Health and nutritional ingredients

WATCH: Collagen in functional food and drink – the next ‘hot trend’ after CBD?

10-May-2023 By Flora Southey

The collagen trend has been building over the last few years and Romain Quillot, co-founder of functional collagen food and drink brand Humble+, expects it to continue. We ask about the challenges of incorporating collagen into products, the functional...

Study finds chewing well can help Type 2 Diabetes patients

09-May-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Diabetes, particularly type 2 diabetes (T2D), is a major killer around the world. In 2021, 6.7 million deaths linked to diabetes were recorded. Yet, a recent study has shown that something simple may impact how much blood glucose people with T2D have:...

DSM and Firmenich complete merger to become ‘trailblazer’ in nutrients, flavours, and fragrances

09-May-2023 By Flora Southey

One year after DSM and Firmenich announced plans to combine their food, beverage, and taste businesses, the merger is complete. The new company, dsm-firmenich, launches today.

Microalgae strain from volcanic hot springs has ‘protein-rich food’ potential

08-May-2023 By Flora Southey

Researchers have developed a method to produce a microalga strain containing two amino acids rarely found in such high levels in animal-free protein: cystine and methionine.

Gum helps combat sugar cravings with 'sugar destroyer' ingredient

05-May-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Israeli food-tech startup Sweet Victory has released a chewing gum designed to curb sugar cravings. A consumer study on the gum found that it enabled its users to significantly cut down on sweets, as well as lose weight. The product, which is already...

Plant-based products that attempt to mimic the nutritional qualities of meat and dairy are ‘playing a losing game’

01-May-2023 By Oliver Morrison

It’s time plant-based manufacturers stop talking about the healthy nutrients that plants don’t have and focus on those they do have, says influential Wageningen food scientist Atze Jan van der Goot.

‘The alternative protein space is coming to terms with the reality of what is needed to build self-sustaining businesses’: The challenge of scaling up plant-based production and manufacturing

28-Apr-2023 By Oliver Morrison

The recent Plant-Based Protein Manufacturing Summit in Amsterdam brought together leading businesses in the plant-based food and beverage industry with co-manufacturers, innovative equipment and solution providers to explore the challenges and opportunities...

Plant-based sector braces for ‘a rough’ 24 months

26-Apr-2023 By Oliver Morrison

The plant-based sector remains an enormous long-term growth opportunity, though investor retrenchment will continue in the short term, investors told the recent Plant-Based Protein Manufacturing Summit in Amsterdam.

Iron-rich vegan gummies developed to address deficiencies

26-Apr-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Lubrizol Life Science Health (LLS Health) has announced that it is planning to unveil new iron-rich vegan gummies, each of which provides 10mg of iron content.

Heura unveils new tech for additive-free, high-protein plant-based food

25-Apr-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Plant-based company Heura, known for its meatless chorizo sausages, chorizo burgers, and chicken, has unveiled new technology to create high-protein plant-based meat, free of e-numbers.

‘Milestone’ space experiment aims to develop resilient crops to help provide sufficient food amid climate crisis

24-Apr-2023 By Oliver Morrison

Last year, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) sent seeds into space. The seeds have now returned and the organisations will begin new efforts to develop resilient crops that...

Why keto and other specialist diets are a 'huge growth area for the food industry'

20-Apr-2023 By Oliver Morrison

Consumer interest in diets like keto, carnivore, paleo, and intermittent fasting is mounting. Do these trending diets offer long-term opportunities for food innovators?

The difference between natural and ‘free’ sugars

19-Apr-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

We all know that eating fruit is better for us than eating doughnuts. One is essential to keep us healthy, the other, perhaps, nearly essential to avoid. However, both doughnuts and most fruits are high in sugar, an ingredient widely considered to lead...

'We have to focus on growing the category': Behind Quorn parent company's move to make its mycoprotein available to others

18-Apr-2023 By Oliver Morrison

Marlow Foods has unveiled plans to supply the protein in Quorn, mycoprotein, to other food and beverage manufacturers.

Sub-cultures, nutrition, influencers and affordability: How to appeal to Gen Z

17-Apr-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

In some ways, the Gen Z market is just like any other market. Their nutritional needs are not radically different, or radically more restricted, than those older or younger than them. However, marketing to the generation of teenagers and twenty-somethings...

INSIGHTS FROM POSITIVE NUTRITION SUMMIT

‘We need the food industry to recognise this opportunity and step up to the plate’: Campaigner urges more NPD to embrace the menopause

17-Apr-2023 By Oliver Morrison

The menopause represents a significant untapped opportunity for food and beverage brands, FoodNavigator’s Positive Nutrition Summit hears.

