leads to lower prices and more choice for consumers</a>”.</p> <p>Also, fewer allergen-free products make it to the “own brand” list. Australians are <a href="https://www.news.com.au/finance/money/costs/coles-woolworths-ownbrand-products-booming-on-back-of-costofliving-crisis/news-story/d0be8b8d6e98c0a6477959cd83da17ad">relying more on these when facing the cost-of-living crisis</a>.</p> <p>There is also the <a href="https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/willingness-to-pay">willingness to pay</a>, where consumers pay more for products deemed as having higher value. <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/obr.13525">Research</a> shows that on average consumers are willing to pay 30% more for food products that they perceive to be healthier.</p> <p>Manufacturers and retailers more often than not will capitalise on that, increasing their profit margins for allergen-free products.</p> <h2>4 tips for saving money if you have allergies</h2> <p>People with dietary requirements looking to ease the cost of their weekly grocery shop should use the same strategies as every savvy consumer:</p> <ul> <li>research prices</li> <li>buy larger quantities where possible</li> <li>keep a keen eye on price reduction and items on sale</li> <li>consider replacing products tagged “allergen-free” with alternatives from other categories, such as going for rice instead of gluten-free pasta in a dish.</li> </ul> <p>In the long run, if more customers choose allergen-free products it could lead to more volume and competition, bringing prices down. <!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/223648/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/flavio-macau-998456"><em>Flavio Macau</em></a><em>, Associate Dean - School of Business and Law, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/edith-cowan-university-720">Edith Cowan University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-is-gluten-free-bread-so-expensive-a-food-supply-chain-expert-explains-223648">original article</a>.</em></p>

Money & Banking

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How ‘ugly’ fruit and vegetables could tackle food waste and solve supermarket supply shortages

<p>The world is facing a significant food waste problem, with <a href="https://www.fao.org/3/i4068e/i4068e.pdf">up to half of all fruit and vegetables</a> lost somewhere along the agricultural food chain. Globally, around <a href="https://www.fao.org/3/ca6030en/ca6030en.pdf">14% of food produced</a> is lost after harvesting but before it reaches shops and supermarkets.</p> <p>Alongside food prices (66%), food waste is a concern for 60% of people that participated in a <a href="https://www.food.gov.uk/research/food-and-you-2/food-and-you-2-wave-5">recent survey</a> published by the UK Food Standards Agency. <a href="https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201617/cmselect/cmenvfru/429/429.pdf">Other research</a> suggests that as much as 25% of apples, 20% of onions and 13% of potatoes grown in the UK are destroyed because they don’t look right. This means that producers’ efforts to meet stringent specifications from buyers can lead to <a href="https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201617/cmselect/cmenvfru/429/429.pdf">perfectly edible produce being discarded</a> before it even leaves the farm – simply because of how it looks.</p> <p>Aside from the ongoing environmental implications of this food waste, UK shoppers currently face <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/mar/04/food-tsar-blames-shortages-on-uks-weird-supermarket-culture">produce rationing in some supermarkets</a> due to <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/02/28/british-supermarkets-are-rationing-fruit-and-vegetables-amid-shortages.html">shortages of items like tomatoes, cucumbers and raspberries</a>. Any solutions that increase locally grown produce on shop shelves could improve the availability of fresh food, particularly in urban areas.</p> <p>When imperfect fruit and vegetables don’t make it to supermarket shelves, it can be due to <a href="https://cases.open.ubc.ca/insistence-on-cosmetically-perfect-fruits-vegetables/">cosmetic standards</a>. Supermarkets and consumers often prefer produce of a fairly standard size that’s free of blemishes, scars and other imperfections. This means fruit and vegetables that are misshapen, discoloured, or even too small or too large, are rejected before they make it to supermarket shelves.