Chocolate and confectionery ingredients

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.

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.

Super-charged sugar? Peruvian inventor seeks patent on nutrition-dense sweetener

27-Apr-2018 By Kacey Culliney

An inventor from Peru has developed a sweetening formulation that enables calorie reduction but also targets disease prevention through functional ingredients like prebiotic fibers and omega-3s.

Food Safety Recall round-up 21-27 April 2018

Recalls: Enterobacter Sakazakii, E. coli and allergens

27-Apr-2018 By Joseph James Whitworth

Recalls and alerts were made by England, Ireland, US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, Finland, France, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Germany and Austria.

EU and Mexico agree free trade deal in principle

24-Apr-2018 By Joseph James Whitworth

The European Union has agreed a modernised free trade agreement in principle with Mexico.

'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.

Premium chocolate

Barry Callebaut launches Gold because ‘consumers are prepared to pay more’ for caramel chocolate

16-Apr-2018 By Douglas Yu

Barry Callebaut has added a new caramel chocolate, Gold, to its premium Belgian chocolate portfolio, which currently includes dark, milk and white chocolate.

‘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...

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.

Cravings convince consumers to cough up at any cost: Study

06-Apr-2018 By Will Chu

Food cravings convince consumers to pay “disproportionately more” for larger portion sizes of snacks high in sugar and fat, according to a study.

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.

British chocolate exports grow worldwide

04-Apr-2018 By Joseph James Whitworth

Demand for British chocolate is on the increase globally, according to two UK government departments.

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.

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.

Nutella maker Ferrero discloses 116 palm oil mills

23-Mar-2018 By Douglas Yu

Ferrero has disclosed the locations of 116 palm oil mills across the globe, shortly after the publication of a report by environmental group Greenpeace.

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.

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.

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.

Improved recipe claims hide ingredient 'downgrading'

01-Mar-2018 By Niamh Michail

Manufacturers including Unilever, Mondelēz and Alpro are using claims of ‘new, improved recipe’ to hide ingredient "downgrading", according to a German consumer group.

German biotech firm Brain bags European patent for taste technology

26-Feb-2018 By Niamh Michail

After bagging a European patent for its taste cell technology to develop natural sweeteners, German biotech company Brain is turning its attention to bitterness and salt reduction.

Understanding genetic flavour preference could promote healthier choices

23-Feb-2018 By Katy Askew

Children’s snacking choices – whether they prefer sweet, fatty or bitter flavours – could be genetically pre-programmed and understanding this could help people make healthier choices, new research suggests.

EU food exports 'holding strong'

22-Feb-2018 By Niamh Michail

EU food exports are “holding strong” with a 5.1% increase in value in 2017 compared to the previous year, according to a Commission report.

A treat for the eyes: Children are more responsive to unhealthy food cues

21-Feb-2018 By Niamh Michail

Children are more responsive to cues for unhealthy foods than healthy ones in cartoons, researchers say.

Unilever publicly discloses palm oil supply chain: ‘You can’t outsource your responsibilities,’ says Polman

20-Feb-2018 By Niamh Michail

Unilever has become the first consumer goods company to publicly disclose all the suppliers and mills it buys palm oil from, both directly and indirectly, it says.

Abakus Foods brings 'extremely versatile' superfruit jujubes to the West

19-Feb-2018 By Niamh Michail

Jujubes are a nutritious superfruit with caramel flavour notes that are "extremely versatile" and ideal for bakery, confectionery and dairy products as well as beverages, says the CEO and founder of Abakus Foods.

Intermarché supermarket adds NutriScore to 1,300 products

16-Feb-2018 By Niamh Michail

Intermarché will add the NutriScore nutrition logo to 1,300 of its private label products. "NutriScore should be the only nutrition label on the shelves," it said yesterday.

Ultra-processed food may be linked to cancer: BMJ study

15-Feb-2018 By Niamh Michail

There may be a causal link between eating highly processed food and cancer risk, and four reasons why this could be, according to the authors of a 105,000-strong French study published in the British Medical Journal.

