Food labelling

Rotting ham and mislabelled meat? Pork scandal shakes meat industry

04-Apr-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

In the UK, a food processor has been accused by former employees of “washing” hams that are visibly gone off and mislabelling products as retail. The allegations have brought the meat industry as a whole, and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in particular,...

‘We’re tackling challenging categories head on’: Behind Nomad Foods’ reformulation strategy

04-Apr-2023 By Flora Southey

The vast majority of Nomad Foods’ net sales come from ‘healthy’ meal choices. But not all. From ‘health through stealth’ through to pizza reformulation, group nutrition leader Lauren Woodley reveals why incoming HFSS regulations presents an opportunity...

Sugar contamination stings honey imports in Europe

03-Apr-2023 By Flora Southey

Almost half (46%) of all honey samples tested by the European Commission is thought to be adulterated with sugars.

Carrefour launches anti-food waste labels in response to new French law

31-Mar-2023 By Nicola Gordon-Seymour

Carrefour Group is the first French retailer to obtain the national anti-waste label launched by the national government earlier this month to showcase industry adherence to statutory regulations for food waste reduction.

How the ‘gritty honesty’ of TikTok may help transform food and beverage

27-Mar-2023 By Oliver Morrison

Market research from Verve has revealed some of the food trends that are taking TikTok by storm and how the industry may leverage the platform for commercial success.

No more ‘bee-friendly juice’ or ‘carbon neutral bananas’? Commission proposes ban on misleading environmental claims

24-Mar-2023 By Flora Southey

In a move against greenwashing, the European Commission is proposing common criteria to stamp out vague, misleading, or unsubstantiated environmental claims.

Commission moves to block ‘proliferation’ of ecolabels from entering market

23-Mar-2023 By Flora Southey

The European Commission is proposing limits on which new environmental labelling schemes will be allowed to enter the market, in response to concerns around consumer confusion and mistrust.

Nutri-Score backed by European Public Health Association amid algorithm debate

20-Mar-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Love it or hate it, Nutri-Score is one of the most popular front-of-pack nutrition labelling systems for food and drink. Now, the European Public Health Association, a non-governmental organisation of public health institutes across Europe, has expressed...

‘The race is on’: Is Japan’s commitment to cultivated meat another sign Europe is lagging?

14-Mar-2023 By Flora Southey

As another country, Japan, announces plans to develop a market for cellular foods, we ask stakeholders how Europe can remain competitive in the global race to develop cultivated meat.

EU urged to ban ‘carbon neutral’ claims for food and drink: ‘There’s no such thing as a CO2 neutral banana’

10-Mar-2023 By Flora Southey

The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) is calling for an ‘outright ban’ of carbon neutral claims for food and drink in Europe, claiming they confuse and mislead shoppers. FoodNavigator asks the Carbon Trust to weigh in.

‘90% of our portfolio will be HFSS-compliant’: A deep-dive into Danone’s new health commitments in UK & Ireland

06-Mar-2023 By Flora Southey

Danone UK & Ireland is setting new health commitments for its consumer portfolio of brands. Zoe Ellis, head of consumer nutrition, talks us through the company’s strategy in achieving more than 90% HFSS compliance.

Protecting against a ‘dystopian’ future: ‘Coffee, bananas, and chocolate could soon be much harder to buy’

28-Feb-2023 By Flora Southey

Climate change, coupled with ‘deeply unfair trade’, means that some consumer staples could soon be missing from supermarket aisles, predicts the Fairtrade Foundation. What challenges and opportunities exist in encouraging industry to support ethical trade?

Dissecting cultivated meat regulation part 2: What’s working in the US and Singapore, and what’s not?

16-Feb-2023 By Flora Southey

Both the US and Singapore have seen cultivated meat products pass through their regulatory processes, yet the two governments approach novel foods in different ways. Which challenges and opportunities exist within these regulatory frameworks, and what...

Greenwashing: Updated rules in the UK urge advertisers to avoid using unqualified carbon neutral, net zero claims

15-Feb-2023 By Oliver Morrison

Guidance from CAP and BCAP, the Advertising Standards Authority codes for non- and broadcast industries, has been updated to include advice on the use of carbon neutral and net zero claims in advertising.

‘The voluntary code is not working’: Experts call for an end to the ‘exploitative marketing’ used by the baby formula milk industry

08-Feb-2023 By Oliver Morrison

Formula milk marketing tactics are exploitative, and regulations need to be urgently strengthened and properly implemented, according to a new three paper series published in The Lancet.