Why Italy should be synonymous with both gastronomic excellence and food industry innovation

14-Apr-2023 By Oliver Morrison

The furore about Italy’s proposed ban on synthetic foods shouldn’t deflect from food-tech innovation in the country.

‘A laughably self-serving study’: Industry backlash over fake manuka honey claims

14-Apr-2023 By Flora Southey

New Zealand’s manuka industry is being accused of misleading consumers after it alleged honey derived from species other than the Leptospermum outside of New Zealand is inauthentic.

Addressing sugar addiction - What the industry can do

14-Apr-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

The overconsumption of sugar can lead to many health conditions, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, as well as mental health conditions such as depression. Some experts have suggested that it could be an addiction, similar to alcohol or cocaine....

App uses AI to optimise personalised nutrition

13-Apr-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

With consumers increasingly becoming more health-conscious, personalised nutrition apps are everywhere. A multitude of apps give people nutritional advice, helping them to optimise their diet and become healthier. One such app, Youniq, uses AI technology...

‘What is naturalness?’ The future of plant-based food

12-Apr-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Plant-based is one of the most important trends in the food industry today. Meat- and dairy-free products are helping provide food alternatives to an ever-growing flexitarian market. But some questions still remain. For one, since many plant-based foods...

Danone targets adult gamers with move towards the metaverse: ‘It’s something of a test and learn’

12-Apr-2023 By Flora Southey

Probiotic drinking yoghurt brand Actimel is making preliminary steps towards the metaverse with the launch of an in-game marketing campaign via Fortnite. “It’s a first of its kind for Actimel in raising awareness of the brand with a difference audience,”...

Is there any evidence the plant-based sector can move from niche to mainstream?

11-Apr-2023 By Oliver Morrison

Sales of plant-based foods across 13 European countries have grown by 22% since 2020 with the category reaching a record €5.7 billion, according to a new report. These options still make up a small fraction of the overall market, however.

NPD Trend Tracker: From chocolate peanut butter to coronation party food

11-Apr-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

What new food and beverages are hitting the shelves? This week, we have squeezy chocolate peanut butter, low-carb chutney, takeaway pastries, and coronation-themed party food.

Source: ra2studio/Getty Images

Danone North America on gut health and the microbiome: 'They have a bigger role than we thought'

06-Apr-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

The gut microbiome is one of the most important factors in shaping human health. But how is our knowledge around the microbiome developing and changing in today’s landscape? Danone North America’s Miguel Freitas talks the challenges and opportunities...

Sugars reduced in berry fruit juice by up to 50% using sugar-reducing beads

05-Apr-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Better Juice, an Israeli start-up, has used sugar reduction technology to lower the levels of sugar in its fruit juices, including, in a recent trial, several berry-based juices. Their technology is able to reduce three sugars found in fruit juices –...

‘A crucial time for babies’: How can brands improve nutrition for the first 1000 days?

05-Apr-2023 By Flora Southey

From nutrition to innovation, functionality and affordability, industry can do more for babies and their carers in ‘the first 1000 days’, FoodNavigator hears.

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...

Anti-innovation and consumer choice? Italy moves to ban lab-grown meat, cheese and fish

03-Apr-2023 By Oliver Morrison

First it was Nutri-Score. Now Italy is waging war on lab-grown food to preserve its famous gastronomic heritage.

The holistic nutrition opportunity in snacks: ‘Consumption is becoming more sophisticated’

31-Mar-2023 By Flora Southey

Consumers are talking less about ‘general health’, and more about cleansing, detoxing, carb-free, and cholesterol-free, according to Tastewise. How does this trend translate into opportunity for industry?

EAT-Lancet diet: Increased intake of animal source foods recommended by researchers to fill micronutrient gap

31-Mar-2023 By Flora Southey

Fresh research suggests the planetary health diet does not provide enough vitamins and minerals – including iron, zinc, calcium and vitamin B12 – to nourish the global population due to its low amount of animal source foods.

'Super seaweed' developed with impressive antioxidant profile

30-Mar-2023 By Nicola Gordon-Seymour

Scientists at Tel Aviv University have created a new ‘super seaweed’ with novel technology that significantly increases bioactive components and enhances possible applications in food, cosmetics, and medicine.

Fibre intake reduces cognitive decline risk in older people: study

28-Mar-2023 By Oliver Morrison

Fibre intake is associated with a lower risk of developing cognitive decline in older people with the Alzheimer’s risk gene APOE4, according to a new study.

