The economic opportunity of disrupting the US$8-10 trillion-dollar food sector though a focus on sustainable innovation is significant. Investment funds FTW Ventures and Obvious Ventures weigh in on the technology and trends they are betting on.
In the days and months immediately following the declaration of the coronavirus pandemic, consumer interest in immunity boosting foods and beverages tripled and brands moved fast to launch products to meet this heightened demand – but as vaccines become...
Pooling together some of the latest new product development launches reveals a hot trend for snacking bars, with both General Mills and Fulfil launching new SKUs. Elsewhere, a gin has been developed in London flavoured with marine and coastal botanicals,...
The UN FAO is raising awareness in schools to reduce and prevent food waste. Communications and Partnership Consultant Oksana Sapiga shares why targeting children - the 'consumers of tomorrow - is important.
Food and drink brands will play a lead role in growing the preventative nutrition sector. However, new research from Sagentia Innovation stresses technical and regulatory complexities need to be taken into account.
Taste and nutrition company Kerry has conducted new research into consumer expectations around sustainability in the food and beverage sector. The ‘really surprising results’ are in: Consumers ‘positioned sustainability as a must-have rather than a differentiator’.
In this week's innovation round-up, we hear about Lindt's launch of a bar made from 100% cocoa fruit with 'no added ingredients'. In France, Jimini's launches a high protein pasta fortified with insect powder. And in the UK, Chupa...
SMARTCHAIN, a three-year EU-funded project, is developing a roadmap to support the extension of Short Food Supply Chains (SFSCs). This will deliver a number of ‘socio-economic benefits’, the researchers claim.
While the health trend has been gaining momentum for several years, it has certainly been given impetus by the pandemic. Today’s consumer is increasingly moving away from considering food as simply a caloric need to something that could add functional...
While ‘small improvements’ have been made to improve the health credentials of cereal and yoghurt marketed to children in the UK, a fresh report from The Food Foundation suggests much more can be done…and faster.
The ability to check the microbial decomposition of food or to detect pollutants in it via smartphone alone could become reality thanks to a mini spectrometer being tested in Germany.
A host of market data and food company reports in the past year have suggested COVID-19 has accelerated and amplified interest in functional and healthy foods that deliver wellbeing benefits such as immunity and stress management.
In an industry first, food-grade PET plastic bottles produced entirely from enzymatically recycled plastic have been developed for brands Perrier, Orangina, and Pepsi Max.
Danone has sponsored a report that uses ‘deep social listening’ tools to track conversations about food. The research charts attitudes to personal and planetary health, as well as growing demand for a ‘fairer’ food system coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic....
COVID-19 changed how consumers eat and shop. But as much of the world unlocks and we emerge into the ‘new normal’ of a post-COVID era, what trends will stick?
Physical health benefits associated with reduced alcohol consumption is helping drive demand for ‘low to no’. But could there also be something more holistic at play?
By Ignacio Gavilan, Director of Sustainability, Consumer Goods Forum
There are times when the challenge of plastic waste seems so immense and so intractable that solutions feel difficult to find. More than 60 percent of plastics end up in a landfill or the natural environment. Millions of tonnes of plastic waste spill...
CBD industry specialists have voiced their concerns over the direction of the market as they reveal consumer research indicating the most popular products in the category are likely to be outlawed by novel foods regulations.
Herb and spice group Griffith Foods Europe has set a series of goals to boost its impact and contribute to a more sustainable food system. The company believes that by building scale it can counteract one of the biggest barriers to sustainable procurement...
The European Commission is planning to propose a sustainable food labelling network, yet must first address several key challenges, suggests Professor Matthias Finkbeiner, Chair of Sustainable Engineering at Technical University Berlin.
Unilever Food Solutions (UFS), the arm of Unilever that supplies the catering sector, is supporting the growth of so-called ‘ghost kitchens’. FoodNavigator examines what the company is doing in the space and asks why UFS expects ghost kitchens to be an...
Mars is backing a new coalition that aims to support climate action through global supply chains. Kevin Rabinovitch, VP Global Sustainability, tells us that procurement is one of the most powerful tools in the company’s arsenal in the fight against climate...
A survey of frontline health care workers across six countries found that those who followed plant-based or pescatarian diets were significantly less likely to suffer severe COVID-19 symptoms, compared with those who followed other diets.
Ferrero has updated its Palm Oil Charter to ‘go beyond’ what it says is a ‘baseline’ for sustainable palm oil sourcing. This means new commitments on human rights, environmental protection and supplier transparency.
In our latest new product development trend tracker, the ‘world’s first’ nutritionally complete vegan protein powder is rolling out in the UK, recipe box company Gousto is partnering with Marmite, ManiLife and Hellmann’s, and ‘natural’ energy drink challenger...
Sugarcane certification scheme Bonsucro has launched a five-year strategic plan, setting out ‘bold ambitions’ to accelerate sustainable production and use in sugarcane.
Poverty in the coffee industry is an “enduring crisis,” despite US consumers’ willingness to pay upwards of $16-$22 per 12-ounce bag of roasted coffee and a premium for products that promise to ethically source beans and pay farmers a fair price.
Exploring unique food pairings offers food brands the chance to tap into consumer desire to improve immunity via functional food, according to a report.
From oat-based cheese alternatives to dairy-free iced coffee and functional plant-based yoghurt, meet three start-ups working to disrupt conventional dairy.
As consumers adopt a more flexible and holistic approach to ‘dieting,’ brands have more room to innovate at the ingredient-level through “mindful omissions and swaps” to create products that appeal to shoppers’ lifestyles, according to new research from...
In this week's coverage of new product development across Europe, we look at a Berlin start-up's 'dairy of the future': alt milk made from yellow split pea protein. Over in Romania, a new line of plant-based fish alternatives - mimicking...
Consumers are increasingly reading product labels and searching out ‘clean’ ingredients lists that are shorter and feature recognisable ingredients that are sourced from nature. Artificial or chemical ingredients are the main undesirables, while there...
Upcycling production side-streams is an area of innovation gaining traction at both a start-up and corporate level. Making the most of the food we produce will help deliver a more sustainable food system and offers economic benefits, according to experts...
With calls to reformulate food and drink products to reduce fat, sugar and salt, we explore: What influences prompt brands to reformulate? What does the process really entail? And can it be done successfully during a global pandemic?
Fibre and next-generation stevia are expected to play key roles in sugar reduction as a growing number of manufacturers seek out ‘no added sugar’ claims, according to Mintel.
Improvements in land management and production efficiency have the potential to significantly reduce net beef greenhouse gas emissions, according to researchers.
Kids food brand Organix has released some fresh research highlighting the fact that UK children aren’t eating enough fruit and veg as it kicks off a campaign – ‘Good for planet. Good for me’ – that hopes to help parents of pre-school children to buck...
Carbon labeling for food and beverage may be coming faster than originally predicted, and soon may hold more sway with consumers than other popular certifications as the ongoing pandemic accelerates consumer interest in sustainable diets, predict industry...
Food brands have an opportunity to diversify their online shopping experiences to better meet quicky shifting consumer demands, according to a new report.
What is ‘nooch’, you ask? The term is short for nutritional yeast, and UK brand Notorious Nooch Co has just released two new flavours of it. Elsewhere in this week’s new product development photo gallery, we look at Nourished’s expansion into personalised...
