From perceptions of over-processing to the potential slowing of meat reduction across multiple geographies, the plant-based sector faces challenges. Innovation, ingredients majors tell FoodNavigator, is required to propel the category forward.
UK scientists have uncovered what makes chocolate so popular: lubrication and fat release are key. This understanding, they say, can unlock opportunities to develop a new, healthier, generation of chocolate.
In Israel, Vgarden Ltd. has developed what it claims is ‘game-changing’ vegan tinned tuna. Omer Eliav, chief of R&D and Vgarden co-founder runs us though the most challenging aspects of replicating the kitchen staple, fish-free.
Swedish mycoprotein start-up Mycorena is working to accelerate the hybrid meat category through a collaboration with meat manufacturer Nybergs Deli and supermarket retailer ICA.
In an unexpected discovery, a new frying oil designed to prevent foaming in restaurant and par-frying industries has been found to reduce oil pick up in end-products by up to 25%, explains Renee Boerefijn, director of innovation at Bunge.
From Ukraine to neighbouring Romania and north-eastern Lithuania, interest in alternative proteins is on the up. Meet three new start-ups developing animal-free whole cuts, mycoprotein ingredients, and plant-based sashimi.
ABF Ingredients, the speciality ingredient arm of Associated British Foods, secured a ‘record’ performance in the face of difficult conditions seen throughout 2022. But it looks likely that the worst is not yet behind us, with expectations of a deepening...
FMCG food and beverage brands making popular consumer products need to step up and publicly support sustainable palm oil in order to make a real impact in the sector, according to leaders of the RSPO.
The German ingredients supplier is investing in UK-based Clean Food Group (CFG) – a start-up developing a bio-equivalent cultivated alternative to palm oil – via its investment arm, Doehler Ventures.
US-based MeliBio is partnering with organic food producer Narayan Foods to bring its plant-based bee-free honey product to Europe under the Better Foodie brand.
How does the sustainability performance of plant-based alternatives stack up against conventional meat and dairy? Is the category worthy of its ‘sustainability halo’? FoodNavigator investigates.
Loki Foods, located in the ‘seafood capital of the world’, is tackling climate change through food. Its first project is a plant-based whitefish alternative boasting an equivalent nutritional profile – without the nasties.
Ahead of this week’s trilogue negotiations on the EU’s Deforestation Regulation, the Indonesian Palm Oil Association (IPOA/GAPKI) has complained the legislation “will increase poverty, decrease sustainable development, and undermine decades of progress...
Sophie’s BioNutrients has collaborated with the Danish Technological Institute to develop a dairy-free chlorella-based ice cream that mimics the texture of its conventional counterpart.
A range of flavours free from citrus-derived molecules, fractions and oils, has been developed by IFF to overcome challenges in the citrus supply chain.
Protein design company Arzeda and specialty fats and oils supplier AAK have entered into a joint development agreement targeting more sustainable plant-based edible oils. FoodNavigator caught up with Dr Alexandre Zanghellini, CEO of Arzeda, to find out...
By René Floris, Food Research Division Manager at NIZO
Meeting consumer expectations for alt meat is a complex mission. How can ingredients and processes help take plant-based protein products to the next level?
Plant-based oil producer Bunge is launching a joint venture alongside Olleco, the cooking oils collection division of ABP Food. The companies plan to collaborate to create a business model that encompasses the 'full life-cycle' of edible oils.
EU-proposed due-diligence legislation has been criticised for triggering unintended consequences across the supply chain, which begs the question: will such a law actually promote climate smart food?
What do potential early adopters think about animal-free dairy? Researchers – including one from precision fermentation start-up Formo – have sought to find out.
Eliminating non-recyclable packaging from Nestlé’s Quality Street wrappers was no easy feat, suggests Bruce Funnell, Packaging Lead at Nestlé’s Confectionery Product Technology Centre.
The partnership will see The Kraft Heinz Company team up with agri-food tech accelerator StartLife to help meet consumer expectations across its portfolio, Miriam Ueberall, VP R&D International, Kraft Heinz, tells FoodNavigator.
Vegetarian diets are often characterised as healthy options delivering higher nutritional quality. But the surge seen in recent years of plant-based analogue products that many classify as ultra-processed has placed this reputation under pressure. Are...
CSM Ingredients has entered into a strategic partnership with Allozymes, a Singapore-based start-up that leverages proprietary tech to develop novel enzymes, FoodNavigator can reveal. In this global exclusive, we catch up with CSM CEO Aldo Uva to learn...
From pea protein substitutes to whole cut meat alternatives and pet food, the versatility of mycelium is helping to attract a growing number of start-ups to the space. How are entrepreneurs innovating to bring this sustainable ‘root-like’ structure to...
Since the launch of its strategic ‘end-to-end’ transformation agenda, dubbed Pep+, the company has hit a number of milestones on topics ranging from regenerative agriculture to reformulation. FoodNavigator catches up with Katharina Stenholm, Chief Sustainability...
Swiss-based Cultivated Biosciences has secured fresh funding to develop its solution to the challenge of improving mouthfeel and texture in plant-based dairy.
The potential for sunflower press cakes to be upcycled into vegan meat alternatives and blended hybrid products is being investigated by a new EIT-Food funded project.
Brother-sister duo Dr Maximilian and Dr Sara Marquart are working to ease the pressure on cocoa supply chains with an alternative developed via traditional and precision fermentation techniques. FoodNavigator catches up with one half of the ‘chocolate...
Olive oil brand Filippo Berio has teamed up with Italy’s National Research Council to investigate ways to make olive trees more resilient to pests such as the so-called olive leprosy as well as future-proof the industry.
Growth in the plant-based space has been fuelled by the development of products that mimic meat with increasing accuracy. But formulation challenges remain as the industry works to develop high quality analogues that are also clean label. Could a synergistic...
What are consumers most concerned about on-pack? Is Yuka having an impact on reformulation efforts? And what does the future hold for the popular food scanning app? FoodNavigator catches up with co-founder François Martin to find out.
Fresh research has investigated consumer perceptions of palm oil in Switzerland and whether they are familiar with the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) label.
NoPalm Ingredients envisages a palm and coconut oil-free future. Instead, the Dutch start-up is fermenting yeast with side stream inputs to produce microbial-based alternatives for the food industry.
Italy, which is publicly opposed to Nutri-Score, has developed a smartphone app to accompany its alternative nutritional labelling scheme NutrInform Battery.
Sweden’s Green-On is developing a unique technology to produce food ingredients, especially fat for the food and feed industry, in a truly sustainable way.
The ‘clean label’ trend does not remain stagnant. Mintel’s Emma Schofield, Associate Director, Global Food Science, reveals how the trend is evolving in the face of changing regulation, interest is degrees of processing, and environmentally friendly consumers.
British start-up Clean Food Group is developing a bio-equivalent cultivated alternative to palm oil. FoodNavigator hears from CEO Alex Neves to find out how.
Israeli start-up Gavan Technologies has developed a novel continuous extraction method that utilises the entire plant. FoodNavigator caught up with CEO Itai Cohen to learn more.
Agri-food commodity prices have dipped, raising hopes that the input inflation spiral seen in 2022 was indeed transitory. However, analysts at Jeffries warn, it is too early to ‘break out the champagne’.
