Cereals and bakery preparations

Should vanilla production be stopped?

17-Apr-2024 By Donna Eastlake

Vanilla is one of the most common flavours for sweet treats around the world. But is the farming of this much-loved spice sustainable? And, if not, should we be consuming it at all?

Why are consumers turning away from dairy?

10-Apr-2024 By Donna Eastlake

The consumption of dairy products such as milk, butter and cheese is on the decline. But what’s the reason for this and can the dairy industry turn this trend around?

Free from: Allergen contamination can never be ruled out 100%

09-Apr-2024 By Flora Southey

The free-from category caters to consumers with food allergies and intolerances, but contamination risk is always a possibility.

How KFC is reformulating the classics to cut fat, salt and sugar

05-Apr-2024 By Flora Southey

From burgers to fries, the QSR major is cutting calories from menus in the UK and Ireland. Which reformulation strategies are at play?

Is the UK investing enough in food and drinks manufacturing?

25-Mar-2024 By Donna Eastlake

Financial uncertainty has proved to be a major challenge for UK food and drinks manufacturers. But is the government investing in the industry and what more can it do to support them?

How is the food industry supporting childhood nutrition?

21-Mar-2024 By Donna Eastlake

From infancy through to adolescence, nutrition is essential in ensuring a healthy body and mind for our youngsters. So how can this be achieved and what it the food industry doing to help parents?

From non-HFSS cereals to desserts: How unlikely foods hit the sweet spot with regulators

20-Mar-2024 By Flora Southey

How are brands cutting fat, salt, and sugar from popular product categories to hit the mark with both policymakers and consumers?

Non-HFSS doughnuts: Which nutrient is toughest to cut when reinventing the wheel?

13-Mar-2024 By Flora Southey

It’s very difficult to ‘crack’ better-for-you indulgence, according to maker of HFSS compliant doughnuts Urban Legend. Here’s how founder and ex-Graze CEO Anthony Fletcher claims to have done it.

Salty snack supply set to grow and diversify in 2024

07-Mar-2024 By Natasha Spencer-Joilliffe

Affordable, better-for-you and flavourful salty snacks lead producers’ formulation considerations in 2024, while creating resilient crops and exploring the metaverse landscape drive the wider value chain.

Ultra-processed food linked to 32 poor health outcomes in largest study to date

05-Mar-2024 By Flora Southey

We ask lead author Melissa M Lane where she stands on the ultra-processed food debate.

The case against ultra-processed food: 'UPF is designed to increase consumption and profit'

23-Feb-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Do ultra-processed foods lead to poor health outcomes by definition? A ‘hyper-literal’ focus on definitions is not the point, suggest Henry Dimbleby and Chris van Tulleken: ‘ultra-processed food’ as a category encapsulates the toll that an industry dominated...

Could low-sugar chocolate actually taste better?

15-Feb-2024 By Donna Eastlake

Less is apparently more when it comes to the amount of sugar used in the creation of the perfect chocolate bar. So will manufacturers reduce the amount of sugar they use in the making of this sweet treat and will consumers welcome the change?

Are preservatives killing good gut bacteria?

08-Feb-2024 By Donna Eastlake

Research from the University of Chicago has found that one of the most widely used food preservatives, nisin, has a damaging effect on the good bacteria in our gut

Gluten-free but wheat? Coeliac-safe wheat flour developed in Spain

07-Feb-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Gluten-free substitutes such as rice and corn flour have for decades aimed to take the role of wheat flour in baked goods, so that those with coeliac disease can consume them. Now there is a new substitute: wheat flour itself.

The cost of sugar is soaring: What does this mean for food manufacturers and consumers?

06-Feb-2024 By Donna Eastlake

From confectionery to cakes, breakfast cereals to beer, sugar is a huge part of the modern diet, but why is the cost of one of our most indulgent ingredients increasing and how will this affect both food manufacturers and consumers?

Protein ‘made from air’ enters snacks category

23-Jan-2024 By Flora Southey

A collaboration between two Finnish companies – Solar Foods and Fazer – has seen protein ‘made from air’ added to a chocolate snack bar for consumers in Singapore.

The race to meet the EUDR deadline is intensifying, so what help is available?

22-Jan-2024 By Donna Eastlake

December 30, 2024 marks the day by which supply chain stakeholders, including producers, importers, manufacturers, brands, and retailers within the European Union must ensure they are selling, importing and exporting EUDR compliant cocoa, coffee, palm...