</p> <p>In recent years there has been a growing trend of selling such “ugly” fruit and vegetables, both by <a href="https://my.morrisons.com/wonky-fruit-veg/">major</a> <a href="https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/content/sustainability/food-waste">supermarket</a> <a href="https://www.tescoplc.com/news/2021/wonky-veg-5th-anniversary/">chains</a>, as well as <a href="https://wonkyvegboxes.co.uk/">speciality</a> <a href="https://www.misfitsmarket.com/?exp=plans_rollback">retailers</a> that sell <a href="https://www.oddbox.co.uk/">boxes</a> of <a href="https://etepetete-bio.de/">wonky produce</a>. And research has shown that 87% of people say they would <a href="https://www.thegrocer.co.uk/fruit-and-veg/nearly-90-of-consumers-would-eat-wonky-fruit-and-veg-according-to-new-survey/670155.article">eat wonky fruit and vegetables if they were available</a>. But other research indicates consumers can still be picky and difficult to predict. One study <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0950329316302002?via%3Dihub">showed</a> consumers are likely to throw away an apple with a spot, but would eat a bent cucumber.</p> <h2>Getting ugly produce into baskets</h2> <p>So how can producers and retailers boost the amount of non-standard fruit and veg that not only reaches our shelves, but also our plates? <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377221723000668">Our recent research</a> suggests a separate channel for selling ugly produce would increase profits for growers, lower prices for consumers and boost overall demand for produce.</p> <p>For growers, a dedicated channel – either independent or set up by a supermarket – to supply wonky fruit and veg creates a new line of business. For retailers, this provides an opportunity for further revenue over and above current sales of standard produce to shops. When selling both types of product to a single retailer, the ugly items might be undervalued compared with the standard-looking products. Our research also shows that selling the ugly produce through a dedicated channel is likely to increase total demand for fruit and vegetables, while also decreasing on-farm loss.</p> <p>Having two parallel channels for selling produce (the main one and the dedicated “ugly” channel) would increase competition. This benefits shoppers by lowering prices for regular and ugly produce, versus selling both types of products alongside each other in one shop.</p> <p>On the other hand, the growing market for ugly fruit and vegetables could be an economic threat to traditional retailers. It encourages new entrants into the market and could also limit the availability of “regular” produce because growers could become less stringent about ensuring produce meets traditional cosmetic standards.</p> <p>But there is a way for traditional retailers to add ugly produce into their product offerings alongside other produce without affecting their profits. By building on existing consumer awareness of the environmental benefits of ugly food, they could also compete in this growing segment. This would benefit their bottom lines and help consumer acceptance of misshapen fruit and vegetables, possibly leading to less food waste and shortages like those UK shoppers are experiencing right now.</p> <p>Boosting demand for imperfect fruit and vegetables across the supply chain will require all participants to get involved – from grower to seller. Here are some steps the various parties could take:</p> <h2>1. Educating consumers</h2> <p>Education about the environmental and economic impact of food waste could happen through marketing campaigns, in-store displays and even social media.</p> <h2>2. Reducing cosmetic standards</h2> <p>Supermarkets and other major food retailers could revise their cosmetic standards to accept a wider range of produce, including imperfect fruit and vegetables. This would help reduce food waste by making sure more produce is able to be sold.</p> <h2>3. Direct sales</h2> <p>Farmers and growers could sell non-standard produce directly to consumers through farmers’ markets or subscription services. This allows consumers to purchase fresh, locally grown produce that might not meet cosmetic standards for supermarkets but that is just as nutritionally beneficial.</p> <h2>4. Food donations</h2> <p>Supermarkets and growers could donate produce rejected for how it looks to food banks, shelters and other organisations that serve those in need. This would help reduce food waste while also providing healthy food to those who might not otherwise have access to it.</p> <h2>5. Value-added products</h2> <p>Produce that doesn’t meet cosmetic standards could also be used to create other products such as soups, sauces and juices. In addition to reducing food waste, this would create new revenue streams for growers and retailers.</p> <h2>6. Food composting</h2> <p>Anything that cannot be sold or otherwise used should be composted. This would help reduce food waste while also creating nutrient-rich soil for future crops.</p> <p>By implementing these solutions, the supply chain can reduce the amount of ugly or imperfect fruit and vegetables that are wasted, while also providing consumers with healthy, affordable produce, even in times of supply chain shortages.</p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-ugly-fruit-and-vegetables-could-tackle-food-waste-and-solve-supermarket-supply-shortages-201216" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

