Health and nutritional ingredients

Artificial intelligence designs soda for Swiss market: ‘We were gripped by AI fever’

09-Jun-2023 By Flora Southey

It took just two days for Swiss beverage company Vivi Kola to develop the artificial intelligence-designed beverage using ChatGPT, Midjourney and Unreal Engine.

Danish project seeks to upcycle fish farming waste into fibre- and umami-rich algae for food sector

08-Jun-2023 By Oliver Morrison

A major new innovation project led by the University of Copenhagen will convert nutrients and CO2 from shrimp and fish farming into seaweed for the food sector.

‘This opens up a new category’: Meet the start-up making a 'game-changing' low GI, quicker-cooking rice

07-Jun-2023 By Oliver Morrison

Spain’s Rice in Action is using innovative technology to produce a healthier, sustainable and easy to cook rice which can help boost productivity for food service providers and appeal to time-poor consumers lacking culinary skills.

Good news for innovation or backward step into food nationalism? The ‘Made in Italy’ bill unravelled

07-Jun-2023 By Oliver Morrison

Following its criticisms of Nutri-Score and cell-based foods, Italy’s government is seeking to put its famous gastronomic heritage at the heart of its economy and national identity.

Plant-based fat mimics the texture of animal fat in bakery products

07-Jun-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Some products, such as croissants, need a bit of butter to get their unique texture. Israeli startup Gaven Technologies hopes to provide a vegan replacement of butter and other animal fats in bakery products, with its new plant-based fat FaTRIX.

Health, environment or lactose intolerance: Why do people drink plant-based milk?

05-Jun-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Plant-based milk is one of the most successful categories of alternative protein, predicted to reach a value of $47 Billion by 2030. But why is it so successful? The driving force behind any alternative protein’s success is the motives people have for...

Study reveals UK is truly confused about all issues relating to how to stimulate a healthy gut

31-May-2023 By Oliver Morrison

A new YouGov study of 2,000 UK adults commissioned on behalf of MOJU sheds light on the true extent of the nation’s confusion over gut health.

UK project aims to grow ‘tasteless’ pea protein to solve ‘beany’ off flavour problem

31-May-2023 By Oliver Morrison

A ‘ground-breaking’ £1 million project has been announced in the UK, which aims to both produce peas that are tasteless but retain nutritional value and have a significant impact on reducing the need for UK imports of soya.

Plant-based diets become more popular indicator of masculinity among male athletes

31-May-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Traditionally, eating meat has been considered a cornerstone of masculinity, especially for professional male athletes. A recent small study, however, suggests that attitudes towards plant-based diets are changing among athletes.

Why on earth do Africans need ‘to get more excited about plant-based diets’?

30-May-2023 By Oliver Morrison

As ProVeg International, a group wanting to replace animal consumption with alternative protein by 50% by 2040, opens an office in Nigeria – where most people already follow a plant rich diet, and where greenhouse gas emissions are low compared to developed...

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Let them eat plant-based cake

26-May-2023 By Oliver Morrison

Why is the dairy industry embroiling in a silly battle about the labelling of plant-based alternatives?

Ex-UK food tsar pleads for industry ingenuity to fix ‘malfunctioning’ system

26-May-2023 By Oliver Morrison

Henry Dimbleby is bleak in his stinging assessment of the food system’s current ills, namely diet-related disease and environmental destruction, which are damaging both our dietary and planet’s health. But we can look to the past for solutions, he says,...

Boomer time: Time to target food and beverages at older consumers

25-May-2023 By Oliver Morrison

There’s a big opportunity for the food and beverage industry to launch products and ingredients formulated help meet the specific nutritional requirements of older consumers and help them stay healthier for longer, the recent FoodNavigator Positive Nutrition...

Upcycled fermented seaweed and rapeseed meal combined to develop new alternative protein

23-May-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

In the food industry’s search for alternative protein sources, upcycled ingredients are becoming more useful and more popular. But it is often with difficulty that they are developed – upcycling products into edible and palatable foods often requires...

'The acceptability of insects is influenced by their visibility': Consumer perceptions of edible insects explored

22-May-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Edible insects have many benefits. They are a good source of alternative protein, a rival to plant-based meat; they are often considered more sustainable than conventional meat; some insects are even higher in protein than beef. However, many consumers...

Education, government intervention, and anti-obesity drugs – The future of treating obesity

18-May-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

How are attitudes changing towards tackling obesity? And could new technological developments help mitigate the epidemic? Oxford biologist Sir Charles Godfray, the keynote speaker at this year’s City Food and Drink Lecture at the Guildhall, London, weighs...

"Even relatively large reductions in salt content go unnoticed by consumers" - Action on Salt takes on the saltiness of the pizza industry

17-May-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

New research by campaign group Action on Salt has revealed the vast salt content within pizzas, with one in two pizzas containing at least the entirety of daily recommended salt levels. The group, which is made up of experts and based in Queen Mary University...

