Your "artisanal vanilla ice cream" could be "under threat", says the FT's Emiko Terazono. Vanilla prices have rocketed to a record peak of more than $600 a kilo. A cyclone in March dented supplies from Madagascar, which accounts for half of world output. The storm accelerated an upswing caused by food manufacturers promising to use real vanilla rather than synthetic flavourings, while speculative hoarding by traders in Madagascar also raised prices. Vanilla pod producers are now frantically planting more, but it could be several years before prices subside to historical norms.
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