Food & Wine

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Mapping the labour and slavery risks in fashion supply chains

<div class="copy"> <p>How did your clothes get to you, and who was properly paid for them in the process?</p> <p>The garment industry is notorious for worker exploitation and complicated, unclear supply chains.</p> <p>Both within and without the fashion industry, forced labour, and modern slavery, is on the rise. According to the new <a href="https://publications.iom.int/books/global-estimates-modern-slavery-forced-labour-and-forced-marriage" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Global Estimates of Modern Slavery</a> report, there were 50 million people around the world living in modern slavery: 28 million in forced labour, and 22 million in forced marriages.</p> <p>This is an increase of 10 million from when the report was done in 2016 – among other things, the number has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and armed conflicts.</p> <p>What does the garment supply chain look like? <em>Cosmos</em> investigates.</p> <h2>The shape of the garment industry: four tiers (sort of)</h2> <p>“In a broad sense, when retailers talk about their supply chains, they tend to talk with tiers zero to four,” explains Dr Alice Payne, an associate professor in fashion at Queensland University of Technology.</p> <p>Tier 0 is the company’s direct operations: retail, offices, and distribution centres, for instance. Each additional tier is a layer removed from them.</p> <p>“Tier 1 is the people and the organizations constructing the garments for them – so assembling and manufacturing,” says Payne.</p> <p>Tier 2 is fabric production, while Tier 3 is the production of the yarn that makes the fabric.</p> <p>“Tier 4 is raw materials,” says Payne.</p> <p>“Natural fibres like cotton and wool, that’s all the way back to the farm, or the forests that the trees come from that are then processed into viscose material. And the petrochemical industry, which is the feedstock for polyester, nylons, acrylics and so on.”</p> <p>In reality, there aren’t clear lines between these tiers – particularly further up the supply chain.</p> <p>Even something as ubiquitous as cotton has a very complicated history.</p> <p>“You’ve got the seed inputs to grow the cotton on the farm, the cotton has to be ginned – the seed and the lint separated – and then from the ginning, it’s shipped to a spinner to make it into a yarn.</p> <p>“Then the yarn producer will ship it often to other countries to be manufactured into a cloth. At any point along the chain, it might be dyed,” says Payne.</p> <p>“They can span the world over in terms of geographic location and can be really complex,” says Abigail Munroe, a modern slavery research and policy analyst at human rights group Walk Free, which compiled the <em>Global Estimates of Modern Slavery </em>report with the United Nation’s International Labour Organization and the International Organisation for Migration.</p> <h2>The labour distribution along the supply chain</h2> <p>Workers aren’t distributed evenly across these tiers. Spindles and looms are both highly mechanised processes, making the middle tiers less labour-intensive. The raw materials in Tier 4 can be equally mechanised, or labour-intensive to make, depending on the fibre.</p> <p>Assembling garments in Tier 1, however, demands a huge workforce.</p> <p>“It’s part of the nature of cloth – it’s fluid and malleable,” says Payne.</p> <p>“In the robotics space, they talk about how it might take months to teach a machine to fold a t -shirt because it’s just such a such a very difficult thing to manoeuvre and manipulate cloth.”</p> <p>Each seam on your clothes needs to be guided manually through a sewing machine – which is something of a boon for poorer countries wanting to bring in more industry.</p> <p>“The textile industry is often the first rung on the ladder for a country that’s industrialising,” says Payne.</p> <p>“What’s an industry to bring into a country when you’ve got a large labour force? Well, often garment assembly, because it’s fairly light machinery.”</p> <p>But this also comes with risks.</p> <h2>Who gets paid</h2> <p>According to the <a href="https://cleanclothes.org/poverty-wages" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Clean Clothes Campaign</a>, a T-shirt which sells for €29 (A$43) sends €0.18 (A$0.27) back to the Bangladeshi garment worker who sewed it.</p> <p>Walk Free’s <a href="https://www.walkfree.org/reports/beyond-compliance-in-the-garment-industry/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Beyond Compliance in the Garment Industry</em></a> report has found similar levels of low payment across the supply chain.</p> <p>“In our assessment, workers would need to be earning almost 40% more to have their basic needs met,” says Munroe.</p> <p>Exploitation may be worse in the more distant tiers.</p> <p>“In general, across any kind of industry, workers further down the supply chains tend to face increased modern slavery risks,” says Munroe.</p> <p>“That can be for a number of reasons – some of these being that they’re more likely to work in the informal economy, and they’re more likely to be invisible to policies designed to protect them.”</p> <p><iframe title="Huh? Science Explained" src="https://omny.fm/shows/huh-science-explained/playlists/podcast/embed?selectedClip=c7003c2f-954f-4ebf-b826-af090009d3ac&amp;style=cover&amp;autoplay=0&amp;list=0" width="100%" height="180" frameborder="0"></iframe></p> <h2>Tracing slavery</h2> <p>Governments have taken steps to make companies monitor these supply chains, but there are still gaps in the legislation.</p> <p>In Australia, for instance, the <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2018A00153" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">2018 Modern Slavery Act</a> requires companies with an annual revenue over A$100 million to produce annual reports on their supply chains and modern slavery risks within those chains. The UK has <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2015/30/contents/enacted" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">similar legislation</a>.</p> <p>Walk Free’s annual <em>Beyond Compliance </em>reports, track these disclosures and so far, they’ve looked at the hospitality, finance, and garment industries.</p> <p>While most of the garment companies in this year’s analysis had statements addressing modern slavery (an improvement on the hospitality and finance industries), 33% still didn’t meet minimum requirements set out by the acts. Over a quarter of companies didn’t produce any supply chain disclosure at all, while among those that did disclose, only 35% went beyond Tier 1.</p> <p>“There’s actually no penalties for companies that are within the threshold of the act, but don’t actually produce a statement,” says Munroe.</p> <p>And, even if those requirements are met, there’s little motivation to improve on reports.</p> <p>“We certainly see statements that are clearly being used as a box ticking activity,” says Munroe.</p> <p>“For both of those acts, even the Australian act which has more involved requirements, it’s completely disclosure-based. So simply reporting that the company needs to do more in relation to supply chain mapping or risk assessment – that’s enough.”</p> <p>Stricter legislation, such as the regulations <a href="https://www.csis.org/analysis/european-union-releases-draft-mandatory-human-rights-and-environmental-due-diligence" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">currently being proposed by the EU</a>, might include financial penalties for failing to comply, alongside obligations to prevent and mitigate human rights abuses right through the supply chain.</p> <p>The Australian government is <a href="https://consultations.ag.gov.au/crime/modern-slavery-act-review/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">currently reviewing</a> its modern slavery act, with a consultation period closing in just over a month.</p> <p>Future changes to the act might increase compliance – but for now, most of the places you buy clothes from aren’t making it clear where the garments have come from – or who’s being properly paid to make them.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em><!-- Start of tracking content syndication. Please do not remove this section as it allows us to keep track of republished articles --> <img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=213724&amp;title=Mapping+the+labour+and+slavery+risks+in+fashion+supply+chains" width="1" height="1" /> <!-- End of tracking content syndication --></em></div> <div id="contributors"> <p><em>This article was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/people/garment-supply-chain-slavery/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cosmosmagazine.com</a> and was written by Ellen Phiddian. </em></p> </div>