Danish company rethinks nutrition of plant-based drinks

27-Mar-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Dryk, a Danish plant-based drinks company, is rethinking the nutrition of plant-based drinks. No longer content with just tasting like cow’s milk, its drinks are also close to the nutritional content of their dairy counterpart.

Cheese shop pulls products from shelves after Listeria outbreak

24-Mar-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

On 20 March, Wiltshire-based cheese shop the Old Cheese Room announced that they were recalling a selection of their products following a Listeria outbreak. Several other Listeria outbreaks have also taken place in the UK and Europe over the past year,...

Meet the ‘smart gaming nutrition’ start-up feeding newbies and eSports pros

22-Mar-2023 By Flora Southey

From milkshakes to energy bites, gummies and ‘functional sprays’, German start-up Just Legends has gamers’ specific nutritional needs covered, CEO and co-founder Ole Schaumberg tells FoodNavigator.

Meet the start-up on a mission to solve the challenge of delivering more effective probiotics and bioactives

22-Mar-2023 By Oliver Morrison

Danish start-up Mello is vying to advance current ‘state of art’ microencapsulation techniques after unveiling a new proprietary technology that it claims is able to better deliver functionally effective probiotics and bioactives. How?

Is interest in gut health propelling the pickled category? ‘Kimchi has moved into the mainstream’

20-Mar-2023 By Flora Southey

From kefir to kimchi, sauerkraut to kombucha, fermented foods are trending. Nick ‘The Pickles Man’ Vadasz puts this down, at least in part, to increased consumer awareness around gut health and the microbiome.

Unnecessarily cruel or a necessary solution? The octopus farming debate rages

17-Mar-2023 By Oliver Morrison

The world’s first commercial octopus farm is continuing to cause controversy.

The FoodNavigator Podcast: The ‘holistic nutrition’ opportunity in food and beverage

15-Mar-2023 By Flora Southey

Where once healthy diets focused on weight loss alone, today’s consumers want more from their food and drink. Enter holistic nutrition, which aims to enhance people’s wellbeing – whether that be improving sleep, stress, mood or digestion. How are brands...

Mediterranean diet linked with decreased risk of dementia

14-Mar-2023 By Oliver Morrison

Eating a traditional Mediterranean-type diet – rich in foods such as seafood, fruit, and nuts – may help reduce the risk of dementia by almost a quarter, a new study has revealed.

The ‘untapped’ innovation potential of female nutrition: ‘A new wave of food and beverage products is expected’

10-Mar-2023 By Flora Southey

Significant opportunity exists for food and beverage companies to target holistic nutrition for women, according to insight from R&D consultancy Sagentia Innovation.

‘We’re mis-demonising ultra-processed food’: The case for focusing on what to eat, not what to avoid

09-Mar-2023 By Flora Southey

From a public health perspective, ‘ultra-processed food’ is a major concern. But stigmatising the term, instead of focusing on the benefits of opting for healthier alternatives, is not the answer, FoodNavigator hears.

Paleo players celebrate ‘ground-breaking’ research

09-Mar-2023 By Oliver Morrison

The paleo diet tops the rankings of a systematic review of dietary patterns and NCD risk factors, followed by DASH and Mediterranean diets, with the Western diet bringing up the rear.

The new vegan? Food industry urged to better represent the menopause in NPD

08-Mar-2023 By Oliver Morrison

On International Women’s Day manufacturers and retailers are being urged to continue to commit to better represent the menopause in product development, FoodNavigator hears.

Food researchers employ botanical extract to unveil ‘super muffin’ with benefits

07-Mar-2023 By Oliver Morrison

Norwegian academics have demonstrated how using the tropical plant Hibiscus sabdariffa can contribute to increased nutritional value in everyday foods.

Seaweed products in every household? Behind Amazon’s move to shake up Europe’s seaweed market

03-Mar-2023 By Oliver Morrison

The e-commerce giant has put its weight behind plans to significantly boost Europe’s seaweed sector.

Activia joins forces with meal delivery brand to boost digestive health of Spaniards

02-Mar-2023 By Oliver Morrison

The Danone brand is collaborating with Wetaca to inspire consumers to get more natural probiotics into their diets.

NEWS IN BRIEF

France backs pea and fava proteins for plant-based innovation

27-Feb-2023 By Flora Southey

Pea and fava bean proteins are at the centre of a new project with two aims: to develop a French plant-based source sector; and offer healthy and sustainable alternative to dairy