Chocolate and confectionery ingredients

The FoodNavigator Podcast: Sugar reformulation part 2: The taste conundrum

14-Aug-2020 By Oliver Morrison

The food industry is under pressure to reformulate products with less sugar. The UK has a voluntary target for manufacturers to meet a 20% cut in sugar by 2020. This is unlikely to be met and campaigners are increasingly demanding that mandatory sugar...

Chocolate is ‘good for the heart’: study

04-Aug-2020 By Katy Askew

Eating chocolate at least once a week has been linked to a reduced risk of heart disease, a new study has concluded.

Child labour spikes during COVID-19 lockdown in Côte d’Ivoire, finds International Cocoa Initiative

02-Jul-2020 By Flora Southey

During the partial COVID-19 lockdown in Côte d’Ivoire, a sharp rise in child labour was observed. Yet according to the International Cocoa Initiative, it is too early to attribute the increase to the pandemic alone.

Rainforest Alliance unveils new certification standard: ‘We need new approaches that move beyond a simple pass-fail system’

01-Jul-2020 By Flora Southey

From September this year, Rainforest Alliance will start rolling out the 2020 Sustainable Agriculture Standard worldwide. How does this newly enhanced standard set itself apart in the field? FoodNavigator speaks with the NGO’s director of standards and...

‘Conguitos contributes to racism’: Chocolates Lacasa slammed by consumers wanting change

29-Jun-2020 By Flora Southey

Spanish confectionery company Chocolates Lacasa S.A. is the subject of a petition pushing for the ‘immediate removal’ of all products marketed under its Conguitos branding.

CBD body announces safety study consortium as Novel Foods crunch time looms

19-Jun-2020 By Oliver Morrison

Ahead of the UK Food Standards Agency’s 31 March 2021 deadline for CBD products to have a validated novel foods application, the Association for the Cannabinoid Industry (ACI), which works to create a safe, legal and well-regulated CBD market in the UK,...

Emotional rescue: How tapping into food and mood can make or break a product

08-Jun-2020 By Oliver Morrison

A better understanding of the emotional impact of food can help manufacturers overcome the challenge of new products that fail, and also adapt to disruption in the industry.

Cheese, ready-meals and egg alternatives most in demand among plant-based eaters

04-Jun-2020 By Oliver Morrison

Plant-based cheese, ready meals, seafood, and alternatives to eggs are among the biggest opportunities in the plant-based sector, a survey of over 6,000 consumers has found.

Cargill: ‘Technology is moving us closer towards maximum transparency and traceability’

27-May-2020 By Oliver Morrison

US agri-food giant Cargill is looking to solutions such as mobile money, GPS mapping and digital data collection to improve transparency in its cocoa supply chains in Africa and elsewhere.

Reaching the ‘left behind’: Systemic solutions needed to tackle farmer poverty in cocoa

22-May-2020 By Katy Askew

A new report from the Fairtrade Foundation and Mondelez International highlights that cocoa sustainability initiatives are failing to reach a significant proportion of cocoa farmers. FoodNavigator speaks to Cathy Pieters, director of Mondelez’s Cocoa...

How are smallholder farmers impacted by the coronavirus pandemic? Olam weighs in

14-May-2020 By Flora Southey

Smallholder farmers in Africa are particularly at risk amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Julie Greene, VP, Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability at agri-food giant Olam.

Beyond sugar and salt reformulation: The case for ‘positive nutrition’ targets to help curb obesity

13-May-2020 By Flora Southey

Implementing ‘positive nutrition’ policies – to increase the amount of whole grains, fruit, nuts and seeds, and vegetables in our diet – could help the UK combat childhood obesity, argue experts.

NEWS IN BRIEF

Barry Callebaut distributes soap to Unilever’s cocoa farmer cooperatives

06-May-2020 By Flora Southey

Cocoa producer Barry Callebaut is delivering 10,000 pieces of soap to customer Unilever’s cocoa farmer cooperatives in Côte d’Ivoire.

Ingredion launches polyol sweetener to tap health-conscious trend

04-May-2020 By Oliver Morrison

Ingredion EMEA has launched its first polyol sweetener -- ERYSTA Erythritol – to enable manufacturers to reduce or replace sugar to achieve nutrition-related claims, such as ‘no added sugar’ or ‘calorie-reduced’, in multiple applications.

Mars patents heat-resistant chocolate that maintains taste and shape in hot climates

30-Apr-2020 By Flora Southey

Mars, Inc. has developed a packaged heat-resistant chocolate it says maintains taste, mouthfeel, and shape during transportation and handling in hot climates.