Fruit, vegetable, nut ingredients

Food giants at risk of ‘greenwashing’ over regenerative agricultural practices: report warns

31-Jan-2023 By Oliver Morrison

The lack of definition as to what constitutes regenerative agriculture can create a risk of misleading claims about their environmental credentials.

‘This ticks every box worth ticking’: The agri-tech start-up aiming to grow water lentils at scale

25-Jan-2023 By Oliver Morrison

UK-based food production company Sustainable Planet has unveiled technology to use desertified land to grow the highly nutritious and potentially climate positive duckweed plant.

The new hybrid? Blending plant-based proteins with fish by-products, algae, and insect larvae

18-Jan-2023 By Flora Southey

A research project funded by the Research Council of Norway is leveraging high moisture extrusion technology to develop novel hybrid products.

Fertilisers made from human urine and faeces are ‘safe and productive’ to use in food production, say scientists

18-Jan-2023 By Oliver Morrison

A study has claimed to show that modern ‘green’ products recycled from human excreta are excellent – and importantly, safe – fertilizers to use on food crops.

Boiled peanuts could help overcome child peanut allergy, clinical trial shows

13-Jan-2023 By Oliver Morrison

Boiling peanuts for up to 12 hours could help overcome children’s allergic reactions, according to the results of a clinical trial at Flinders University and SAHMRI in Australia which found up to 80% of children with peanut allergy became desensitised...

Bunge and Mane co-develop frying oil that cuts oil content in end-product by up to 25%

06-Jan-2023 By Flora Southey

In an unexpected discovery, a new frying oil designed to prevent foaming in restaurant and par-frying industries has been found to reduce oil pick up in end-products by up to 25%, explains Renee Boerefijn, director of innovation at Bunge.

‘Plant-based food often misses what people naturally crave’: The Finnish company showcasing new tech to extract umami from cereal side-streams

06-Jan-2023 By Oliver Morrison

A food technology start-up is aiming to become a leading global supplier of plant-based umami for the food industry.

Mycelium-based ingredient supplier eyes European expansion after EU authorisation

05-Jan-2023 By Oliver Morrison

US-based MycoTechnology says it is set to accelerate its growth plans in Europe after the European Commission granted Novel Food status to two of its mycelium-based plant proteins.

‘An effective tool to improve people’s diets for the long term’: App developed to increase fruit and vegetable consumption in adults

05-Jan-2023 By Flora Southey

Researchers in the UK have developed a smartphone app designed to improve knowledge around the government’s 5 A Day recommendation, including which foods are included, portion sizes, the need for variety, and reasons for consumption.

Behind Kraft Heinz’s plant-based category push: ‘We’re liberating the Beanz from the can’

04-Jan-2023 By Flora Southey

From meatless burgers to Beanz Bowls and pasta sauces, The Kraft Heinz Company is entering multiple new categories with an expanded plant-based portfolio. Cristina Kenz, Chief Growth & Sustainability Officer, International, Kraft Heinz, explains why...

Dairy alternatives increasingly seen as complementary to dairy products: survey

21-Dec-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Two thirds (67%) of European consumers see plant-based dairy as complementary, not a substitute to dairy products, and ‘an opportunity to try something new’ (65%), new research from ofi shows.

How Weetabix Original plans to get to Net Zero by 2050: ‘It’s not a quick and easy thing to do’

14-Dec-2022 By Flora Southey

Weetabix Food Company has committed to producing a zero-carbon box of Weetabix Original breakfast cereal by 2050. John Petre, supply chain, procurement and technical director at the Weetabix Food Company, explains how.

‘Everyone is holding their breath’: ABFI is preparing for the energy crisis to get worse after a ‘record’ 2022

13-Dec-2022 By Katy Askew

ABF Ingredients, the speciality ingredient arm of Associated British Foods, secured a ‘record’ performance in the face of difficult conditions seen throughout 2022. But it looks likely that the worst is not yet behind us, with expectations of a deepening...

More trees, less land: How Brazil’s orange juice sector tripled its productivity

09-Dec-2022 By Flora Southey

Players in Brazil’s orange juice industry have been investigating a technique known as densification, whereby more citrus trees are planted in the same area to increase yield. We catch up with CitrusBR’s Tatiana Campos to learn about the productivity...