Ready meals have ‘lower nutritional quality, higher greenhouse gas emissions and are more expensive’: study

07-Feb-2023 By Oliver Morrison

Research into the nutritional and sustainability attributes of ready meals suggests scope for innovation in this category.

AI-driven food waste solution rolls out in Netherlands

22-Dec-2022 By Oliver Morrison

An AI-driven solution to cut down on food waste has rolled out into Hoogvliet supermarket stores in the Netherlands.

Poor data is hindering eco-label plans, group warns

08-Dec-2022 By Oliver Morrison

The UK’s CLEAR consortium complains that a lack of global data that distinguishes between farming methods and countries risks making eco-labels a blunt tool for consumers seeking greater transparency about food products.

Scottish start-up turns to ‘food of the future’ seaweed to launch methylcellulose replacement

24-Nov-2022 By Oliver Morrison

OCEANIUM has developed a high-fibre seaweed-based one-for-one methylcellulose replacement for plant-based meat which can be used in other products applications including gluten-free breads and beverages. Farmed seaweed also boasts numerous environmental,...

Edible packaging set to tackle the ‘evil twins’ of food and plastic waste

18-Nov-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Spain's Bio2Coat is hoping to solve the twin problems of food waste and plastic waste coming from packaging materials with a 100% natural, edible coating that extends shelf-life of fruits and vegetables and a 100% natural, edible packaging material...

Sugar campaigner calls for clampdown on ‘misleading’ nutrition and health claims on baby and toddler food

16-Nov-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Despite UK government guidance that no added sugars, including those from processed fruit, should be consumed by children up to the age of two years old, new research from Action on Sugar (based at Queen Mary University of London) has revealed what it...

Sustainability experts call for one unified eco-label in UK

11-Nov-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Carbon tracking experts are urging the UK government and industry to work together to introduce one unified front-of-pack labelling system displaying the carbon footprint of a food and beverage product to consumers.

Food labels telling people how much exercise is needed to burn off calories won’t help tackle obesity, study suggests

09-Nov-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Food and drink labels showing the amount of physical activity required to burn off their calories have no impact on tackling obesity, according to the largest study of its kind in the UK.

In a world of lab-grown and processed food, what is ‘natural’?

04-Nov-2022 By Flora Southey

For food to be ‘natural’, do consumers need to know where it came from? Can it be ‘natural’ if it was grown in a lab? And is defining ‘natural’ even important, anyway?

EU-wide labelling scheme decision pushed forward to 2023 as Commission admits ‘complex’ situation

27-Oct-2022 By Oliver Morrison

The European Commission is expected to be delaying its food labelling plans and is unlikely to recommend one existing label.

Promoting plant-based: Environmental concerns don’t motivate people to cut back on meat

19-Oct-2022 By Katy Askew

Environmental concerns don’t motivate consumers to replace meat products with plant-based alternatives, new research suggests. So, what does prompt people to make the swap?

Labelling debate heats up as deadline looms: Does Nutri-Score offer ‘transparency’ or is it ‘obsolete’?

14-Oct-2022 By Flora Southey

As the European Union’s nutrition labelling deadline approaches, a pro Nutri-Score campaign launches in France, while others condemn the scheme for being ‘too simple’ and out-of-date.

Food labelling has a significant impact on consumer decision-making

13-Oct-2022 By Natasha Spencer-Jolliffe

As both the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre and Safe Food Advocacy Europe release reports detailing how the food industry conveys information, calls for change emerge.

Do eco-labels on menus influence sustainable food choices?

12-Oct-2022 By Flora Southey

Researchers want to know whether placing a traffic light rating of eco-friendliness next to dishes on a menu increases the likelihood of diners choosing more sustainable options.

Vertical farming certification developed for sustainable operators

11-Oct-2022 By Flora Southey

The Sustainable Indoor Farming standard is being launched by Control Union UK in collaboration with the Association for Vertical Farming to ‘fill a gap’ in certification for the vertical farming sector.

Plant-based innovators push back at ‘ultra-processed, ultra-unhealthy’ critique

28-Sep-2022 By Katy Askew

Vegetarian diets are often characterised as healthy options delivering higher nutritional quality. But the surge seen in recent years of plant-based analogue products that many classify as ultra-processed has placed this reputation under pressure. Are...

‘Many consumers do not understand nutritional labelling’: Nestlé Cereals raises red flag over traffic lights confusion

21-Sep-2022 By Katy Askew

Nestlé Cereals has conducted research into consumer attitudes to nutritional labelling in the UK. The results are in. “Our research shows many consumers do not understand how to interpret the nutritional labelling information,” FoodNavigator hears.

