All news articles for August 2015

supermarkets account for 0.25Mt of food waste a year, according to WRAP

Retailers shouldn’t carry the blame for food waste, says BRC

By Nicholas Robinson

Food waste reduction by manufacturers and households needs to be the focus of attention since they are the biggest culprits, rather than supermarkets, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) director of food policy Andrew Opie has argued.

ECJ case is 'a critically needed' check on government actors and measures, says food lawyer

EFSA loses right to keep experts secret

By Annie Harrison-Dunn

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has lost its right to keep the names of contributing expert commentators a secret – a European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling that could be applied retrospectively.

Cargill takes over Italian citrus pectin plants, three years after they were bought by US-based FMC

Cargill buys Italian citrus pectin business

By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Cargill is to acquire the pectin operations of US firm FMC - a move it hopes will help it tap into demand for 'label-friendly' ingredients. 

Opinions are divided about the logic of vertical integration of the food supply chain

Supermarkets ‘risk losing millions’ in manufacturing

By Nicholas Robinson

Supermarkets planning to take up food manufacturing in their fight to gain a competitive edge over the limited range discounters Aldi and Lidl risked losing millions of pounds and faced being stuck with underperforming factories, a leading analyst has...

Anthrax is caused by the bacterium B. anthracis

ECDC: Negligible anthrax risk from contaminated meat

By Joseph James Whitworth

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has said there is a ‘negligible risk’ after a man died of Bacillus anthracis from contact with an infected cow.

Corn is one of the feed crops that has been badly hit

Drought hits animal feed in Moldova

By Vladislav Vorotnikov

Severe drought in Moldova already led to the acute shortage of feed grain, and the situation may significantly worsen within the coming months, the country’s officials and market participants indicate. 

Auchan is unhappy with some of the claims, but is taking tougher action to combat food fraud

Auchan responds to Russia food fraud case

By Michelle Perrett

Hypermarket chain Auchan is cracking down on counterfeit meat after Russian food regulator Rosselkhoznadzor claimed it had sold minced beef and pork and kebabs with traces of unlabelled meats.

Richmond sausage sales were impacted by deep promotional activity

Kerry Foods sales revenue falls by 6.4%

By Alice Foster

Kerry Foods has suffered losses as a result of heavy promotional activity caused by the major multiples in response to the growth of the German discounters Aldi and Lidl.

The authority was also asked to add ‘fresh’, ‘pure’, ‘original’, ‘authentic’, ‘real’, ‘genuine’ and ‘home-made' to its list

Irish artisans complain big brands ‘usurping’ their shelf space

By Annie Harrison-Dunn

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has begun its crack down on the misleading use of terms ‘artisan’, ‘farmhouse’, ‘traditional’ and ‘natural’ following complaints from artisan companies – but enforcement will be a challenge.

High-protein yoghurts have risen in popularity, including non-fortified Greek yoghurts which have a natural fit to the high-protein halo.

Special edition: Protein

Mainstream keen on protein foods (but supplements still rule)

By Shane STARLING

Protein has been hot for some years and shows no sign of abating in the near future as diet trends flip in protein’s favour from largely discredited low-fat to lower-carb/higher-protein regimes and a broader health halo around various protein forms.

The Slovakian government estimates the VAT decrease will cut state revenues by €1 billion

Slovakia to cut VAT on fresh meat to 10%

By Jaroslaw Adamowski

Slovak prime minister Robert Fico has unveiled plans to reduce the value-added tax (VAT) on fresh meat from the current rate of 20% to 10%. 

Quarantine and pig culling as a result of the outbreak will hit Ukrainian companies hard

Largest African swine fever outbreak to hit Ukraine

By Vladislav Vorotnikov

Russia is considering banning pork and pork product imports from Ukraine following a large-scale outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) in Kiev Oblast, according to the press secretary of Russian veterinary watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor. 

Protein facts

special edition: protein

How much do you really know about protein?

By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Do you know which country consumes the most protein per capita? Which protein company has been causing a stir among feminist tweeters? How much protein the average adult should be getting a day? Take our quiz to find out if you really are a pro when it...

'Vegan athletes play an integral part in furthering the meat-free movement,' says the Vegan Society

Special edition: Protein

Vegethletics: Are you running on plants?

By Annie Harrison-Dunn

The ‘no meat athlete’ movement is showing that animal protein isn’t the only track available to sportspeople – and in turn this is smashing old perceptions about what it is to be vegan and vegetarian, says the Vegan Society.

“We see opportunities for scientifically justified nutritional products…”

EFSA issues medical foods guidance

By Shane STARLING

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has issued guidance on how firms can compile “well-structured dossiers” for medical foods that may be permitted in the EU’s 28 nations as momentum to update archaic laws grows.

Seaweed follows in the footsteps of 'global trailblazer' Scotch whiskey

Could Scottish seaweed be the next Scotch whisky?

By Annie Harrison-Dunn

The Scottish seaweed industry seems set to boom as the country's government prepares an expansion policy and company Mara Seaweed seeks over €700,000 to take its condiments global.

Fibers from food waste offer clean label option

IFT Annual Conference

Fibers from food waste offer clean label option

By Elizabeth Crawford

Multifunctional fibers made from fruit and vegetable peals and pulps that would otherwise be thrown away can help manufacturers meet consumers’ growing demand for clean ingredient labels while also reducing food waste. 

Speculation is rife that Unilever will sell off its food brands

Unilever food disposal rumours rise

By Rick Pendrous

Unilever’s relatively flat food business sales for the second quarter (Q2) of the year reported last month and increasing focus on high-end personal care products, will inevitably raise further speculation about its commitment to the sector and the likelihood...

There is emerging evidence that the timing of food intake plays a much more important role in metabolism than previously thought, say researchers.

Night snacking woes: Is food timing is key to weight loss?

By Nathan Gray

There is a lack of top level evidence to support the notion that eating ‘little and often’ is beneficial for metabolism and weight loss, say researchers who warn that more robust clinical data that also accounts for meal timing is needed.

Follow us

Products

View more

Webinars