Beauty & Style

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Rich countries donating half their COVID vaccine supply would be a “win-win”

<p>The message emerging from expert dialogue on the trajectory of COVID is increasingly clear: this show won’t be over until the whole world is vaccinated. The appearance of <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/health/covid/omicron-update-170122/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Omicron</a> on the scene, with <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/son-of-omicron-victoria-detects-a-handful-of-covid-19-sub-variant-cases/095ee479-723b-40a9-a2ca-77e90968d6e7" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">son-of-Omicron</a> (the BA.2 sub-variant) hot on its heels, has been a stark reminder that making it through one wave doesn’t mean we’ve weathered the storm – as long as there are under-vaccinated populations, this virus will continue to develop new variants that will sweep across the globe, making vaccine equity crucial to COVID defense.</p><p>Just how much should we prioritise vaccine sharing over increasing immunity within our own borders? A new <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-022-01289-8" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">modelling study</a> published in <em>Nature Human Behaviour</em> has put firm figures to this tricky question, finding that if high-income countries were to donate up to 46% of their total vaccine supply to low- and middle-income countries, the benefits could include substantial decreases in global mortality and protection against further pandemic waves.</p><p>Using a mathematical model, the researchers projected the consequences of vaccine inequity over five years, against the backdrop of evolving strains of SARS-CoV-2 and global mobility.</p><p>The results showed that if we want to get on top of COVID, we’re going to have look beyond short-term immunity gains within our own borders and start playing a globally focused long-game.</p><p>The model indicated that increasing national vaccination rates through booster programs, such as the controversial <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/health/covid/fourth-covid-shot-wont-prevent-omicron-infection/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">four-dose regime</a> being rolled out across Israel, does lead to faster declines in mortality in high-income countries in the first year. But these gains are swallowed up by an increasing vulnerability to infection in subsequent years as the global threat of newly emerging strains grows.</p><p>Conversely, modelling equitable vaccine allocation strategies showed a substantial curbing of the spread of new strains, providing greater benefits to both high-income and low- and middle-income countries.</p><p>Regardless of where individual countries stand on the ethics of tending to your own flock ahead of assisting disadvantaged global populations, this model makes it clear that allocating nearly half of high-income countries’ vaccine supplies is, over the longer-term, in their own interest.</p><p>Addressing vaccine equity is a practical but highly effective variant-suppression measure that could be achieved by immediate and more-generous vaccine donations to low- and middle-income countries, but convincing governments to reframe their national COVID strategies in this global light remains a challenge.</p><p>As of 31 December 2021, more than nine billion COVID-19 vaccination doses had been administered worldwide – but the distribution of these doses remains highly imbalanced. Over 70% of people in high-income countries are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19; in low-income countries, that number is 4%.</p><p>Organisations such as COVAX, which is co-led by <a href="https://www.gavi.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-type="URL" data-id="https://www.gavi.org/">Gavi</a>, <a href="https://www.who.int/initiatives/act-accelerator/covax" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-type="URL" data-id="https://www.who.int/initiatives/act-accelerator/covax">the WHO</a>, and <a href="https://cepi.net/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-type="URL" data-id="https://cepi.net/">CEPI</a>, are attempting to tackle the vaccine inequity problem, and announced in January that they had delivered their <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/health/covid/billionth-covax-dose/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">billionth vaccine dose</a> – an admirable achievement, but well short of their 2 billion dose goal. The organisation cited hoarding and stockpiling by wealthy countries as a key roadblock to their progress. Many high-income countries have access to enough vaccines to vaccinate their populations several times over, leaving some low- and middle-income countries struggling to obtain sufficient supplies to vaccinate their populations even once.</p><p>But, as the current study makes clear, pandemics pay no heed to borders. Until there is international commitment to global vaccine equity, the waves will continue to crash in.</p><!-- Start of tracking content syndication. Please do not remove this section as it allows us to keep track of republished articles --><!-- End of tracking content syndication --><div id="contributors"><p><em><a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/health/covid/combatting-vaccine-inequity-win-win/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This article</a> was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cosmos Magazine</a> and was written by <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/contributor/jamie-priest" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jamie Priest</a>. Jamie Priest is a science journalist at Cosmos. She has a Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology from the University of Adelaide.</em></p><p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p></div>

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Jacqui Lambie blasts twerking dancers on HMAS Supply: “Absolute shocker”