‘Plastic is yesterday’s material’: Sustainable packaging innovator Xampla on how it can allow global food and beverage brands to deliver ‘breakthrough’ new product developments

17-May-2023 By Oliver Morrison

Meet Xampla, the British company innovating solutions for two separate industry challenges: plastic pollution and the protection of valuable vitamins and nutrients. Food-Navigator Europe caught up with Stanley Mitchell, Head of Business Development at...

‘Food and feed safety risks are not static’ - How the Border Target Operating Model could impact Great Britain-Europe trade

16-May-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

On 11 April, the UK government released the draft of the Border Target Operating Model (BTOM). The BTOM will, if accepted, have a significant influence on the import of food from Europe into Great Britain (Northern Ireland is not affected). An online...

Start-up looks to benefits of mother’s milk to bring new bioactive ingredient for medical food space

16-May-2023 By Oliver Morrison

Israel’s Exosomm has developed proprietary immune supportive natural exosomes from upcycled whey.

WATCH: Paleo talks animal-free myoglobin, regulatory challenges, and the ‘vegan’ opportunity

15-May-2023 By Flora Southey

The taste, appearance, and nutritional profile of plant-based meat analogues can be improved by a single ingredient, according to Belgian start-up Paleo: myoglobin. We catch up with co-founder and CEO Hermes Sanctorum to ask about this novel, animal-free...

Boosted by biotech: How scientists hope to deploy genome sequencing tech to disrupt the food and supplement space

15-May-2023 By Oliver Morrison

It is estimated that two-thirds of European countries now use whole-genome sequencing (WGS) in food safety programmes. But it is time the technique is used to bring greater health benefits to functional foods, Dr Thomas Gurry, co-founder and CEO of gut...

NPD Trend Tracker: From vegan pepperoni pizza to wellness coffee

15-May-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

From hot-chocolate beads to oven-ready Italian food, from sugar-free plant-based milk to premium tiramisu, our latest NPD covers some of the most interesting products of the past week.

Rapeseed cake can be altered to become an alternative protein source, study shows

11-May-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Rapeseed is very high in protein. The rapeseed cake, which is left over after the oil is extracted, contains a significant amount of the crucial nutrient. However, because of glucosinolate defence compounds that reduce its nutritional value, there are...

'Animal agriculture is extremely wasteful': Start-up makes 'carbon negative' protein using up to 500 times less land than animal agriculture

10-May-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Farmless claims to be making 'carbon negative' protein. The Dutch start-up has developed the means to make this protein using between 10 and 25 times less agricultural land than your average plant-based protein, and between 250 and 500 times...

WATCH: Collagen in functional food and drink – the next ‘hot trend’ after CBD?

10-May-2023 By Flora Southey

The collagen trend has been building over the last few years and Romain Quillot, co-founder of functional collagen food and drink brand Humble+, expects it to continue. We ask about the challenges of incorporating collagen into products, the functional...

Study finds chewing well can help Type 2 Diabetes patients

09-May-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Diabetes, particularly type 2 diabetes (T2D), is a major killer around the world. In 2021, 6.7 million deaths linked to diabetes were recorded. Yet, a recent study has shown that something simple may impact how much blood glucose people with T2D have:...

DSM and Firmenich complete merger to become ‘trailblazer’ in nutrients, flavours, and fragrances

09-May-2023 By Flora Southey

One year after DSM and Firmenich announced plans to combine their food, beverage, and taste businesses, the merger is complete. The new company, dsm-firmenich, launches today.

Microalgae strain from volcanic hot springs has ‘protein-rich food’ potential

08-May-2023 By Flora Southey

Researchers have developed a method to produce a microalga strain containing two amino acids rarely found in such high levels in animal-free protein: cystine and methionine.

Gum helps combat sugar cravings with 'sugar destroyer' ingredient

05-May-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Israeli food-tech startup Sweet Victory has released a chewing gum designed to curb sugar cravings. A consumer study on the gum found that it enabled its users to significantly cut down on sweets, as well as lose weight. The product, which is already...

Plant-based products that attempt to mimic the nutritional qualities of meat and dairy are ‘playing a losing game’

01-May-2023 By Oliver Morrison

It’s time plant-based manufacturers stop talking about the healthy nutrients that plants don’t have and focus on those they do have, says influential Wageningen food scientist Atze Jan van der Goot.

‘The alternative protein space is coming to terms with the reality of what is needed to build self-sustaining businesses’: The challenge of scaling up plant-based production and manufacturing

28-Apr-2023 By Oliver Morrison

The recent Plant-Based Protein Manufacturing Summit in Amsterdam brought together leading businesses in the plant-based food and beverage industry with co-manufacturers, innovative equipment and solution providers to explore the challenges and opportunities...

