Cereals and bakery preparations

Genetically modified rice could be key to tackling food shortages caused by climate change: scientists

18-Jan-2023 By Oliver Morrison

Genetically engineering rice to have better salt tolerance could allow it to be grown in places it would otherwise fail, new research from the University of Sheffield has found.

Ukraine’s ExtraCell Ingredients on making yeast, the brave new world of biotech fermentation, and Monday meetings in the bomb shelter

23-Dec-2022 By Oliver Morrison

A Ukraine-based yeast maker has defied the challenges of war and launched a biotech arm producing a range of yeast-based solutions for the food industry.

How Weetabix Original plans to get to Net Zero by 2050: ‘It’s not a quick and easy thing to do’

14-Dec-2022 By Flora Southey

Weetabix Food Company has committed to producing a zero-carbon box of Weetabix Original breakfast cereal by 2050. John Petre, supply chain, procurement and technical director at the Weetabix Food Company, explains how.

‘Everyone is holding their breath’: ABFI is preparing for the energy crisis to get worse after a ‘record’ 2022

13-Dec-2022 By Katy Askew

ABF Ingredients, the speciality ingredient arm of Associated British Foods, secured a ‘record’ performance in the face of difficult conditions seen throughout 2022. But it looks likely that the worst is not yet behind us, with expectations of a deepening...

From mood-boosting algae to plant-based ‘egg’ powder: Which innovations caught our eye at FiE 2022?

07-Dec-2022 By Flora Southey

Food ingredients are taking centre-stage in Paris this week, and FoodNavigator is on the ground speaking with newcomers to the B2B market.

Plant-based ‘honey without bees’ prepares to create a buzz in Europe

02-Dec-2022 By Flora Southey

US-based MeliBio is partnering with organic food producer Narayan Foods to bring its plant-based bee-free honey product to Europe under the Better Foodie brand.

Scientists predict next Green Revolution as new drought resilient wheat discovery unveiled

01-Dec-2022 By Oliver Morrison

It is hoped that that the new semi-dwarf wheat may soon be grown in fields across the globe following an exciting discovery.

Research gives colour on what makes adults fussy eaters

25-Nov-2022 By Oliver Morrison

A study examining the characteristics of picky eaters has found the colour of food containers has an influence on taste.

Supplier embraces sound analysis to reveal how calcium carbonates can provide added bite to baked goods

14-Nov-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Swiss ingredient supplier Omya has turned to the social media craze ASMR to prove its calcium carbonate product can improve the crispiness of wafers and thus gain consumer acceptance.

Start-up cuts 70% sugar with sweetener-free substitute: ‘It’s a plug-and-play solution’

09-Nov-2022 By Flora Southey

Israeli start-up Resugar has developed a 1:1 sugar substitute for food manufacturers, and ice cream major Froneri – owner of the Nestlé-Froneri brand in Israel – is amongst its first clients.

'Urine could save the world'... The start-up turning pee into greener, cheaper fertilizer

04-Nov-2022 By Oliver Morrison

A French start-up has unveiled a urine-based fertilizer to limit the use of chemical ones and make use of valuable nutrients lost when we flush. Toopi Organics claims the solution has many environmental benefits and is cheaper for farmers.

‘We're not only a food nation, but a food tech nation’: The new ingredients shaping the future of food from Spain

26-Oct-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Spanish start-ups are fostering the circular economy and upcycling to produce the foods of the future.

Talking Dawn’s people, patent-pending tech and trends

10-Oct-2022 By Gill Hyslop

At the International Bakery Industry Exposition (IBIE) held in Las Vegas, US, last month, Dawn Foods unveiled its 2023 global bakery trends reports and showcased it’s game-changing non-sticky doughnut glaze. BakeryandSnacks also used the opportunity to...

Don’t fear consumer neophobia when designing upcycled food products, experts stress

27-Sep-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Food manufacturers should be bolder and braver about using ingredients from new side-streams and by-products, FoodNavigator’s Climate Smart Food has heard.

European supplier CSM Ingredients eyes Latin America: ‘Our global growth strategy is centred on scaling up in other parts of the world’

26-Sep-2022 By Katy Askew

CSM Ingredients is entering Latin America through a strategic partnership with Chilean player ICB. FoodNavigator catches up with CSM CEO Aldo Uva to learn more about how this expansion positions the European supplier for further growth.

CSM Ingredients and Allozymes in strategic tie-up on rapid novel enzyme development

22-Sep-2022 By Katy Askew

CSM Ingredients has entered into a strategic partnership with Allozymes, a Singapore-based start-up that leverages proprietary tech to develop novel enzymes, FoodNavigator can reveal. In this global exclusive, we catch up with CSM CEO Aldo Uva to learn...