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text redactor-styles redactor-in">Senator Jacqui Lambie has slammed the choice to have a group of dancers twerking at the commission of HMAS Supply in Sydney over the weekend.<br /><br />The <em>ABC</em> posted a clip of a group of seven dancers, from Sydney group the 101 Doll Squadron.<br /><br />The troupe were invited to perform at the commissioning of HMAS Supply on Saturday, by the HMAS Supply crew and the navy.</div> <div class="body_text redactor-styles redactor-in"><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7840734/jacqui-lambie-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/920e2acfa178457f81386839b62cbdd7" /></div> <div class="body_text redactor-styles redactor-in"><em>Image: ABC News</em><br /><br />The footage resulted in widespread backlash, especially Senator Lambie who said having that style of dance at the commissioning of a naval ship was “inappropriate”.<br /><br />“I thought I was watching the Super Bowl there for a split second, I will be honest with you,” she told 9 News.<br /><br />“Whoever made that call, it's an absolute shocker for goodness sake. It is not the time and place to have (that).<br /><br />“Good on those young ladies for getting out there, but I tell you being half-clothed outside a war ship is probably inappropriate.<br /><br />“You know, if that (decision was made by) the leadership in our Defence Force, god help our sons and daughters who are serving.”<br /><br />Governor-General David Hurley was at the ceremony, but the Australian Defence Force denied he was present for the dancers.<br /><br />However, <em>ABC</em> footage gathered images of the dancers that showed Mr Hurley sitting in a seat.</div> <div class="body_text redactor-styles redactor-in"><img style="width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7840733/jacqui-lambie-2.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/4222e957a0184f41abbf71409cfc68ee" /><br /><br />“The dance was performed prior to the commencement of the commissioning formalities and prior to the arrival of His Excellency the Governor-General, chief of navy and commander Australian fleet,” a Defence spokeswoman said.</div> <div class="body_text redactor-styles redactor-in"></div> <div class="body_text redactor-styles redactor-in"><em>Images: ABC News</em></div> </div> </div> <div class="post-action-bar-component-wrapper"> <div class="post-actions-component"> <div class="upper-row"><span class="like-bar-component"></span> <div class="right-box-container"></div> </div> </div> </div>

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Mother opens up about horrifying BIG W baby formula fight

<p><span>A woman who was at the centre of a furious argument over baby formula at Big W that went viral across the country has revealed what happened in the lead up to the heated altercation.</span><br /><br /><span>Steph Groen told <em>Yahoo News</em> she was shopping for her three-year-old toddler as well as a clothesline at the Lilydale Big W store in Melbourne on Saturday, when she watched as a couple wearing surgical masks were attempting to buy two tins of baby formula each.</span><br /><br /><span>The couple were asked to put the items back once they reached the self-serve checkout kiosk as there is a two-tin limit per customer in place.</span><br /><br /><span>From there, an explosive argument erupted.</span><br /><br /><span>“Staff approached them and said: ‘You won’t be able to buy that here today as you’ve been seen buying it already’,” Ms Groen recounted.</span><br /><br /><span>“They kept arguing and arguing and by this time it had been a good minute or two.</span><br /><br /><span>“The other shoppers in front of me had gone through the checkout but they didn’t have a trolley and were just holding items so could walk through.”</span><br /><br /><span>Ms Groen continued to watch on as the pair argued with staff but became nervous and anxious, so decided to speak up.</span><br /><br /><span>“He was just hassling and hassling the staff and I had enough. I said to him: ‘No, put it back, they said put it back’, and he turned to around and looked me dead in the eye.</span><br /><br /><span>“I was a bit scared, he looked crazy. He said, ‘what the f*** has it got to do with you’.”</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7835586/big-w-fight-2.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/fc58ca621074433c97b898bdb6833414" /></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><em>Steph Groen's trolley was in between two men when a heated exchange began.</em><br /><br /><span>An older man defended Ms Groen as the man wearing a surgical mask yelled, and stated he had seen them purchasing milk tins at a chemist.</span><br /><br /><span>“What you don’t see [in the video] is he looked really scary. He was seriously aggressive over formula,” Ms Groen said.</span><br /><br /><span>It was then both men fiercely argued and a recording of the fight was shared on social media.</span><br /><br /><span>Ms Groen placed her trolley between the two to keep them apart.</span><br /><br /><span>“He ripped his mask off and threw the formula in my trolley,” she said.</span><br /><br /><span>“He lunged at the older man twice.”</span><br /><br /><span>In the video filmed of the incident and uploaded to Facebook, the senior customer can be heard instructing the man to “put it back”.</span><br /><br /><span>The other man responds: “What if I don’t? What are you going to do?”</span><br /><br /><span>The older man tells him that he will take him outside.</span><br /><br /><span>After the video ended, security stepped in and Ms Groen was able to pay for her items.</span><br /><br /><span>However, the mother of two said she was left shaken up while at the checkout.</span><br /><br /><span>“I was freaking out when he ripped his mask off and got so close – that was a massive concern,” she said.</span><br /><br /><span>“I’ve got two kids and I took my six-year-old out of school because I didn’t want contact with anyone. It was one of the only times I’ve gone out in nearly two months and this has happened.”</span><br /><br /><span>Ms Groen had left her two children at home so they did not have to witness the altercation.</span><br /><br /><span>Staff later thanked her for using her trolley to stop the argument from escalating and the older man and his partner have since found her on Facebook to express their gratitude.</span><br /><br /><span>Mr Groen says the argument was not sparked over race and there were no racial slurs during the altercation.</span><br /><br /><span>“The issue was the fact they were already seen buying the formula and then seen buying it again,” she said.</span><br /><br /><span>A Big W representative told <em>Yahoo News Australia</em> in a statement on Sunday that the store has had a two-tin limit in place for more than 12 months.</span><br /><br /><span>“The customers had a disagreement and then were asked to leave our Big W Lilydale store by a store team member and centre security, police involvement was not required,” they said.</span></p>

