One of the food industry's most important yet least visible ingredients is caught in a war. Gum arabic, the acacia resin used to emulsify soft drinks and bind sweets, ice cream, chewing gum and medicines, comes overwhelmingly from Sudan, and more than three years of conflict have disrupted the supply the world depends on. Before war broke out in April 2023, Sudan was the world's biggest exporter with an estimated 70 to 80 per cent share of the market, according to Al Jazeera.
A Trade in the Crossfire
The resin, listed on labels as gum arabic, acacia gum or E414, is tapped from acacia trees across a belt of central Africa and is used as an emulsifier and binder in a wide range of products, Al Jazeera reported. The war has hit the heart of the industry. In Sudan's gum trading hub of El Obeid, production has fallen and exports have stalled, and large export contracts that once ran to tens of thousands of tonnes have become impossible to fulfil, forcing some firms out of the market entirely, according to Radio Dabanga.
A Commodity Funding a War
The stakes have grown darker. A United Nations human rights report has warned that Sudan's war economy is helping to sustain the conflict, exposing the gum arabic trade to serious human rights risks, according to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Alongside gold, the commodity continues to help bankroll the fighting, UN News reported. Global manufacturers have leaned on stockpiles to ride out the turmoil, with some large drinks makers holding several months of supply, and the disruption has left producers and food companies searching for alternative sources, as FoodNavigator reported.
Nigeria sits within the same gum belt and is one of the alternative origins buyers are turning to, which makes Sudan's crisis both a risk to global ingredient costs and an opening for Nigerian exporters. FoodPrices Nigeria tracks verified retail prices across Lagos markets, where the cost of processed foods and drinks ultimately reflects the price of ingredients sourced half a world away.