Plant-based sector braces for ‘a rough’ 24 months

26-Apr-2023 By Oliver Morrison

The plant-based sector remains an enormous long-term growth opportunity, though investor retrenchment will continue in the short term, investors told the recent Plant-Based Protein Manufacturing Summit in Amsterdam.

Iron-rich vegan gummies developed to address deficiencies

26-Apr-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Lubrizol Life Science Health (LLS Health) has announced that it is planning to unveil new iron-rich vegan gummies, each of which provides 10mg of iron content.

Heura unveils new tech for additive-free, high-protein plant-based food

25-Apr-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Plant-based company Heura, known for its meatless chorizo sausages, chorizo burgers, and chicken, has unveiled new technology to create high-protein plant-based meat, free of e-numbers.

‘Milestone’ space experiment aims to develop resilient crops to help provide sufficient food amid climate crisis

24-Apr-2023 By Oliver Morrison

Last year, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) sent seeds into space. The seeds have now returned and the organisations will begin new efforts to develop resilient crops that...

Why keto and other specialist diets are a 'huge growth area for the food industry'

20-Apr-2023 By Oliver Morrison

Consumer interest in diets like keto, carnivore, paleo, and intermittent fasting is mounting. Do these trending diets offer long-term opportunities for food innovators?

The difference between natural and ‘free’ sugars

19-Apr-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

We all know that eating fruit is better for us than eating doughnuts. One is essential to keep us healthy, the other, perhaps, nearly essential to avoid. However, both doughnuts and most fruits are high in sugar, an ingredient widely considered to lead...

'We have to focus on growing the category': Behind Quorn parent company's move to make its mycoprotein available to others

18-Apr-2023 By Oliver Morrison

Marlow Foods has unveiled plans to supply the protein in Quorn, mycoprotein, to other food and beverage manufacturers.

Sub-cultures, nutrition, influencers and affordability: How to appeal to Gen Z

17-Apr-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

In some ways, the Gen Z market is just like any other market. Their nutritional needs are not radically different, or radically more restricted, than those older or younger than them. However, marketing to the generation of teenagers and twenty-somethings...

INSIGHTS FROM POSITIVE NUTRITION SUMMIT

‘We need the food industry to recognise this opportunity and step up to the plate’: Campaigner urges more NPD to embrace the menopause

17-Apr-2023 By Oliver Morrison

The menopause represents a significant untapped opportunity for food and beverage brands, FoodNavigator’s Positive Nutrition Summit hears.

Why Italy should be synonymous with both gastronomic excellence and food industry innovation

14-Apr-2023 By Oliver Morrison

The furore about Italy’s proposed ban on synthetic foods shouldn’t deflect from food-tech innovation in the country.

‘A laughably self-serving study’: Industry backlash over fake manuka honey claims

14-Apr-2023 By Flora Southey

New Zealand’s manuka industry is being accused of misleading consumers after it alleged honey derived from species other than the Leptospermum outside of New Zealand is inauthentic.

Addressing sugar addiction - What the industry can do

14-Apr-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

The overconsumption of sugar can lead to many health conditions, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, as well as mental health conditions such as depression. Some experts have suggested that it could be an addiction, similar to alcohol or cocaine....

App uses AI to optimise personalised nutrition

13-Apr-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

With consumers increasingly becoming more health-conscious, personalised nutrition apps are everywhere. A multitude of apps give people nutritional advice, helping them to optimise their diet and become healthier. One such app, Youniq, uses AI technology...

‘What is naturalness?’ The future of plant-based food

12-Apr-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Plant-based is one of the most important trends in the food industry today. Meat- and dairy-free products are helping provide food alternatives to an ever-growing flexitarian market. But some questions still remain. For one, since many plant-based foods...

Danone targets adult gamers with move towards the metaverse: ‘It’s something of a test and learn’

12-Apr-2023 By Flora Southey

Probiotic drinking yoghurt brand Actimel is making preliminary steps towards the metaverse with the launch of an in-game marketing campaign via Fortnite. “It’s a first of its kind for Actimel in raising awareness of the brand with a difference audience,”...

Is there any evidence the plant-based sector can move from niche to mainstream?

11-Apr-2023 By Oliver Morrison

Sales of plant-based foods across 13 European countries have grown by 22% since 2020 with the category reaching a record €5.7 billion, according to a new report. These options still make up a small fraction of the overall market, however.

NPD Trend Tracker: From chocolate peanut butter to coronation party food

11-Apr-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

What new food and beverages are hitting the shelves? This week, we have squeezy chocolate peanut butter, low-carb chutney, takeaway pastries, and coronation-themed party food.

Source: ra2studio/Getty Images

Danone North America on gut health and the microbiome: 'They have a bigger role than we thought'

06-Apr-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

The gut microbiome is one of the most important factors in shaping human health. But how is our knowledge around the microbiome developing and changing in today’s landscape? Danone North America’s Miguel Freitas talks the challenges and opportunities...