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Why your brain evolved to hoard supplies and shame others for doing the same

<p>The media is replete with COVID-19 stories about people clearing supermarket shelves – and the backlash against them. Have people gone mad? How can one individual be overfilling his own cart, while shaming others who are doing the same?</p> <p><a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=TFX9eJ0AAAAJ&amp;hl=en&amp;oi=ao">As a behavioral neuroscientist</a> who has studied hoarding behavior for 25 years, I can tell you that this is all normal and expected. People are acting the way evolution has wired them.</p> <p><strong>Stockpiling provisions</strong></p> <p>The word “hoarding” might bring to mind relatives or neighbors whose houses are overfilled with junk. A small percentage of people do suffer from what psychologists call “<a href="https://hoarding.iocdf.org">hoarding disorder</a>,” keeping excessive goods to the point of distress and impairment.</p> <p>But hoarding is actually a <a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/interdisciplinary-science-consumption">totally normal and adaptive behavior</a> that kicks in any time there is an uneven supply of resources. Everyone hoards, even during the best of times, without even thinking about it. People like to have beans in the pantry, money in savings and chocolates hidden from the children. These are all hoards.</p> <p>Most Americans have had so much, for so long. People forget that, not so long ago, survival often depended on working tirelessly all year to <a href="https://dustyoldthing.com/forgotten-root-cellars/">fill root cellars</a> so a family could last through a long, cold winter – and still many died.</p> <p>Similarly, <a href="https://emammal.wordpress.com/2013/09/24/gray-squirrels-and-scatter-hoarding/">squirrels work all fall to hide nuts</a> to eat for the rest of the year. Kangaroo rats in the desert <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0003-3472(05)81018-8">hide seeds the few times it rains</a> and then remember where they put them to dig them back up later. A Clark’s nutcracker <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/phenomena/2015/12/03/how-a-5-ounce-bird-stores-10000-maps-in-its-head/">can hoard over 10,000 pine seeds</a> per fall – and even remember where it put them.</p> <p>Similarities between human behavior and these animals’ are not just analogies. They reflect a deeply ingrained capacity for brains to motivate us to acquire and save resources that may not always be there. Suffering from hoarding disorder, stockpiling in a pandemic or hiding nuts in the fall – all of these behaviors are motivated less by logic and more by a <a href="https://www.livescience.com/32773-what-causes-hoarding.html">deeply felt drive to feel safer</a>.</p> <p>My colleagues and I have found that stress seems to signal the brain to switch into “get hoarding” mode. For example, a kangaroo rat will act very lazy if fed regularly. But <a href="https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2009.0225">if its weight starts to drop</a>, its brain signals to release stress hormones that incite the fastidious hiding of seeds all over the cage.</p> <p>Kangaroo rats will also <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0735-7036.119.2.187">increase their hoarding if a neighboring animal steals</a> from them. Once, I returned to the lab to find the victim of theft with all his remaining food stuffed into his cheek pouches — the only safe place.</p> <p>People do the same. If in our lab studies my colleagues and I make them feel anxious, our study subjects <a href="https://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/under-pressure-stress-and-decision-making/comment-page-1">want to take more stuff home</a> with them afterward.</p> <p>Demonstrating this shared inheritance, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2012.01.033">the same brain areas are active</a> when people decide to take home toilet paper, bottled water or granola bars, as when rats store lab chow under their bedding – the orbitofrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens, regions that generally help organize goals and motivations to satisfy needs and desires.</p> <p><a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-oxford-handbook-of-hoarding-and-acquiring-9780199937783">Damage to this system can even induce abnormal hoarding</a>. One man who suffered frontal lobe damage had a sudden urge to hoard bullets. Another could not stop “borrowing” others’ cars. Brains across species use these ancient neural systems to ensure access to needed items – or ones that feel necessary.</p> <p>So, when the news induces a panic that stores are running out of food, or that residents will be trapped in place for weeks, the brain is programmed to stock up. It makes you <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/hope-relationships/201409/the-psychology-behind-hoarding">feel safer, less stressed</a>, and actually protects you in an emergency.</p> <p><strong>More than a fair share</strong></p> <p>At the same time they’re organizing their own stockpiles, people get upset about those who are taking too much. That is a legitimate concern; it’s a version of the “<a href="https://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/TragedyoftheCommons.html">tragedy of the commons</a>,” wherein a public resource might be sustainable, but people’s tendency to take a little extra for themselves degrades the resource to the point where it can no longer help anyone.</p> <p>By shaming others on social media, for instance, people exert what little influence they have to ensure cooperation with the group. As a social species, human beings thrive when they work together, and have <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100501013529.htm">employed shaming – even punishment – for millennia</a> to ensure that everyone acts in the best interest of the group.</p> <p>And it works. Twitter users went after a guy reported to have hoarded 17,700 bottles of hand sanitizer in the hopes of turning a profit; he ended up donating all of it and is under <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/15/technology/matt-colvin-hand-sanitizer-donation.html">investigation for price gouging</a>. Who wouldn’t pause before grabbing those last few rolls of TP when the mob is watching?</p> <p>People will continue to hoard to the extent that they are worried. They will also continue to shame others who take more than what they consider a fair share. Both are normal and adaptive behaviors that evolved to balance one another out, in the long run.</p> <p>But that’s cold comfort for someone on the losing end of a temporary imbalance – like a health care worker who did not have protective gear when they encountered a sick patient. The survival of the group hardly matters to the person who dies, or to their parent, child or friend.</p> <p>One thing to remember is that the news selectively depicts stockpiling stories, presenting audiences with the most shocking cases. Most people are not <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2020/03/03/coronavirus-hand-sanitizer-face-masks-price-gouging-amazon-walmart-ebay/4933920002/">charging $400 for a mask</a>. Most are just trying to protect themselves and their families, the best way they know how, while also <a href="https://www.mother.ly/news/uplifting-stories-of-people-helping-each-other-during-coronavirus">offering aid wherever they can</a>. That’s <a href="https://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/how-does-social-behavior-evolve-13260245/">how the human species evolved</a>, to get through challenges like this together.<!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/stephanie-preston-1006858"><em>Stephanie Preston</em></a><em>, Professor of Psychology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-michigan-1290">University of Michigan</a></em></span></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/your-brain-evolved-to-hoard-supplies-and-shame-others-for-doing-the-same-134634">original article</a>.</em></p>

