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20-Sep-2010 - There’s something incongruous about the hi-tech modern food industry sniffing around the Palaeolithic era for the next big consumer trend. But hold the side order of cynicism. There might just be some logic to good old-fashioned instinctive eating.

Time to embrace balanced kids’ marketing regulation

13-Sep-2010 - Kids are not going to stop liking chocolate, pizza, ice cream, or fries. Heck, neither am I. So why is industry so afraid of mandatory restrictions on marketing to children?

Don’t worry about wheat prices: Look at grain stocks

30-Aug-2010 - There’s nothing like a shortage of wheat to send some news media searching for superlatives. Talk of “soaring” wheat prices and “rocketing” bread prices were common, in the British press, after Russia decided to temporarily ban grain exports earlier this month. Three weeks later what lessons can we lean?

Let’s hear it for the sound of compostable packaging

23-Aug-2010 - The world’s first 100 percent biodegradable chip packet attracted a lot of noise last week, but not the buzz that SunChips’ maker FritoLay had been hoping for.

‘MacStatins’ are not the answer to unhealthy food

16-Aug-2010 - Do you want a statin with that cheeseburger and milkshake? Touting pharmaceuticals as the neutralisers of fast food is not the answer to unhealthy diets and even the suggestion sends out the wrong message.

Is cloned food legal? Europe must decide, and fast

09-Aug-2010 - Big oops. Meat and milk from the offspring of cloned animals has entered the UK food chain. Cue scary headlines and scared consumers. But the leviathan of EU-lawmaking means no-one actually knows if it’s legal or not. And that’s an even bigger oops.

Energy drink makers must do more to protect children

02-Aug-2010 - Energy drinks makers risk a regulatory clamp down if they fail to take action on marketing campaigns that irresponsibly target young consumers.

Nanotechnology in food: What’s the big idea?

26-Jul-2010 - Let's get talking about nanotech. The science of the very small has filled the food industry with big ideas – but industry is torn on how to present nanotechnology to consumers, stalling product development.

Don't shoot the watchdog - food industry needs a tight leash

12-Jul-2010 - Watchdogs provide much needed protection in an uncertain world. So why is the UK government determined to kill off the Food Standards Agency?

The quest for a radical new world for antioxidants

05-Jul-2010 - Here’s a radical thought for the marketers - the benefits of antioxidants may not be related to antioxidant activity. Last week’s NutraIngredients Antioxidants Conference suggested some tough choices are ahead.

Where next for ingredients since Cognis and National Starch?

28-Jun-2010 - ‘Billion dollar deal’ was not a phrase bandied about the food ingredients industry much last year. With BASF buying Cognis for €3.1bn and Corn Products International paying $1.3bn for National Starch, M&A looks to be thawing – but best not get over-excited just yet.

Europe must keep cool over country of origin labelling

22-Jun-2010 - Always read the small print. Good advice and nowhere more so than in food labelling with today’s increasingly savvy consumers demanding to know what’s in their food, where it came from and what it’s going to do to them.

World Cup is an own goal for food culture

14-Jun-2010 - Sorry guys, the World Cup is not all about football. It’s about food too, and this year’s tournament should kick off a whole new debate about our sporting food culture.

Scientific failings are the organic industry’s gain

31-May-2010 - Are organic foods healthier? The sad truth is that nearly 100,000 studies later, we just don't know. Meanwhile, this lack of certainty presents major business opportunities for the organic food industry.

Realistic prices needed for European food stability and to safeguard society

24-May-2010 - Please: A big round of applause for Jozsef Kapuvári. Who? You might well ask. Kapuvári is the author of an EU report that highlights the importance of realistic food prices – not just to underpin the food supply chain but to maintain the fabric of European society.

IOM report: One step forward, two steps back

17-May-2010 - The call for better biomarkers to substantiate health claims is a bold and timely move, but we need to move away from trying to judge foods as pharmaceuticals.

Biodegradable alternative or a levy - gum makers should chew on that

10-May-2010 - It’s a sticky issue that just won’t go away. There are sugar-free, tooth whitening and nicotine added versions but none from leading makers, as yet, that are dissolvable in rain.

Why food is a vital issue in the UK general election

04-May-2010 - Voting is a basic human right. Eating is a basic human need. British voters who eat should mull future meal plans carefully before putting an X in any box on Thursday.

Foods with artificial trans fats should be considered adulterated

26-Apr-2010 - There is a pile of evidence linking artificial trans fats with heart disease, so why is it still in our food? It’s time to get real and recognize that artificial trans fat is an adulterant with no place in the global food supply.

Groundhog Day for European health claims?

19-Apr-2010 - “Many in industry are pinning their hopes on EFSA showing them the light at the meeting, including the likes of Danone, which withdrew three probiotic immunity/digestive health article 13.5 claims in April, citing clarification it is expecting on Big Monday as the reason.”

Time for Europe to send bisphenol A into the sunset

12-Apr-2010 - Bisphenol A (BPA) is living on borrowed time. And not just in the United States but now in Europe too where mounting consumer hostility and scientific concern over its safety have combined to push the chemical towards the point of no return.

Slimmer cans could lead to bigger waistlines

06-Apr-2010 - Soft drink makers could end up swallowing a £10m bill for no good reason by embracing the Food Standards Agency (FSA) recommendations for new slim-line 250ml drinks.

Making the food industry fair for SMEs

30-Mar-2010 - No race should have rules that favour the strongest competitors. But unless the capabilities and interests of SMEs are taken into consideration before the starting gun is fired for new food regulations, they will struggle to keep up and may have to drop out altogether.

Supply chain transparency only answer to hostile campaigns

22-Mar-2010 - Food companies must ensure their supply chains are transparent and socially responsible in order to prevent backlashes from consumer activists and non-governmental groups on Facebook or Twitter, which could have costly brand repercussions.

The HVP recall: Damage control déjà vu

15-Mar-2010 - Not again! It emerged last week that Basic Food Flavors, the company behind the ongoing HVP recall, knew its products were tainted with salmonella but carried on shipping them anyway. Déjà vu anyone?