Food safety

Gousto launches smell training kits as Long COVID sufferers ‘fall out of love with food’ after losing smell and taste

14-Mar-2022 By Oliver Morrison

The recipe kit provider has introduced free limited-edition ‘Flavour Saviour’ kits in partnership with the charity AbScent to help consumers ‘retrain their senses and rediscover the joy of mealtimes’.

HPP milk concerns flagged as EFSA endorses high pressure processing for food products

11-Mar-2022 By Oliver Morrison

High-pressure processing (HPP) of food is effective at destroying harmful microorganisms and poses no more food safety concerns than other treatments. However, HPP is not as effective on milk and some ready-to-eat foods (RTE), according to an EFSA opinion.

FAO examines safety of ‘new food’ and tech: ‘In a rapidly changing world foresight is more important than ever’

08-Mar-2022 By Katy Askew

There are ‘exciting opportunities to feed the world’, according to the FAO of the United Nations, which highlights the potential of ‘new foods’ like jellyfish, edible insects and cellular meat. However, the organisation suggests, now is the time to start...

Acrylamide alert raised after ‘alarming’ levels found in children’s food

03-Mar-2022 By Flora Southey

SAFE Food Advocacy Europe is raising the alarm, after acrylamide concentrations at four to five times higher than what is currently permitted in the EU through benchmark levels were found in food.

Risks of using AI to grow our food ‘poorly understood’ and ‘under-appreciated’

02-Mar-2022 By Oliver Morrison

The use of artificial intelligence in agriculture comes with substantial potential risks for farms, farmers and food security, warns a new risk analysis.

Food giants form coalition to tackle flexible packaging pollution

01-Mar-2022 By Katy Askew

Five of Europe’s largest food manufacturers have formed the Flexible Packaging Initiative, a joint scheme to promote circularity in flexible packaging.

UN demands more diverse food production methods as report warns climate change risks are greater than thought

01-Mar-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Nearly a third of the world's crop fields will be unsuitable for food production by the end of this century unless carbon emissions are curbed, warns the latest instalment of the IPCC climate change report.

‘The food safety sector is hungry for disruption’: FoodDocs steps up expansion of its HACCP AI solution

22-Feb-2022 By Katy Askew

Digital food safety innovator FoodDocs has completed a funding round that the start-up says will help scale its AI-enabled food safety solutions.

Sports nutrition flexes its muscles to stamp out non-compliance: ‘Third-party certification has significantly enhanced industry reputation’

10-Feb-2022 By Flora Southey

A sector once plagued by ‘suspicion’ and ‘failed doping tests’ is turning the tide on non-compliance thanks to voluntary third-party certification programmes.

French nitrates bill: An ‘historic’ moment or delaying the ban?

04-Feb-2022 By Katy Askew

France’s National Assembly backed the principle to ‘lower the trajectory’ of maximum levels of nitrates that can be added to charcuterie meats yesterday in an almost unanimous vote in flavour of the proposal. But are amendments that require a further...

Safety concerns build over botanicals’ use in food: ‘There is no harmonised approach for their labelling and assessment’

03-Feb-2022 By Flora Southey

A campaign designed to address uncertainties in the assessment of botanicals’ health properties has been launched by SAFE.

‘A major milestone for the UK edible insect sector:’ UK edible insect makers hope for Novel Food approval by 2023

03-Feb-2022 By Oliver Morrison

A network of over 30 edible insect companies in the UK has submitted a Novel Food dossier to the Food Standards Agency (FSA) for Acheta Domesticus, or house crickets.

The UK’s Novel Foods legislation: A dinosaur stifling innovation or making the best of bad hand?

02-Feb-2022 By Oliver Morrison

The UK Food Safety Authority (FSA)’s Novel Foods process is not fit for purpose and is holding back originality and growth in the UK’s food and beverage industry, believes Richard Horwell, owner of London-based Brand Relations, a specialist food and drink...

Higher welfare systems needed to end routine use of antibiotics in animal production

28-Jan-2022 By Katy Askew

Could current animal welfare standards in industrial production systems undermine the European Commission’s ambitious new rules to restrict the use of antimicrobials in livestock production?