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"Almost wiped out": Panic buying at supermarkets leads to restriction on supplies

<p>Some supermarket chains in Australia have set restrictions on several essential supplies as more customers are ‘panic-buying’ in response to coronavirus fears.</p> <p>The World Health Organisation said it is in “uncharted territory” as it continues to combat the spread of the COVID-19 novel coronavirus, which has infected nearly 90,000 people around the world as of Monday.</p> <p>Bulk goods retailer Costco has applied restrictions in its Canberra store on goods such as toilet paper, eggs, milk and hand towels.</p> <p>Customers were limited to a maximum of two 48-packs of toilet paper per transaction due to declining stock at the store.</p> <p>Woolworths has confirmed that it will be limiting the number of toilet paper packs to four per person.</p> <p>“It will help shore up stock levels as suppliers ramp up local production and deliveries in response to higher than usual demand,” the supermarket giant said in a statement to <em><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/coronavirus-supermarkets-buying-limits-woolworths-coles-iga-panic-buying/1b877058-1390-4aaf-a4bf-da5b78d0e9a1">9News</a></em>.</p> <p>A Coles spokesperson told the <em><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-03-03/loo-roll-limit-costco-cracks-down-on-coronavirus-panic-buying/12022204">ABC</a> </em>it had “increased the number of deliveries to stores this week to improve availability on popular products”.</p> <p>CEO of Ritchies Supa IGA, Fred Harrison said supplies of fresh foods and long-life products are starting to dry up.</p> <p>“We still had stock of toilet roll on our shelves this time yesterday morning, you are right, it’s almost a wiped out now,” Harrison told <em>2GB</em>.</p> <p>“We do need the public to be a little bit more responsible. We are not going to be isolated indoors for the next three or four months. We will be able to get out and shop.</p> <p>“The trouble is, manufacturers can tool up but it takes time. It is not something you can fix in 24 hour, 48 hours. If we are not careful we will have gaping gaps aplenty on the supermarket shelves by the weekend.”</p> <p>There were 33 confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of Tuesday morning. Of those cases, 21 were reported to have recovered.</p>

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Public panic as Woolworths runs out of dire supplies ahead of coronavirus warnings

