Cereals and bakery preparations

The claims are there but does ‘deforestation-free’ palm oil exist?

30-May-2018 By Niamh Michail

Companies' unilateral, no-deforestation commitments - and on-pack deforestation-free claims - are unsuited to the complex palm oil supply chain and, therefore, likely to fail, say researchers. "A broader suite of complementary mechanisms"...

Obese people enjoy food less, say researchers

30-May-2018 By Niamh Michail

Obese people get less enjoyment from food than lean people and may overeat in order to compensate for this, according to a study.

Carob's health halo beats cocoa for kids confectionery, says UK start-up

29-May-2018 By Niamh Michail

Far from being cocoa's poor cousin, carob powder is the ideal ingredient for healthy confectionery for kids, mimicking the "shine, snap and silky smooth texture" of milk chocolate without the stimulants caffeine and theobromine, says Supertreats...

French politicians back mandatory labelling of GM feed and pesticide use

28-May-2018 By Niamh Michail

After a week of debates on the country's Agriculture and Food Bill, French politicians have backed mandatory labelling for GM animal feed and pesticide use on fruit and vegetables but rejected measures to stop marketing unhealthy foods to children.

Guest article

Can blockchain build a sustainable food industry?

28-May-2018 By Amarjit Sahota, president and founder of Ecovia Intelligence

Blockchain is taking off, with a growing number of food companies and retailers experimenting with this new technology. Consultancy Ecovia Intelligence sees blockchain bringing many sustainability benefits to the food industry.

Diet (not genes) decides fat taste sensitivity

25-May-2018 By Niamh Michail

People on a high fat diet lose the ability to sense or taste fat in the food they eat, researchers have found.

The Mediterranean diet is gone, says WHO chief

24-May-2018 By Niamh Michail

With Greece, Italy, Spain and Cyprus showing the highest levels of childhood obesity in Europe, the Mediterranean diet is gone, according to World Health Organisation (WHO) chief João Breda. “Those who are close to the Mediterranean diet are the Swedish...

Nestlé top for tackling nutrition issues - but all global firms need to improve

23-May-2018 By Niamh Michail

Nestlé is top for addressing the double burden of obesity and malnutrition, and while many firms have stepped up efforts, a "disappointing" number have too many unhealthy products in their portfolios, according to the Access to Nutrition Index...

British food firms fail on government's 5% sugar reduction target

22-May-2018 By Niamh Michail

UK food and drink manufacturers have fallen short of Public Health England’s 5% voluntary target for sugar reduction, achieving just 2% at the end of the first year.

France looks set to ban titanium dioxide

22-May-2018 By Niamh Michail

As France looks poised to ban titanium dioxide by the end of 2018, the government has praised “pioneering” manufacturers for voluntarily removing the colouring from food products.

‘Early adopters’ add plastic-free logo to products

18-May-2018 By Niamh Michail

Retailers Iceland and Ekoplaza and tea brand Teapigs will add the plastic-free logo to select products this year.

Open call for candidates: PepsiCo accelerator hunts for 10 start-ups

17-May-2018 By Niamh Michail

After helping 2017's winners generate growth worth €10 million, PepsiCo's accelerator programme Nutrition Greenhouse is looking for 10 more start-ups for the 2018 round.

Organix protein snacks for babies are 'junk-busting', responsible snacking, it says

17-May-2018 By Niamh Michail

UK market leader in infant snacks, Organix 'savoury finger food for babies’ range is part of its junk-busting mission. "Some infant snack products contain more than 30 ingredients and that is not really necessary," says the managing director.

True blue botanicals: Why the appeal of spirulina and butterfly pea flowers is more than just colour

16-May-2018 By Niamh Michail

Blue mermaid lattes and unicorn smoothie bowls may have star status on social media but their appeal is not just visual. The ingredients behind the blue hue – spirulina and butterfly pea flowers – are seen as inherently healthy.

Dutch Vivera claims 'world first' with plant-based steak

14-May-2018 By Niamh Michail

Dutch brand Vivera has launched a plant-based steak made with wheat and soy protein. “We worked against the clock to get this steak - the holy grail of plant-based proteins - to market," says the company.

Food Safety Recall round-up 5-11 May 2018

Recalls: Cadmium, metal and glycidyl esters

11-May-2018 By Joseph James Whitworth

Recalls and alerts were made by England, Ireland, US, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Belgium, Denmark, France, Luxembourg, Norway, Spain, Germany and Austria.

