In this week’s NPD trend tracker, we have a range of new plant-based products, a new look for a dairy-free drinks range, and a jam’s partnership with Children in Need.
Single-use plastics, including plates and cutlery, have been banned in England as part of the Government strategy to tackle what it calls “the scourge of plastic pollution.”
Food insecurity is a major issue for everyone, but for diabetics, there is the added risk that it could lead to hypoglycaemia. According to new research, hypoglycaemia is twice as common among those who find it difficult to afford food as those who don’t....
England currently considers an ‘alcohol-free’ drink as one containing less than 0.05% ABV – differing from a number of other countries that use 0.5% ABV as the definition. A public consultation is now seeking views on whether to raise the threshold for...
Having led the farming union through Brexit, COVID-19 and the uncertainties brought about by Russia's war in Ukraine, Batters has been one of British agriculture's most respected voices.
As part of an investment of €50m into Cargill’s Saint-Cyr en Val facility in Orleans, France, American multinational Cargill is opening a protein innovation hub. The hub promises to give the company's customers the tools to trial, create and taste...
French natural ingredient specialists Robertet has become the first commercial partner to acquire a newly created AI 'BioPod' to accelerate production, optimise plant composition, and minimise environmental impact of its crop growth.
Palm oil is often linked to deforestation. A recent study found that German consumers are far more comfortable with ‘free from’ palm oil claims on products than ‘sustainably produced’ claims. This, according to the study, belies the complexity of the...
The country’s cocoa production sector is under serious threat with climate change, disease, moribund farms, overaged tree stock, an aging farmer population, and an acute labour shortage, just some of the issues affecting productivity … that is why we...
Despite FDA’s labeling of tagatose as an added sugar, the alternative sweetener’s nutritional and functional benefits continue to generate interest from the food and beverage industry, particularly with lean labels, Jim Kappas, VP specialty ingredients,...
With Oobli’s first commercial launch of three fruit-flavored sweet teas, the company is building its product development around the oubli fruit’s sweet protein, brazzein, which Oobli reports is up to 5,000 times sweeter than sugar and metabolizes as a...
Monk fruit has gained popularity as a natural sweetener, and is poised for growth alongside natural and better-for-you trends as consumers and brands reduce sugar across categories, Monk Fruit Corp.'s GM David Thorrold told FoodNavigator-USA.
The Better Bakehouse is shaking up the baked goods category with a better-for-you donut under its Donutful brand, while tapping into trends around clean label, company founder and CEO Tony Davis told FoodNavigator-USA.
As the cost-of-living crisis sees sharp food price spikes squeeze household spend, a new study says increased food costs can reduce poverty and prompt agricultural action, spurring jobs and wage rises.
Due to a wide range of factors, most notably the cost-of-living crisis but also concerns around sustainability, private label (supermarket own) products are growing in popularity across Europe. New research from global packaging producer Amcor shows the...
The family-owned company has been processing cocoa beans into cocoa mass, butter, and powder at its own exclusively organic plant in Winterthur, Switzerland, since June 2022 and says an assessment carried out this month shows there have been no pesticide...
Cargill, one of the world’s largest cocoa suppliers, has been ordered by a Brazilian court to pay 600,000 reais ($120,185) as indemnity for allegedly buying cocoa from farms where child labour or forced work has been identified.
Consuming plant-based meat, rather than its conventional counterpart from animals, is correlated with a “significant drop” in an emerging cardiovascular risk factor in a small study funded by an unrestricted gift from Beyond Meat and presented last week...
Regenerative agriculture currently has no legal definition at an EU level. However, the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) platform, a group of companies that includes Danone, PepsiCo, Nestlé, and Unilever, has released a definition of its own,...
The Mylkcubator programme has largely focused on next-gen dairy innovation to date. But for the incubator’s third edition, dairy-major Pascual wants to expand its focus to alt coffee, cocoa, salt, sugar and more.
Glass remains by far the most dominant packaging format for wine and spirits. But it's heavy to transport, creating concerns over carbon emissions. Will consumers accept the innovations trying to offer more sustainable packaging formats?
With the impacts of climate change posing a significant threat to fisheries on a physical, ecological and social level, their operational health is vital to protect. A new study has created a framework for climate resilience for fisheries, which can be...