<p>Chemists and grocery store chains across Australia have been experiencing an unusually high demand for hand sanitiser as panic sets in over the coronavirus.</p> <p>The shortage for the product has been photographed in various stores across the country, with people beginning to stock up in a bid to protect themselves from the COVID-19 virus.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Woolworths, Coles, Chemist Warehouse, Priceline and Kmart have all run out of hand sanitiser. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/coronavirusaustralia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#coronavirusaustralia</a></p> — Priscilla Flett (@FlettPriscilla) <a href="https://twitter.com/FlettPriscilla/status/1223427134351237120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 1, 2020</a></blockquote> <p>Stores like Coles, Woolworths and Chemist Warehouse have been experiencing shortages of antibacterial gel, with the CEO of Australian skin care range MooGoo, Craig Jones, claiming their entire six-month stock of hand sanitiser had been taken from shelves in just a mere four days.</p> <p>“We then made a backup batch and sold out of that too,” said Mr Jones told<span> </span>news.com.au.</p> <p>“The Natural Anti-Bacterial Hand Gel uses an essential oil that kills 99.999 per cent of pathogens in the standard test.”</p> <p>Mr Jones says the healthcare item which typically ranges anywhere from $3 -$5 depending on size and brand, is one of the “key measures from keeping the virus from spreading”.</p> <p>A spokesperson from Coles confirmed the “shortage” of antibacterial handwashes and hand sanitiser products sold in stores  was “due to extremely high customer demand”.</p> <p> “While we are working closely with our suppliers to improve availability, some products may be temporarily out of stock,” the spokesperson said.</p> <p>Woolworths also told news.com.au they had shortages of some products, saying: “We are working very closely with our suppliers to get these products back on shelves as quickly as possible.</p> <p>“We’re sorry for the inconvenience to our customers.”</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Hand sanitiser aisle at Woolworths. All gawn. <a href="https://t.co/sJrdl4wfes">pic.twitter.com/sJrdl4wfes</a></p> — Ignoble Jim Houghton (@JimRHoughton) <a href="https://twitter.com/JimRHoughton/status/1223484535687368706?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 1, 2020</a></blockquote> <p>Mario Tascone, the Retail Group director for Chemist Warehouse told The Courier Mail <span> </span>that their “store was one of the smart ones”.</p> <p>“We’d rather satisfy 1000 people than satisfy one person who wants to buy 1000 bottles,” he said</p> <p>COVID-19 has now been confirmed in at least 45 countries, and many of these nations have created emergency plans and travel restrictions on the worst-affected places.</p> <p>Australia activated its emergency response plan yesterday amid rising concerns of a potential coronavirus pandemic.</p> <p>The World Health Organisation (WHO) reported that the number of new cases reported outside China exceeded the number of new cases in China for the first time.</p> <p>On Tuesday, 411 new cases of the COVID-19 disease were reported in China, while 427 were reported outside the country, WHO said.</p>

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How will a drug supply conviction affect my ability to travel?

<p>Facing the possibility of a <a href="https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/blog/how-to-avoid-a-criminal-conviction-for-drug-possession-or-supply/">drug supply conviction</a> can be a nerve wracking experience.</p> <p>Drug supply is considered a more serious offence than possession, and comes with harsher penalties.</p> <p>If you have been charged with <a href="https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/criminal/offences/drug-offences/drug-supply/">supplying prohibited drugs,</a> you will probably be concerned about whether you will receive a harsh penalty such as community service or even a prison sentence if you are convicted.</p> <p>But you may not have thought about what can happen in the future if you end up with a criminal record.</p> <p>Having a criminal conviction for a serious offence like drug supply can affect your ability to find work, and to travel to certain countries.</p> <p><strong>Do I have to declare any criminal convictions when I travel?</strong></p> <p>As an Australian citizen, you are required to apply for a visa so that you can travel to, or through, certain countries.</p> <p>These countries include the US, Canada, China and Indonesia, among others.</p> <p>When you apply for a visa, you will be required to disclose any criminal convictions you have received, along with any matters that you have outstanding.</p> <p>If you have a criminal conviction, it does not necessarily mean that you will be refused entry to a country – whether your criminal conviction affects your ability to travel largely depends on the individual country and their policies, as well as the severity of the offence.</p> <p>In Canada, for example, you can be refused entry over convictions for relatively minor offences, such as a drink driving, while other countries will restrict you only for more serious criminal convictions.</p> <p><strong>What if the conviction was a long time ago?</strong></p> <p>A drug supply conviction may exclude you altogether from entering certain countries on either a tourist or a work visa.</p> <p>However, whether previous convictions are considered relevant depends largely on the country.</p> <p>If you are seeking entry into Canada, you may be able to get an exemption for a previous conviction that is more than five years old by stating that you are ‘rehabilitated’, while the US is generally stricter.</p> <p><strong>Will it show up if I got a </strong><a href="https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/criminal/penalties/nsw/section-10-dismissal/"><strong>section 10 dismissal</strong></a><strong> or </strong><a href="https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/criminal/penalties/nsw/conditional-release-order/"><strong>conditional release order</strong></a><strong> for a previous offence?</strong></p> <p>Whether or not a non conviction order for a drug supply charge will show up on your criminal record depends on whether it was conditional or unconditional.</p> <p>If you received a non conviction order with a good behaviour bond, it will appear on your criminal record for the duration of the bond.</p> <p>Once the period of time for the good behaviour bond expires, the conviction will be considered ‘spent’.</p> <p>This means it is better to try and get an unconditional non conviction order, with no conviction recorded, if possible.</p> <p><strong>How can I check whether or not I have a criminal record?</strong></p> <p>If you are unsure whether you have a clean criminal record or not, you can apply for a copy from the <a href="http://www.afp.gov.au/what-we-do/police-checks.aspx">Australian Federal Police</a> before you travel.</p> <p>AFP police checks are also often mandatory if you are applying for a work visa for a foreign country.</p> <p>If you are facing a drug supply conviction and you are concerned about the effect it might have on your future travel plans, it is a good idea to speak to a lawyer.</p> <p>An experienced criminal lawyer may be able to help you avoid a conviction and reduce the impact of your drug charges on your future.</p> <p><em>Written by Ugur Nedim. Republished with permission of </em><a href="https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/blog/how-will-a-drug-supply-conviction-affect-my-ability-to-travel/">Sy<em>dney Criminal Lawyers. </em></a></p>

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