Researchers to investigate termite mushrooms as new food source

02-Dec-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Scientists at the University of Copenhagen will investigate if termite mushrooms can become a sustainable food source for humans.

Plant-based ‘honey without bees’ prepares to create a buzz in Europe

02-Dec-2022 By Flora Southey

US-based MeliBio is partnering with organic food producer Narayan Foods to bring its plant-based bee-free honey product to Europe under the Better Foodie brand.

Meet the start-up hooked on mycelium-based scallops: ‘We’ve left plants behind, and entered the fungi kingdom’

28-Nov-2022 By Flora Southey

Achieving the ‘juicy’ and ‘bouncy’ texture of fish and seafood is possible with mycelium, according to German start-up Esencia Foods

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...

Food innovators welcome EC’s ‘pioneering’ algae plan

16-Nov-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Food innovation champions have applauded a new initiative from the European Commission aiming to unlock the potential of algae in the European Union.

Accelerating plant protein development, collaboratively: ‘The task is too complex to solve alone’

14-Nov-2022 By Flora Southey

A new international platform, Plant2Food, has been set up to accelerate the protein transition. Whatever the findings, no patents will be applied on the results.

The ‘magic sachets’ combatting food waste by keeping food fresher for longer

10-Nov-2022 By Oliver Morrison

A Spanish company has invented a solution to food waste by keeping fruit and vegetables fresher for longer.

Sustainability of vertical farming scrutinised amid rising energy prices: ‘Surging costs could be the final nail in the coffin for many vertical farms’

09-Nov-2022 By Flora Southey

According to new research out of Scandinavia, vertical farming has a ‘mixed sustainability performance’, often requiring more energy than field agriculture. Given the dramatic rise in energy costs, how can the sector survive?

'Urine could save the world'... The start-up turning pee into greener, cheaper fertilizer

04-Nov-2022 By Oliver Morrison

A French start-up has unveiled a urine-based fertilizer to limit the use of chemical ones and make use of valuable nutrients lost when we flush. Toopi Organics claims the solution has many environmental benefits and is cheaper for farmers.

High energy prices set to test resilience of EU food producers

28-Oct-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Surging energy prices may be helping fresh vegetable sales, but with the crisis expected to linger food producers need to reassess their energy strategies, warns a new report from ING.

‘We're not only a food nation, but a food tech nation’: The new ingredients shaping the future of food from Spain

26-Oct-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Spanish start-ups are fostering the circular economy and upcycling to produce the foods of the future.

‘We’re witnessing the biggest movement in consumer behaviour in over five decades’: Food makers urged to think ‘long and hard’ at response to ‘blistering’ cost of living crisis

24-Oct-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Europe’s consumers are displaying signs of severe ‘inflation fatigue’ as they face a declining standard of living that is forcing a range of coping behaviours not seen since the austere late 70s and early 80s, warns a sobering report from IRI.

Scientists search for ‘mystery’ banana ancestors to future-proof sector

20-Oct-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Researchers claim bananas have at least three ‘mystery ancestors’. If found these may help protect against disease and help breed better, more diverse varieties at a time they are urgently needed.

BlueTree: Meet the start-up filtering out disaccharides to cut sugar but leave taste

19-Oct-2022 By Flora Southey

Unlike most sugar reduction solutions on the market, BlueTree Technologies isn’t replacing sugar with a substitute. Meet the Israeli start-up working with ‘simple’ technology to remove disaccharides from milk and juice.

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?

The FoodNavigator Podcast: Mood food for mental wellbeing – how can the industry capitalise?

19-Oct-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Food and beverage manufacturers are looking for ingredients that can tap into demand from end consumers for natural solutions associated with mental wellbeing benefits, FoodNavigator hears.

GUEST ARTICLE

Industry Insights from NIZO: Meeting consumer expectations for meat alternatives

19-Oct-2022 By René Floris, Food Research Division Manager at NIZO

Meeting consumer expectations for alt meat is a complex mission. How can ingredients and processes help take plant-based protein products to the next level?

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.

Do due diligence laws actually promote climate smart food?

07-Oct-2022 By Flora Southey

EU-proposed due-diligence legislation has been criticised for triggering unintended consequences across the supply chain, which begs the question: will such a law actually promote climate smart food?