For a big company such as PepsiCo, sustainability is not only complex, but also a multi-layered process. Tackling sustainability across different geographies, in both factories and in agriculture, and across scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions, requires a multi-pronged,...
Through new digital capabilities like health and wellness apps, retailers are looking to drive consumers to make healthier food and beverage decisions, as data and AI make personalized recommendations easier and more reflective of a person's diet,...
Having achieved muscle and protein gains in 2D environments, Profuse Technology is celebrating a ‘breakthrough’ in cultivated meat growth within 3D environments, CEO Guy Nevo Michrowski explains.
What’s hitting shelves this week? In plant-based, THIS is launching a new meat free chicken & stuffing alternative for the festive season, and Meatless Farm is returning to Tesco after a brief hiatus off-shelf. In dairy, a new chef-led butter brand...
For a long time, there has been no commonly agreed way of assessing and communicating the quality of cacao, the seed from which stems cocoa and chocolate. Now, however, a new initiative has been unveiled that will aim to do just that, with contributions...
From the COVID-19 pandemic to extreme weather events and war in Ukraine, ‘cascading crises’ are impacting countries across the world. Responsible agri-food practices can help mitigate the impact of these disruptions, suggests Kaveh Zahedi, director of...
As the EU’s Farm to Fork Strategy continues to outline key sustainability regulations, which are sure to impact the food industry significantly, the Belgian meat sector must learn to manage the effects of such regulations. According to speakers at the...
Kite Consulting has warned that retailers could face a future of ‘average products from average factories’ if Britain’s best suppliers choose to focus on exports or exit the category altogether as a result of a perfect storm of weak demand, high cheesemake...
Kern Tec, which makes dairy alternative ingredients from stone fruit seeds, has closed a €12m Series A funding round. Co-founder Luca Fichtinger tells FoodNavigator the investment will help the team ‘double down’ efforts on NPD.
The food system is a significant contributor to harming the natural world, often stretching its biocapacity beyond breaking point. Now, a recent study shows that the EU-27 countries have exceeded biocapacity within Europe, and the food system in partly...
Ivy Farm Technologies sounded the warning it will look to open its first production facility in another country, likely the US, if the Food Standards Authority drags its feet on giving regulatory approval to this fledgling industry.
In a new systematic review, Chr. Hansen scientists have compiled data from 26 clinical studies on HMOs, concluding there is a wealth of evidence that these are well-tolerated modulators of the gut microbiome providing health benefits.
The breakfast brand’s commitment to clean label – or as clean label as functionality allows – will see it through the current plant-based ‘shakedown’, co-founder and brand director Camilla Barnard tells FoodNavigator.
Industry leaders take the Bakery&Snacks’ podium to discuss the movement that is increasingly impacting all areas when it comes to creating stand out snacks, from trickier better-for-you formulations that do not compromise on indulgence, to simpler...
General Mills eked out low single-digit sales gains in the first quarter thanks in part to higher prices pushed through late in fiscal 2023 to offset inflation, but the gains cost the company volume and market share as consumers become “increasingly cautious,”...
A recent Oxford University study explores various diets and their impact on the environment, advocating for the reduction in animal-based food consumption.
Can technological innovations help turn the tide on plant-based meat? We ask ingredient suppliers which technologies might be letting down the category, and what tools can be leveraged to reignite consumer excitement.
As arguments rage about the use of ‘meaty’ or ‘dairy-like’ names for plant-based versions of animal-based foods, we ask could plant-based sector momentum be improved if meat and dairy alternatives avoid imitating the names of animal-based products.
Despite the abundance of NPDs for plant-based meat in recent years, concerns about nutrition still resound in the sector. There are many nutrients, critics claim, that are difficult to find outside of animal products. One of these is B12. Yet it is possible...
Nordic tech company Cambri today announced the release of Launch AI, which provides companies with advice and predictions for NPDs. The AI, which has worked with food and beverage companies such as Carlsberg and Nestlé, reduces the risk that inevitably...
UK grocer Sainsbury’s is launching a new Taste the Difference Aberdeen Angus range which it claimed offers a 25% lower carbon footprint compared to industry standard, making it the largest low carbon beef range ever produced in the UK.
The food industry has responded to bullish predictions of a boom in plant-based meat alternatives with a gold rush mentality. But as sales slow and interest dips, can advances in food science come to the rescue of a category that is struggling to live...