Certification schemes are holding back true sustainability, says report

03-May-2018 By Niamh Michail

Many certification schemes are blocking true sustainability by watering down standards in order to get stakeholders on board and even providing 'green cover' for firms that are destroying the environment, according to a report.

Galicia sets legal definition of artisan food

30-Apr-2018 By Niamh Michail

Spain's Galicia has set a legal definition of artisan food, which prohibits the use of artificial colours, flavours and tropical fats such as palm oil and coconut oil.

Clean label 2.0: Tapping into the trends of tomorrow

30-Apr-2018 By Niamh Michail

What will the clean label foods of tomorrow look like? From actively healthy additives to clean packaging and connected products, five industry experts share their views.

Are popped lotus seeds the next popcorn?

25-Apr-2018 By Niamh Michail

Also known as fox nuts, the gluten-free seeds of an Asian water lily could soon rival popcorn as consumers' guilt-free, savoury snack of choice, says UK start-up Nuto.

'Processed food is practically 3D printed. The difference is, this is with fresh, real ingredients': Natural Machines

19-Apr-2018 By Niamh Michail

When Natural Machines printed a branded manufacturer's product using "fresh, real" ingredients, the company tried to shut it down. But this technology is coming and manufacturers can make it work for them, says the co-founder.

Symrise launches grill flavours ahead of EU ban

16-Apr-2018 By Niamh Michail

German supplier Symrise has developed alternative a range of grill type flavours as an EU ban on two grill flavours takes effect next week (22 April).

‘Finally, teeth to punish the cheaters’: EU outlaws dual quality food

12-Apr-2018 By Niamh Michail

The European Commission’s New Deal forbids dual quality food and gives authorities the power to fine companies for marketing products that are ‘significantly different’. "Consumer authorities will finally get teeth to punish the cheaters," said...

Austria develops voluntary quality logo

11-Apr-2018 By Niamh Michail

AgrarMarkt Austria has developed a voluntary quality logo for processed foods, meat, eggs, fruit and vegetables.

Sweden to investigate low uptake of Keyhole logo

09-Apr-2018 By Niamh Michail

Sweden's National Food Agency will investigate why many manufacturers choose not to add the free-to-use, healthy eating Keyhole logo to their products despite being eligible.

Reaching the Finnish line: EatGrub expands to Finland with 'landmark' listing

09-Apr-2018 By Niamh Michail

UK insect start-up EatGrub has secured a listing in Finland's biggest supermarket. 'It shows how seriously the concept of insects as food is taken in Finland,' the start-up's co-founder says.

Bayn uses E-sensory tech to enhance sugar-reduced gingerbread taste

09-Apr-2018 By Will Chu

Bayn details the use of electronic sensory (E-sensory) technology that determines the aroma profile of a sugar-reduced food to mimic the taste of the original full sugar version.

'Alibi products' taint Norway's salt reduction progress

06-Apr-2018 By Niamh Michail

Norwegian manufacturers are using a few low-salt “alibi products” to boast about reformulation efforts while doing little to cut salt in large volume products, says a Consumer Council report.

News in Brief

BRC GS expands in gluten-free market

04-Apr-2018 By Joseph James Whitworth

BRC Global Standards (BRC GS) has acquired Allergen Control Group, Inc. (ACG) for an undisclosed amount to expand into the North American gluten-free market.

PureCircle plays down EU stevia stumbling block

04-Apr-2018 By Niamh Michail

Malaysian supplier PureCircle must provide more data to prove the safety of both minor steviol glycosides and glucosylated stevia, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has said in two separate opinions.

Are some 'no added sugar' claims really illegal?

03-Apr-2018 By Niamh Michail

Claims such as ‘no added sugar’ on foods containing sweeteners are commonplace and an important part of healthy branding - but are they technically illegal under EU law? We put the question to a food law expert.

EFSA to evaluate titanium dioxide safety studies

29-Mar-2018 By Niamh Michail

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) will advise the Commission on whether to re-evaluate titanium dioxide by analysing four scientific studies that questioned the additive's safety.

Category crossovers and savoury swaps: Mintel on the future of sweet flavours

29-Mar-2018 By Niamh Michail

As the backlash against sugar continues, manufacturers of sweet products are coming up with eye-catching solutions to win consumers’ attention from chocolate pizza to vegetable muffins, says Mintel.

Add a little, gain a lot: Assessing seaweed's health halo

28-Mar-2018 By Niamh Michail

Adding seaweed to a food product can boost consumer purchase intent – and a 5% addition can have the same effect as 50%, Dutch researchers have found.