Nestlé sued again for allegedly ‘using child and slave labor to make chocolate’

13-Feb-2018 By Oliver Nieburg

Nestlé USA faces a fresh class action lawsuit in the US for allegedly failing to disclose its chocolate brands may use cocoa from unlawful child or slave labor.

Food innovation in Denmark is 'a clear political goal', says Food Nation CEO

13-Feb-2018 By Niamh Michail

Years ago, Danish food meant salted pork, pickled fish and little else to most people. Now it’s Europe’s gastronomic capital with high-value food exports. We spoke to the CEO of Food Nation about this transformation and how manufacturers are tapping into...

Commission mulls origin labelling with draft legislation: Stakeholders react

12-Feb-2018 By Niamh Michail

A public consultation on a draft EU regulation for EU-wide origin labelling has come to a close.

Crowdfooding's global food tech map connects start-ups and corporates

12-Feb-2018 By Niamh Michail

An interactive map which tracks rising food tech start-ups around the world will allow industry players to navigate the latest innovations, its creator, Crowdfooding, says.

Free-from foods are seen as healthier - especially GM-free and palm oil-free: study

09-Feb-2018 By Niamh Michail

Free-from labelled foods seem healthier, with GM-free and palm oil-free labels having the strongest effect, according to a study of almost 2000 French, Swedish, British and Polish individuals.

Vazee app brings previously out-of-reach consumer data to brands, it says

09-Feb-2018 By Niamh Michail

Vazee's app tells manufacturers what consumers are eating and drinking in restaurants. It's important marketing data and Heineken and Pago have already signed up, its co-founder says.

Tate & Lyle pleased with Q3 progress

08-Feb-2018 By Niamh Michail

Tate & Lyle on track to deliver progress in adjusted profit in line with its expectations, it said in a Q3 trading statement today.

Meet your matcha: A look at healthy indulgent launches with matcha green tea

07-Feb-2018 By Niamh Michail

Matcha green tea has a sophisticated, adult flavour and is packed with nutrients, making it an ideal ingredient to add a health halo to indulgent desserts, says Mintel.

Chocoa director interview

‘We have to look beyond cocoa’: Chocolate industry should co-finance other crops to prevent another price crash

07-Feb-2018 By Oliver Nieburg

The chocolate industry must look beyond cocoa alone to avert another big drop in cocoa prices, says the organizer of chocolate festival and cocoa conference Chocoa.

The six trends driving a record-breaking year for UK organic food and drink

07-Feb-2018 By Niamh Michail

As the UK organic sector hits a record value of £2.2 billion (€2.47bn), what's the secret to its success? Six trends are influencing our food choices today - and organic fits into all of them, says the Soil Association.

'No added sugar' plus a sweetener? 'Pure and simply illegal,' says Test Achats

06-Feb-2018 By Niamh Michail

If a product in the EU has a 'no added sugar', it cannot contain any added sweetener, natural or artificial. Yet too many companies are flouting this law and it's "pure and simply illegal", says Belgian consumer group Test Achats.

Spanish manufacturers promise to make 3,500 products healthier

06-Feb-2018 By Niamh Michail

Over 500 companies in Spain have pledged a 10% voluntary reduction in salt, sugar and fat in over 3,500 products. "This is a business transformation," says the country's health minister.

Images help people who are not 'health-conscious' make better food choices

05-Feb-2018 By Niamh Michail

Health-conscious people will choose healthy foods anyway – but visual cues, rather than words, can help those who are less health-conscious to make better food choices, researchers say.

Commission urges Europeans to ‘vote with their purses’ through dual quality boycott

02-Feb-2018 By Niamh Michail

The Commission’s method to test for dual quality products will be ready in April and, when the results are published, Europeans should “vote with their purses and refuse to buy products they consider of lower quality,” the commissioner for justice, consumers...

Superfruit sea buckthorn is top natural preservative for clean labels, says Superfruiticals

01-Feb-2018 By Niamh Michail

Whole sea buckthorn is a natural preservative that has an even cleaner label than rosemary (which must be listed as an extract) for foods ranging from meat to confectionery. "It's the most powerful superfruit that gets the least amount of attention,"...

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