French ban on nitrates in meat: Charcuterie group hits out at attack on ‘national gastronomy’

26-Jan-2022 By Katy Askew

A bill to introduce a ‘progressive prohibition’ on the use of nitrates in meat production continued to make its way through the French legislative system today (26 January). But the development faced criticism from both sides of the debate, with health...

Codex adopts framework for steviol glycosides: ‘This benefits the entire stevia industry’

20-Jan-2022 By Katy Askew

International food standards body Codex Alimentarius has adopted a Framework for steviol glycosides that encompasses four different production technologies in a move that is expected to ‘benefit the entire stevia industry’.

Do UK consumers want to try cultivated meat? And what about insects?

11-Jan-2022 By Flora Southey

New research from the Food Standards Agency is investigating how willing consumers are to taste test alternative protein products.

Silk lauded as future solution in food waste and preservation

05-Jan-2022 By Oliver Morrison

With concerns about food waste rising, researchers from Tufts University have hailed silk fibroin-based edible coatings as a potential solution.

EFSA poised to slash daily exposure limits for bisphenol A as EU court confirms it as ‘substance of very high concern’

22-Dec-2021 By Oliver Morrison

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is to re-evaluate the risks of bisphenol A (BPA) in food as the Court of Justice of the EU confirms the chemical must be listed as a “substance of very high concern” for its hormone-disrupting properties on the...

Warning on ‘serious health risks’ of counterfeit Christmas booze

17-Dec-2021 By Katy Askew

Shoppers have been warned of the ‘serious health risks’ associated with drinking counterfeit alcohol this festive season.

MOSHs or MOAHs in food: Calls for zero tolerance as ‘toxic’ mineral oils found in products across Europe... but are they harming consumers?

16-Dec-2021 By Oliver Morrison

Many food products sold in Europe including stock cubes, chocolate and spreads are contaminated with dangerous mineral oils, claims Foodwatch.

ORIVO and Imprint Analytics collaborate on seafood authenticity with multi-isotope fingerprinting tech

09-Dec-2021 By Katy Askew

Food testing and authentication companies ORIVO and Imprint Analytics are teaming up to provide transparency to the seafood market through ‘highly advanced chemical fingerprinting analysis’.

Robots ‘ready to extend reach’ in food industry

07-Dec-2021 By Oliver Morrison

There’s a strong case for the future growth of robots in food production in Europe, believes Dutch bank ING, as companies look to boost competitiveness, improve product quality and respond to rising labour costs.

Scientists unveil environmentally friendly ‘jelly ice cube’ set to transform food storage and shipping

02-Dec-2021 By Oliver Morrison

Researchers at the University of California, Davis, have developed a new type of cooling cube that they claim could revolutionize how food is kept cold and shipped fresh without relying on ice or traditional cooling packs.

Food safety regulators must respond to the threat of climate change: FSA

16-Nov-2021 By Katy Askew

The food system is exposed to increased food safety risks from climate change – a danger regulators must be mindful of, UK Food Safety Agency Chair Professor Susan Jebb suggests. Authorities also need to help the sector mitigate the contribution it currently...

Cultivated, cultured, or other? Making alt meat terminology appealing and transparent

27-Oct-2021 By Flora Southey

From in vitro to synthetic, lab-grown, cell-based, cultivated and cultured, slaughter-free meat grown from animal cells has been called a myriad of names in its relatively short lifespan. But which term is most appealing, and transparent, to consumers?...

Eat Just mung bean protein gets novel foods nod: ‘Bringing JUST Egg to Europe will be one of the most important milestones for our company’

20-Oct-2021 By Katy Askew

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has green-lighted the mung bean protein ingredient used in Eat Just’s egg substitute product, paving the way for the company to launch its JUST Egg plant-based alternative in Europe.

Data overload? TrusTrace 'one-stop-shop' addresses traceability challenges

15-Oct-2021 By Katy Askew

Traceability data is notoriously complex and difficult to handle. Start-up TrusTrace says its 'unique' approach leaves it positioned to become the ‘mission-critical’ operating platform for food brands solving sustainability and transparency...

Infant formula trials “are not reliable”, warns study

15-Oct-2021 By Lynda Searby

A systematic review published in the BMJ slams recent formula milk trials as biased, and calls for a “a substantial change” in the way clinical infant formula trials are administered and reported to protect consumers from misinformation.