Government urged to provide more clarity on sustainable food production post-Brexit

26-Mar-2018 By Will Chu

The UK government's revisions to farming subsidies post-Brexit is a step in the right direction, a think tank says, but more detail is needed on how future policy will aid farmers produce food more sustainably.

'Biscuits are utterly trivial but immensely powerful': Key messages from pladis’ annual biscuits report

23-Mar-2018 By Gill Hyslop

After a slump in 2016, pladis reported that biscuits returned to growth in 2017 with a slew of innovative new product launches.

March NPD: Baking with cauliflower, eating avos on the move and packing in proteins

23-Mar-2018 By Gill Hyslop

The free from, plant-based and protein packed trends are high on the list of consumer demands and producers around the globe are responding with innovative launches: BakeryandSnacks takes a look at what is hitting the shelves.

Europe’s i3-food project reveals innovations set to enhance food production methods

22-Mar-2018 By Will Chu

The prospect of extending a product’s shelf life, improving food safety and enhancing its taste, took one step closer to fruition in a series of innovations outlined by an industry-academia consortium.

EU approves €54bn Bayer-Monsanto deal

21-Mar-2018 By Will Chu

The European Commission has approved Bayer’s proposed acquisition of Monsanto, with the German pesticides supplier committed to selling off certain parts of its business as part of the agreement.

Bayer-Monsanto merger dubbed 'the Facebook of farming' as EC urged to oppose deal

20-Mar-2018 By David Burrows

You wouldn’t want to be Margrethe Vestager at the moment. In the next few days (perhaps as early as tomorrow), the European Commission’s competition chief will publish the conclusions of her investigation into the proposed €55 billion deal between German...

Coding salty snacks: the challenges

Salty snacks market to reach $63bn by 2023

19-Mar-2018 By James Wolff

'From the ubiquitous potato chip, to nuts, popcorn, pretzels and jerky, the salty snacks market is one of the most dynamic in the global snack food category,' says James Wolff, global marketing manager, Videojet Technologies.

Rules of origin demands expose UK food industry to a 'hidden hard Brexit,' report warns

16-Mar-2018 By Will Chu

The UK's food and drink sector is facing a ‘hidden hard Brexit,’ a report warns, as the supply chains used by UK producers within the EU are vulnerable to future rules of origin requirements.

'New ritual' snacking emerges in France

15-Mar-2018 By Niamh Michail

Snacking is emerging as 'a new eating ritual' in France but is not breaking down traditional meals, according to a survey by snack manufacturer Mondelez.

Sweden's 'one grain solution' for natural salt reduction

14-Mar-2018 By Niamh Michail

Saltwell has potassium chloride naturally locked into the salt meaning it can cut sodium without the bitterness usually associated with potassium, says its manufacturer Salinity.

Export opportunities in China and the Middle East: ‘You can’t afford to ignore this’

14-Mar-2018 By Niamh Michail

With booming populations and a growing taste for Western foods, are China and the Middle East the El Dorado for European food exports? FoodNavigator put the question to two experts.

How to ensure stable supplies in a volatile vanilla market?

13-Mar-2018 By Niamh Michail

Demand for natural, origin vanilla is on the rise. But how to ensure supplies from cyclone-prone Madagascar are stable and sustainable? FoodNavigator spoke to Symrise about food credits for farmers, diversified sourcing and quality bonuses.

Do umami-flavoured insects need new categories for sweet success?

12-Mar-2018 By Niamh Michail

Insects have a meaty, umami flavour with herby flavour notes - so why are most manufacturers using them in sweet products? It may be time for a category re-think, says one researcher.

That's a wrap: Algae-based tortilla wraps will mainstream sustainable eating, says creator

09-Mar-2018 By Niamh Michail

Tortilla wraps made with 50% seaweed will normalise sustainable eating thanks to their affordable price and ease of use, according to Dutch start-up Seamore.

Regulation ‘could boost clean label’ and build trust

05-Mar-2018 By Katy Askew

There is currently no clear legal definition of what constitutes a clean label product. One marketing and economics expert argues certification and regulation could actually boost clean label sales.

No credibility or consensus: Mars pulls out of Evolved Nutrition Label

02-Mar-2018 By Niamh Michail

Mars will leave the industry-developed Evolved Nutrition Label, citing a lack of credibility and consensus, and has called on the European Commission to bring in a pan-EU, mandatory label.