What’s meat's beef with vegan burgers? The case against ‘meaty’ names for plant-based substitutes

07-Sep-2022 By Flora Southey

For the most part, the meat industry is against the use of ‘meaty’ denominations for plant-based alternatives. What’s the sector’s beef with ‘vegan burgers’ and ‘plant-based sausages’? FoodNavigator investigates.

Nutri-Score blocks ‘health-halo’ effects caused by claims on sugar, but should such claims be allowed at all?

18-Aug-2022 By Flora Southey

Fresh research out of Germany suggests the nutrition labelling scheme can prevent products from appearing healthier than they really are.

How can food and beverage brands make fibre sexy?

17-Aug-2022 By Flora Southey

Supporting gut bacteria and bowel health may not be the most appealing claims to market on-pack, but ingredients experts say consumer perceptions can be changed – if they haven't already.

One ingredient that can do it all? Bio-based hydrocolloid developed to ‘clean’ up plant-based

16-Aug-2022 By Flora Southey

German start-up Bioweg claims its bio-based hydrocolloid made from bacterial cellulose can improve taste, texture, and appearance of plant-based meat and dairy alternatives.

‘Industry does not want to define ‘natural’’: How clarification of ‘overused’ term can better human and planetary health

11-Aug-2022 By Flora Southey

Safe Food Advocacy Europe has long been campaigning for an official definition of the term ‘natural’. Yet not all industry players are on board, we are told. How could a legal definition benefit both consumers and the planet?

Five years of Yuka: Co-founder talks strategy, impact, and evolution of food scanning app

11-Aug-2022 By Flora Southey

What are consumers most concerned about on-pack? Is Yuka having an impact on reformulation efforts? And what does the future hold for the popular food scanning app? FoodNavigator catches up with co-founder François Martin to find out.

Italian Government launches NutrInform Battery app as preferred diet tool

08-Aug-2022 By Flora Southey

Italy, which is publicly opposed to Nutri-Score, has developed a smartphone app to accompany its alternative nutritional labelling scheme NutrInform Battery.

How is clean label evolving? Mintel talks regulation, processing, and linking ‘clean with green’

04-Aug-2022 By Flora Southey

The ‘clean label’ trend does not remain stagnant. Mintel’s Emma Schofield, Associate Director, Global Food Science, reveals how the trend is evolving in the face of changing regulation, interest is degrees of processing, and environmentally friendly consumers.

Nutri-Score 2.0? Algorithm update recommended by European scientific committee

03-Aug-2022 By Flora Southey

While judged to be performing ‘well’, the Scientific Committee of the Nutri-Score has suggested improvements to further align the FOP nutrition label with dietary guidelines.

New labelling tech mirrors decay cycle of food: ‘Best before and use-by confuse consumers’

29-Jul-2022 By Flora Southey

In a bid to combat food waste, cross-Atlantic start-up Oli-Tec has developed temperature indicator labels that help consumers see when food is going off.

How ‘green’ is your product? New tool measures food and drink against sustainability criteria

25-Jul-2022 By Flora Southey

The ‘Clara’ data platform rates the sustainability credentials of UK supermarket products. FoodNavigator asks co-founder of Impact Score – the start-up behind the new tool – how the platform differs from its flagship app.

Titanium dioxide substitute inspired by ‘brilliantly white’ beetle: ‘The pigment is 100% cellulose, nothing else’

22-Jul-2022 By Flora Southey

Cambridge University spin-out Impossible Materials has developed a cellulose-based, white pigment to replace titanium dioxide in food applications. FoodNavigator catches up with CEO Lukas Schertel to find out how.

The FoodNavigator Podcast: From clean label to clean living

20-Jul-2022 By Flora Southey

How is the ‘clean label’ trend evolving? FoodNavigator invites Mintel, SAFE, and Yuka onto the podcast to discuss ultra-processed foods, the definition of ‘natural’, and what exactly shoppers want from food and drink.

Clean label claims boost sales, but what categories benefit most?

20-Jul-2022 By Katy Askew

The clean label ingredients market is witnessing continued growth, with evidence suggesting clean labels increase consumer willingness to pay a higher price point and build loyalty. FoodNavigator digs down into the trend to profile what categories and...

Food for thought

Food marketers: Stop telling people how to think

08-Jul-2022 By Oliver Morrison

No, your consumers don’t want lectures on climate change, BLM and LGBTQ+.

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