R&D

Puratos and Shiru join forces to create plant-based protein ingredients for baked goods

12-Sep-2022 By Anthony Myers

Puratos, the food ingredients and services supplier for the bakery, patisserie and chocolate sectors has announced a new partnership with Shiru, a functional ingredient company for the food industry.

UK ‘one step closer’ to adding folic acid to flour for foetal health

08-Sep-2022 By Flora Southey

A UK-wide consultation on the amount of folic acid to be added to flour to help prevent neural tube defects in the womb is now underway.

Angry bakers ‘dismayed’ lack of action on sourdough imitations

01-Sep-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Artisan bakers in the UK are complaining that supermarkets are continuing to sell incorrectly labelled sourdough bread.

Will novel rare sugar allulose resonate with European consumers?

31-Aug-2022 By Katy Askew

Allulose, a novel rare sugar, is currently making its way through the Novel Foods process to gain regulatory approval in Europe. Does it have the characteristics that European shoppers are looking for in sweeteners?

Climate-resilient African crops to improve nutritional deficiency via gluten-free crackers

22-Aug-2022 By Flora Southey

A European-African project is investigating the potential for local crops to improve the nutritional profile of gluten-free crackers in Africa.

Banana peel flour shown to boost nutrition levels in baked goods

11-Aug-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Adding banana peel increases fibre and antioxidant levels in cookies, researchers find.

Titanium dioxide substitute inspired by ‘brilliantly white’ beetle: ‘The pigment is 100% cellulose, nothing else’

22-Jul-2022 By Flora Southey

Cambridge University spin-out Impossible Materials has developed a cellulose-based, white pigment to replace titanium dioxide in food applications. FoodNavigator catches up with CEO Lukas Schertel to find out how.

Commodity prices are going off the boil but don’t break out the champagne, analysts warn

21-Jul-2022 By Katy Askew

Agri-food commodity prices have dipped, raising hopes that the input inflation spiral seen in 2022 was indeed transitory. However, analysts at Jeffries warn, it is too early to ‘break out the champagne’.

Clean label claims boost sales, but what categories benefit most?

20-Jul-2022 By Katy Askew

The clean label ingredients market is witnessing continued growth, with evidence suggesting clean labels increase consumer willingness to pay a higher price point and build loyalty. FoodNavigator digs down into the trend to profile what categories and...

Inside CSM’s ‘net positive’ approach: ‘The time for action is now’

19-Jul-2022 By Katy Askew

CSM Ingredients has unveiled a 'novel' approach to sustainability in its ‘Thrive for Impact’ plan. The overall aim is to be what CEO Aldo Uva describes as ‘net positive’. But what does this mean? We caught up with the chief executive to ask...

High-protein edible crop variety developed that ‘thrives’ on fallow land

14-Jul-2022 By Flora Southey

In Switzerland, a seed variety has been developed that appears to do it all: the edible Jatropha curcas seed produces vegetable oil and protein, captures CO2 from the atmosphere, and thrives on previously unproductive fallow land.

Industry looks to upcycled ingredients as food price crisis bites

06-Jul-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Circular food solutions, upcycled ingredients and local production all offer the food and drink sector a solution to counter current global economic pressures and supply chain volatility.

‘A major step forward for the insect industry’: Ÿnsect celebrates EFSA green light

05-Jul-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Human insect consumption has received another boost as the lesser mealworm (Alphitobius diaperinus) becomes the fourth insect to receive a positive assessment by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for human consumption.

Fossil-free food: Green fertilizer developed to ‘effortlessly’ decarbonise the food chain

30-Jun-2022 By Flora Southey

In an industry first, fossil-free ‘green’ fertilizer – made using renewable electricity – is being developed at a commercial scale. FoodNavigator catches up with Yara to find out how.

Consumer appetite for unhealthy food remains strong, poll reveals: ‘This demonstrates the need for brands to innovate’

24-Jun-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Nine in 10 UK shoppers would still buy sweets or chocolate if they weren’t on offer, yet most consumers think that less fat, sugar and salt in supermarket foods is a good idea.

‘The health of people and our planet go hand-in-hand’: How conscientious consumption is driving sustainable nutrition

15-Jun-2022 By Katy Askew

Sustainable nutrition is key to the future of people and the planet. Providing it is an important opportunity for the food and beverage sector to engage with shoppers who are ever more focused on conscientious consumption, FoodNavigator hears.

The war in Ukraine ‘cannot be a justification to delay the Green Deal’, stresses EU

01-Jun-2022 By Oliver Morrison

EU Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski has insisted the Green Deal, which contains the landmark Farm to Fork and Biodiversity strategies, will remain a key priority despite the conflict in Ukraine.

