The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) has moved a step closer to its ambitious goal of creating a global certification standard for seaweed production after announcing it will be working on the project with the NGO Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC).
A report by marketing intelligence consultancy Future Market Insight (FMI) says meat packaging sales will achieve single-digit growth between now and 2025.
Brands are blowing a major opportunity to communicate their sustainability initiatives to millions of consumers with social media updates that are “inane, safe and saccharinely artificial in their bonhomie”, says a report.
Discount brands have more to gain from marketing their sustainability credentials than premium ones, but they’ll have a much harder time convincing consumers their claims aren’t just greenwash.
UK government:‘There is no one definition of sustainable palm oil’
Voluntary measures and government targets are great – but it is legislation that will push European palm oil users to true sustainability. The food sector could learn a lesson or two from biofuel here.
ScenoProt, a six year Finnish project will bring together scientists, consumer specialists and product developers with one aim: developing self-sufficiency in protein production for global sustainability.
Companies are increasingly demanding certified palm oil using criteria that are stricter than current RSPO standards – does the mean the RSPO certification is in danger of becoming irrelevant?
Food security has become less urgent for Middle East states, but many are still pursuing “macro food sovereignty” policies to ensure long-term supply, according to a SOAS academic.
Food labelling and ethical certification aren’t as effective as we think - for a sustainable food chain, small and medium businesses need to team up with social scientists to create ‘attentive consumption’ and transform the supply chain, say participants...
Bérangère Magarinos-Ruchat, vice president of sustainability partnerships at global flavour firm Firmenich has won “Head of Sustainability” at the Ethical Corporation's Responsible Business Awards.
The UK government is calling on manufacturers to use local county of origin labelling on its products – but unlike in Italy such measures would be voluntary.
A sustainable logo is known to add value to a brand – so why are so many manufacturers not showing their Fairtrade, organic or sustainable credentials?
African beef producer Zambeef Products has been awarded the 2015 Award for consistency in complying with Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations by the Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA).
A growing trend for sustainability certifications and on pack ‘branding’ could mean manufacturers are missing the wider point of sustainability issues and may confuse consumers so much they no longer care.
A growing global population won’t only affect protein demand – sustainable fat production is also a major challenge, says food traceability expert Dr Heiner Lehr.
The word ‘sustainability’ has been abused – and we need to see beyond the buzzword to create truly sustainable development, says corporate sustainability director at Nutreco, José Villalon.
Mondelez International is on track to meet its goal of sourcing 100% traceable palm oil by the end of the year after reaching 70% traceability in 2014, says global director of sustainability Jonathan Horrell.
INCPEN (The Industry Council for research on Packaging and the Environment) has published information on the EU Commission’s initial thoughts on a Circular Economy Package.
The food industry – the most water-intensive business on earth - is unprepared for global water shortages, according to a report which ranks the best and worst offending companies for their water management.
The world’s biggest food firm, Nestlé, has put reducing food waste firmly on its agenda, announcing plans to help further prevent the issue of food losses and waste around the world at the Save Food Congress.
A single, unifying sustainability standard would be helpful for consumers – but it’s a long way off, says Organic Monitor president and founder Amarjit Sahota.
More sustainable production is needed to ensure food and nutrition for future generations, but sustainability faces hidden threats, claims the Worldwatch Institute.
Cargill is on track to make its goal of completely sustainable palm oil supply by 2020, the company has said in its second palm oil progress update, summing up the efforts made so far by the US-headquartered agriculture major.
Business plays a crucial role in meeting sustainable development goals – but it should not lead the social agenda, according to Nestlé CEO Paul Bulcke, speaking at the World Economic Forum’s meeting in Davos.
European food companies increasingly are using exotic fruits like dried mango, papaya and pineapple to differentiate their products in a crowded marketplace – but at what cost to local farmers and the environment?
Six US federal agencies have jointly announced the 26 communities selected to participate in Local Foods, Local Places, an initiative providing technical support to integrate local food systems into community economic action plans.
With the UN-led climate change negotiations now underway in Lima, Peru, industry organisation FoodDrinkEurope is urging delegates to stop “stalling” and come up with an “ambitious and legally-binding” agreement before the Paris talks in November 2015.
Scandinavia’s top-selling smoothie manufacturer Froosh has called for ‘trade not aid’ in developing countries and insists beverage brands should do more to understand their supply chains.
Wine Vision organizer Andrew Reed says the 2014 conference will explore how to attract new consumers to wine and tap emerging market growth with margins are squeezed elsewhere.
Unilever, Nestlé and Diageo are the most sustainable companies in the food and beverage industry – but more needs to be done to link sustainability efforts with business performance, according to a new report from certification body DNV GL.
US beef bosses have branded a study, which claims beef production was around 10 times more harmful to the environment than other protein productions, as a “gross over-simplification”.
A heated panel debate over the reality of a consumer industry based on 100% sustainable palm oil broke out at the European Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil held in London last week.
Food businesses and consumers don’t understand the impact emerging economies could face if pressure to source 100% sustainable palm oil builds too quickly, Marks & Spencer’s (M&S) sustainable development manager Fiona Wheatley claims.
Despite widespread interest in sustainability issues, the labelling of products with information on environmental and ethical issues remains a low priority for consumers when compared to nutritional value and price.
Ingredients suppliers are uniquely placed in the supply chain to up their game in sustainable sourcing and must push the agenda further, says a market analyst from Invenire.
Norwegian consumer goods giant Orkla, which also owns Indian brand MTR Foods, has committed to using palm oil from sustainable sources in a move which Greenpeace says should coax other food majors to do similar.
Food and drink firms must be more proactive at assessing the sustainability of their products and ingredients, rather than reacting to market interest, according to Leatherhead Food Research expert Emma Gubisch.
By Han De Groot, executive director at UTZ Certified and Liza Murphy, senior relationships manager at UTZ certified.
Traceability is here to stay – and it is industry’s responsibility to put efficient and reliable traceability systems in place to provide real information for consumers.
By Winnie Byanyima, executive director, Oxfam International
Food and drink companies can have a big influence over sustainability and ethical issues in their supply chains - and have the power to change them rapidly. One year on from Oxfam's first Behind the Brands sustainability scorecard, nine of the ten...
Once-niche certified sustainable goods are gaining traction in mainstream markets, but there is a danger that smaller producers are still under-represented, according to a review from the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD).