'This is not a cookie cutter approach'... Reformulation challenges in wake of titanium dioxide ban

14-Oct-2021 By Oliver Morrison

With a ban on the use of controversial colouring agent titanium dioxide (E171) looking likely in the European Union in 2022, the ingredient supplier Ingredion Corporation warns that manufacturers might face extra costs when converting to clean label strategies,...

Food fraud: Scientists develop ‘low-cost’ country of origin detection method

12-Oct-2021 By Katy Askew

A model that can be used to determine the origin of food in ‘an efficient and low-cost manner’ has been developed by botanists at the University of Basel.

EU E171 ban set for 2022: ‘The safety of our food is not negotiable’

11-Oct-2021 By Katy Askew

A ban on the use of controversial colouring titanium dioxide (E171) will come into effect in the European Union in 2022.

Mars Wrigley and SwissDeCode team up to tackle Cocoa Swollen Shoot Disease

30-Sep-2021 By Katy Askew

Swiss agrifood testing company SwissDeCode is working with confectionery giant Mars Wrigley to find an early detection solution that can identify Cocoa Swollen Shoot Disease (CSSD), a virus that can devastate cocoa crops.

Edible insects ‘more sustainable as food rather than animal feed’

27-Sep-2021 By Oliver Morrison

Insects fed from industrial side-stream waste and then directly consumed as food have the ‘greatest potential to reduce the carbon footprints of European consumers’, claims a new study.

Japanese knotweed may lower cancer risk of processed meat, find researchers

24-Sep-2021 By Flora Southey

Replacing carcinogenic compound nitrite in processed meat with an extract taken from Japanese knotweed could reduce cancer risk, according to an EU co-funded research project.

Kerry talks Niacet acquisition: ‘We have created a global leadership position in the food preservation sector’

15-Sep-2021 By Katy Askew

Kerry announced yesterday (14 September) that it has completed the acquisition of preservation specialist Niacet, in a deal worth €853m. What does this mean for the ingredient supplier? FoodNavigator caught up with Bert De Vegt, Vice President of Food...

Traceability a ‘key enabler of trust, transparency and sustainability’

15-Sep-2021 By Katy Askew

End-to-end traceability is coming to be viewed as central to advancing food safety, quality and sustainability. Transparency is also an increasingly important tool to build trust. We look at how this is impacting the supply chain.

Food companies ‘behind the curve’ on plastic pollution, campaigners claim

10-Sep-2021 By Oliver Morrison

Major food manufacturing and grocery retail companies that turn a blind eye to the risks related to plastic pollution could face legal action, warns environmental law charity Client Earth.

‘Each of us has a role’: How can consumers support a food system fix?

07-Sep-2021 By Katy Askew

What we eat is contributing to some of the greatest challenges facing the world, from climate change to global health crises. Can a shift in consumption also be part of the solution?

‘News of this trial will likely be welcomed by the food industry’: Europe’s first CRISPR-edited wheat set to be grown

03-Sep-2021 By Oliver Morrison

UK scientists will run a series of field trials of wheat that has been genome edited in an effort to make break with lower levels of asparagine.

Belfast scientists unveil testing to tackle white pepper fraud

20-Aug-2021 By Oliver Morrison

Bia Analytical, a Queen's University Belfast spin out, has added white pepper to its expanding range of authenticity tests.

GUEST ARTICLE

Industry insights from NIZO: Making pathogen and spoiler control an integral part of dairy and plant-based product development

18-Aug-2021 By René Floris, NIZO Food Research Division Manager

All too often, controlling pathogenic and spoilage microbes in a new or reformulated food product comes at the end of the development process. René Floris, NIZO Food Research Division Manager and member of the FoodNavigator expert advisory panel hears...

'Code red for humanity' climate change report warns of food security risk: is industry ahead or behind the game?

12-Aug-2021 By Oliver Morrison

In a landmark report, the UN’s intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC) gave the first major review of the science of climate change since 2013.

6PPD quinone: The environmental contaminant killing Coho salmon

09-Aug-2021 By Katy Askew

An everyday chemical has been found to be highly toxic. Contamination of waterways is responsible for what had been the unexplained mass deaths of Coho salmon. We take a look at 6-PPD quinone, what it means for the food system and why it is important...