Coffee-free coffee developed from non-tropical ingredients: ‘With milk, it’s virtually impossible to taste the difference. In the future, it will be indistinguishable’

04-Oct-2022 By Flora Southey

Dutch start-up Northern Wonder is combatting coffee-related deforestation with an alternative developed from non-tropical ingredients, including barley, rye, chickpea, and chicory.

Breast is best: How can infant formula get as close to human milk as possible?

03-Oct-2022 By Flora Southey

That ‘breast is best’ is undisputed by experts. How can innovation help infant formula manufacturers replicate the real thing?

When will novel mycelium-based foods enter the European market?

30-Sep-2022 By Flora Southey

Innovators developing novel alternative proteins from mycelia – the root-like structure from which fungi grow – are keen to launch in Europe. We look at the hurdles standing in their way.

Soy protein quality ‘not negatively impacted by processing’: Unilever and Wageningen University research

29-Sep-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Scientists claim to have proven for the first time that processing soy increases the protein’s nutritional quality.

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...

Don’t fear consumer neophobia when designing upcycled food products, experts stress

27-Sep-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Food manufacturers should be bolder and braver about using ingredients from new side-streams and by-products, FoodNavigator’s Climate Smart Food has heard.

CSM Ingredients and Allozymes in strategic tie-up on rapid novel enzyme development

22-Sep-2022 By Katy Askew

CSM Ingredients has entered into a strategic partnership with Allozymes, a Singapore-based start-up that leverages proprietary tech to develop novel enzymes, FoodNavigator can reveal. In this global exclusive, we catch up with CSM CEO Aldo Uva to learn...

New research project converts fruit waste into natural ingredients

21-Sep-2022 By Natasha Spencer

AINIA, the Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology, and Productos Lácteos Romar embark on a new project to turn citrus, watermelon and kaki waste into functional food items.

How mycelium innovation is ‘unlocking the potential of the fungi kingdom’

16-Sep-2022 By Flora Southey

From pea protein substitutes to whole cut meat alternatives and pet food, the versatility of mycelium is helping to attract a growing number of start-ups to the space. How are entrepreneurs innovating to bring this sustainable ‘root-like’ structure to...

EU-backed macroalgae project wants to ‘prove the sceptics wrong’: ‘We aim to make seaweed a staple of European diets’

07-Sep-2022 By Flora Southey

A public-private partnership aiming to produce 12 seaweed-based products – including fermented fibres for meat alternatives and biomaterials for packaging – has launched in the Faroe Islands.

Intercropping to boost yield, resilience, and biodiversity: ‘It’s practiced globally…but we haven’t got to grips with it in Europe’

05-Sep-2022 By Flora Southey

Intercropping, whereby more than one crop is cultivated in a field at the same time, has proved beneficial in Africa and Asia. Now researchers are investigating its potential to improve sustainable agricultural practices in Europe.

Super nutritious ‘enriched seaweed’ that can help ease global food crisis unveiled by scientists

05-Sep-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Researchers have developed an innovative technology that enables the growth of “enriched seaweed” superfood infused with nutrients, proteins, dietary fibre, and minerals.

Plant- and meat-based hybrids developed from sunflower side-streams: ‘Sensory properties are key to alt meat acceptance’

26-Aug-2022 By Flora Southey

The potential for sunflower press cakes to be upcycled into vegan meat alternatives and blended hybrid products is being investigated by a new EIT-Food funded project.

Could faba replace soy flour in bread for homegrown protein boost?

26-Aug-2022 By Flora Southey

The potential for locally grown faba bean to increase the protein content in store-bought bread is being investigated by researchers in the UK.

Researchers unveil biosensor that detects hidden rot in potatoes

24-Aug-2022 By Oliver Morrison

The innovation is a novel step to prevent looming food crisis, claim scientists.

Are children hungry for plant-based meat?

24-Aug-2022 By Flora Southey

What do kids think about plant-based meat alternatives? Is a meat-free diet even suitable for children? As a growing number of studies seek to answer these questions, FoodNavigator brings you the findings.

'Keto and lower carb diets have been underserved by the food and drink industry': HelloFresh launches special diet brand in the Netherlands where ‘35% of consumers follow a nutrition rule’

23-Aug-2022 By Oliver Morrison

The meal kit company has launched its Green Chef brand in the Netherlands after spotting strong interest in special diets among consumers in the country.