Fats & oils

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...

Upfield’s carbon labelling plans: Gimmick or triumph for consumer choice?

13-Aug-2020 By Oliver Morrison

The Amsterdam-based owner of Flora, Blue Band, Stork, Becel, Country Crock and I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! is introducing on-pack carbon labelling to 100 million packs of its margarine and spreads by the end of 2021 in order to “help consumers...

Sustainability

German confectionery industry welcomes government support for sustainable palm oil

03-Aug-2020 By Anthony Myers

The Federal Association of the German Confectionery Industry (BDSI) said it has welcomed its government's increased political commitment to more sustainability in the palm oil sector.

The FoodNavigator Podcast: CBD-infused drinks, marshmallows, and peanut butter

31-Jul-2020 By Flora Southey

CBD is the latest hot ingredient to infiltrate the food sector, and agile start-ups have been quick to jump onboard. In this edition of The FoodNavigator Podcast, we speak with the founders of three UK-based food start-ups to get their perspectives on...

Robot developed that 3D prints and grills meat analogues in 6 minutes: ‘We are completely disrupting the supply chain’

29-Jul-2020 By Flora Southey

Israeli start-up SavorEat has developed an automated, closed system that 3D prints and cooks plant-based meat alternatives for foodservice. “This robot can replace manufacturing practices,” CEO Racheli Vizman tells FoodNavigator.

Cubiq's 'smart fat' takes on coconut oil: ‘This is what plant-based companies are looking for’

10-Jul-2020 By Katy Askew

Spanish food tech start-up Cubiq Foods has developed a vegan ‘smart fat’ that, it claims, behaves like animal fat within product formulations. Addressing some of the functional constraints of coconut oil, CEO and co-founder Andrés Montefeltro tells FoodNavigator...

Kids most exposed to junk food advertising in France, finds public health agency

08-Jul-2020 By Flora Southey

A fresh study has revealed that children in France are most exposed to advertising for products with a Nutri-Score ranking of D and E – meaning foods of lower nutritional quality. The findings, says Santé Publique France, support the need for food marketing...

Cutting the trans-fat: Potential link found between deep frying oils and ovarian cancer

07-Jul-2020 By Flora Southey

Fresh research suggesting a potential link between industrially produced trans-fatty acids – predominantly found in fried foods and partially hydrogenated cooking oils – and ovarian cancer has implications for the food industry, IARC scientist Dr Veronique...

3D printed fish: Plant-based salmon with ‘complex structure’ under development for EU market

06-Jul-2020 By Flora Southey

Students in Demark aim to commercialise vegan alternatives to salmon and tuna in Europe, having developed 3D printing processes capable of printing plant proteins and binders in structured forms.

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...

Beyond ‘zero deforestation’: Regenerative agriculture fund eyes conservation at scale

30-Jun-2020 By Flora Southey

The Forest Conservation Fund aims to ‘uberise’ forest conservation with funding from commodity buyers and donors.

Nestlé urged to ‘keep KitKat Fairtrade’ as it moves to Rainforest Alliance

24-Jun-2020 By Flora Southey

The Fairtrade Foundation is dismayed that Nestlé UK & Ireland will no longer buy Fairtrade cocoa for its KitKat brand. Instead, the food giant is moving to Rainforest Alliance certification.

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,...

Protera CEO talks AI-developed proteins, closing €5m Series A, and relocating to France

17-Jun-2020 By Flora Southey

Chilean biotech Protera Biosciences is heading for the city of lights, having closed $5.5m (€4.9m) Series A financing led by Sofinnova Partners. Europe, Protera CEO Leonardo Álvarez tells FoodNavigator, is known for its ‘vast expertise’ in producing enzymes...