‘Bread rescuers’: How researchers aim to slice bread waste in half

16-Jan-2024 By Flora Southey

Bread waste – from bakeries through to consumers – is in the firing line under a new research project in Norway.

How ingredients suppliers manage global struggles: From disrupted supply chains to cost-of-living pressures

08-Jan-2024 By Flora Southey

As we leave behind a troublesome 2023, we reflect on some of the unforeseen challenges faced by ingredients companies. From supply chain disruptions to cost-of-living pressures, how have suppliers changed tact to meet manufacturers’ demands?

Africa needs to diversify crops to achieve nutrition security, study suggests

05-Jan-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Crop diversification is an important part of achieving nutrition security; the risks of reliance on a single crop are immense. Sub-Saharan Africa, suggests a new study in Nature Food, must diversify its crops to achieve food security by mid-century.

Do consumers prefer sugar or non-nutritive sweeteners? It’s complicated

02-Jan-2024 By Flora Southey

Consumer confusion over how best to reduce sugar in one’s diet persists. Are they still looking for ‘zero added sugar’ in sweet drinks? Regulatory and ingredients experts weigh in.

EFSA tool predicts food risk for coeliac patients

19-Dec-2023 By Natasha Spencer-Joilliffe

Exposure to foods that are harmful to coeliac patients can be reduced using the new preDQ tool

Crunch time? Danone in talks to sell biscuit biz Michel et Augustin to Ferrero ecosystem

07-Dec-2023 By Flora Southey

Seven years after first investing in Michel et Augustin, Danone is in ‘exclusive’ negotiations with potential buyer Ferrero-related company CTH Invest.

Butter’s time to shine? The innovations churning up traditional spreads

06-Dec-2023 By Flora Southey

After decades of ‘very little’ innovation by heritage brands, is butter (and its plant-based counterparts) having a moment? FoodNavigator investigates.

Domino’s innovation lead talks trends, nutrition and sustainability in pizza: ‘You couldn’t do this job if you didn’t love food’

05-Dec-2023 By Flora Southey

Innovation director at Domino’s Pizza Group, Louise Pilkington, talks us through the process of rethinking pizzas, sides and desserts for today’s consumer.

Bakery waste to be put to use as sustainable oils and fats in new partnership

29-Nov-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

How can bread waste products be put to good use? In a new partnership between UK-based Clean Food Group and Roberts Bakery, the former will use its fermentation technology to transform the waste products of the latter into oils and fats that can be used...

‘Until recently, LCAs have been costly and labour-intensive’: DSM-Firmenich brings environmental footprints to meat, milk and egg products

20-Nov-2023 By Flora Southey

DSM-Firmenich and Sustained are collaborating to capture animal protein life cycle assessment impacts at the farm level, making it easier for food makers to assess and communicate the environmental footprint of their products.

Unilever unearths regen ag findings for Knorr and Hellmann’s: ‘The time for pilots is over. It’s time to go big’

02-Nov-2023 By Flora Southey

The environmental impact results from Unilever’s first set of regenerative agriculture projects in Spain, Italy, and the US have been dug up, with findings suggesting boons for food resilience and environmental sustainability.

Is it time for the ‘outdated’ supermarket free from aisle to evolve?

27-Oct-2023 By Oliver Morrison

As free from brands spot long-term growth potential, a perpetual debate is reigniting: is it best for these products to be in separate or standard aisles?

Eight crops endangered by climate change

19-Oct-2023 By Oliver Morrison

From staple crops like potatoes and maize, to cash crops for wealthier customers like cocoa and coffee, climate change is having a widespread impact on global agricultural production.

Identifying some foods as addictive could bring health benefits, scientists say

12-Oct-2023 By Oliver Morrison

An international team of researchers, writing in the British Medical Journal, have called for a global rethink of food choices.

‘More than mylk’: Alternatives to coffee, cocoa, salt and sugar on the table at Mylkcubator 3.0

27-Sep-2023 By Flora Southey

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.

Organix eyes ‘window of opportunity’ to introduce new flavours and textures to kids

19-Sep-2023 By Flora Southey

Organix wants to help parents and carers introduce new flavours and textures to kids in the 6-18-month ‘window of opportunity’ prior to food fears kicking in.