Calls for more research into ‘forgotten’ crops as food crisis bites

23-May-2022 By Oliver Morrison

The global food price crisis illustrates the need for key players in the food chain to bring forgotten and under-researched crops to the attention of markets and to consumers' tables, according to author Dan Saladino.

UK HFSS restrictions delay met with relief and dismay

19-May-2022 By Oliver Morrison

In a move which has satisfied trade bodies but disheartened health campaigners and some challenger brands, the UK government has announced a one-year delay to the proposed ban on buy-one-get-one-free deals for foods high in fat, salt or sugar.

Wheat yields boosted and protein content increased by up to 25%: study

13-May-2022 By Flora Southey

Researchers working to identify genes that control the development of bread wheat ‘spikelets’ have unexpectedly discovered a potential way to increase protein content by up to 25%.

Research takes aim at social media influencers peddling unhealthy products

09-May-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Most food and drink content posted by German influencers on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube is so unhealthy it fails World Health Organisation (WHO) advertising standards for children, claims research from the Medical University of Vienna.

Mars exec talks innovation: 'We're at a fascinating moment, where we will be creating the next relevant portfolio for consumers'

05-May-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

As a 100+-year-old company of some of the most well-known CPG brands, Mars Inc. sees innovation as the driving force behind the company's next chapter of growth and the key to maintaining consumer relevancy.

Beneo builds new pulse-processing plant for ‘rising star’ ingredient faba bean

27-Apr-2022 By Flora Southey

The ingredients supplier is investing €50m in the new facility to make protein concentrate, starch rich flour and hulls from faba beans – a crops that comes with ‘convincing sustainable credentials’, Beneo’s Christoph Boettger tells FoodNavigator.

Subway recruits crisp sandwich sommelier as it reveals the ‘tastiest crisp sandwich pairing, according to science’

22-Apr-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Just as British cuisine thought its days as the butt of jokes might be over, along comes research celebrating one of the UK’s most unsophisticated of snacks: the crisp sandwich.

Flat-pack fusilli? ‘Shape-shifting’ pasta developed to reduce packaging

04-Apr-2022 By Flora Southey

Researchers in Israel have developed ‘pre-programmed’ pasta that transforms into popular shapes when boiled in water.

Study reveals nutritional benefits of regenerative agriculture crops

18-Mar-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Regenerative farming practices such as soil-building techniques that minimize plowing, use cover crops, and plant diverse crops positively affect the nutritional content of the food, claims research.

Perkier: Snacks brand talks product footprints, CO2 reduction, and the journey to climate neutrality

15-Mar-2022 By Flora Southey

UK-based snacks company Perkier sources ingredients from ‘all parts of the world’, yet through a tie-up with ClimatePartner, has announced it is now certified carbon neutral. FoodNavigator hears how.

Scientists develop new high-quality genome to prevent rust in bread wheat

15-Mar-2022 By Oliver Morrison

In a study in which they say will help eradicate major wheat diseases, researchers have assembled the genome of bread wheat and identified the gene responsible for stripe rust resistance.

Acrylamide alert raised after ‘alarming’ levels found in children’s food

03-Mar-2022 By Flora Southey

SAFE Food Advocacy Europe is raising the alarm, after acrylamide concentrations at four to five times higher than what is currently permitted in the EU through benchmark levels were found in food.

Why the Ukraine conflict could spark ‘dangerous times’ for food prices and food security

25-Feb-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Producers in Europe fear the Ukraine crisis may result in rising prices of items such as bread, baked goods and beer that may be passed on to end consumers.

EFSA upholds rejection of Nestlé’s beta-glucan health claim for cereals

07-Feb-2022 By Oliver Morrison

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has confirmed its rebuttal of Nestlé’s beta-glucan-based health claim.

Puratos and ReGrained enter partnership for upcycled bakery innovation

14-Jan-2022 By Katy Askew

Bakery ingredient specialist Puratos has entered a tie-up with upcycling start-up ReGrained. Through an exclusive collaboration and supply agreement, the companies will supply upcycled solutions to the commercial baking industry.

‘Eat like an Egyptian’: How ancient crops can help address modern problems

13-Jan-2022 By Flora Southey

The micronutrient content of ancient cereals and pulses is significantly richer than that of their modern counterparts. Can history help turn the tide on current issues in food quality and nutrition?

ReGrained innovating in upcycled food for grains that deliver nutritional benefits

05-Jan-2022 By Katy Askew

ReGrained is a food upcycling technology and ingredient platform that ‘rescues’ production side streams – currently brewers’ spent grain – and turns them into ‘delicious, versatile, better-for-you’ ingredients. FoodNavigator speaks to co-founder and CEO...