Digital carbon labelling partnership aims to cut catering industry emissions over 30% by 2025

06-Sep-2023 By Oliver Morrison

UK food tech start-up Dynamify has teamed up with Swedish sustainability software specialist Klimato to deliver what it claims is the UK-first digital carbon labelling system enabling the catering industry to dramatically reduce carbon emissions.

‘Many businesses are not aware that there is a way to safely preserve these materials’: Trouw Nutrition on the business and environmental case for repurposing waste

01-Sep-2023 By Oliver Morrison

FoodNavigator caught up with Evelien van Donselaar at Trouw Nutrition to learn more about the ‘untapped’ opportunities for the food sector to explore circular production models.

Campaign targeting dramatic rise in global bean consumption eyes Kenyan consumers

31-Aug-2023 By Oliver Morrison

A campaign aiming to double global bean consumption by 2028 will focus on Kenyan consumers and producers in a pilot effort for East Africa.

‘It’s brilliant the industry has stepped up’: The technology allowing partially sighted shoppers to ‘hear’ what’s on a product label

16-Aug-2023 By Oliver Morrison

Partially sighted consumers are a growing demographic. Solutions are coming aimed at allowing these shoppers to more easily access key on-pack product information and nutritional details.

Calls for removal of packaging that appeals to children from ‘sugar-laden’ cereals and yogurts

15-Aug-2023 By Oliver Morrison

Breakfast cereals and yogurts with packaging that appeals to children have unnecessary amounts of sugars, complains new UK research – with some products containing the equivalent of up to four teaspoons of sugar per serving.

‘A crucial step to decarbonize agriculture’: Green fertilizer cuts CO2 footprint of cereal production for baked goods

14-Aug-2023 By Sarah Rhynes and Flora Southey

A ‘green’ fertilizer with up to 90% reduced CO2 footprint compared to its conventionally produced counterpart is being rolled out in Germany. Contract farmers for Bindewald & Gutting Milling Group will use the fertilizer to cultivate wheat, which...

Ancient grain einkorn unlocks genetic secrets for making bread wheat more resilient

07-Aug-2023 By Oliver Morrison

Einkorn is grown as a relict or niche crop in Europe. But as heatwaves shrivel the region’s grain production, it may hold the key for helping crop breeders in Europe to develop bread wheat varieties with improved hardiness, enhanced disease resistance...

Specialised peanut variety unveiled for allergy treatment

27-Jul-2023 By Oliver Morrison

Scientists in Israel have developed a peanut strain to treat peanut allergies.

UK government keen to get gene editing approved ‘as soon as possible’: Minister

25-Jul-2023 By Oliver Morrison

The UK government wants to unleash the opportunities of gene editing as soon as possible, revealed Thérèse Coffey, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

NPD Trend Tracker: From Arabic honey to watermelon kombucha

24-Jul-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

This week, we have a range of products aiming for sustainable packaging: from wine and spirits, to coffee, to ketchup. We also have kombucha made from watermelons grown in Italy, honey from the UAE, and bread from Danish bakery Ole and Steen.

Fears for further food price spikes as Russia pulls out of Black Sea grain deal

18-Jul-2023 By Oliver Morrison

The collapse of the Black Sea grain could deal re-ignite food price volatility in Europe and plunge food consumers in dependent countries into food shortages, it has been warned.

High-intensity sweetener uncovered in truffles ‘potentially game-changing’ for sugar reduction

17-Jul-2023 By Flora Southey

MycoTechnology says it is ‘standing on the brink of a sweet revolution’ having discovered a sweet protein derived from honey truffle. “Proteins are widely recognised as the future of sweeteners,” says MycoTechnology CEO Alan Hahn.

'We were used to it, but we lost it...' Why Dr. Schär is reviving new varieties of ancient grain millet

11-Jul-2023 By Oliver Morrison

Italian gluten-free specialist Dr. Schär is investing in new millet varieties with improved nutritional characteristics and better adapted to changing environment, FoodNavigator hears.

Young consumers ‘partial’ to gene-edited crops as EU seeks revised GMO rules

05-Jul-2023 By Oliver Morrison

As the European Commission proposes allowing the use of new genomic techniques to grow climate-resistant crops with better nutritional value, young Europeans would be support genetically modified (GM) food if it gave them a health boost, new research...

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