Food labelling

THE INGREDIENTS SHOW

Growing single origin trend to ‘transform Colombia through chocolate’

10-Apr-2019 By Flora Southey

Single origin chocolate is attracting strong sales and high product satisfaction among consumers. For ingredient suppliers, this presents an opportunity to give back to the rural communities growing the commodity. FoodNavigator caught up with an analyst,...

Fruit-based ingredients offer ‘completely natural means of sweetening cereals’

08-Apr-2019 By Flora Southey

Israel-based Gat Foods has launched a range of ingredients made from 90% fruit components, which it says will help food companies ‘make the switch’ from refined to unrefined sugars.

Ireland taps DNA screening tool for food fraud: ‘The beauty is…you don’t have to know what you’re looking for’

29-Mar-2019 By Flora Southey

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has become the first regulator to adapt next generation sequencing technology to test plant-based foods and food supplements.

EU urged to support local Fair Trade initiatives: ‘We see a willingness to buy sustainable and fair’

21-Mar-2019 By Flora Southey

The Fair Trade Advocacy Office has called on the European Commission and European Parliament to help boost the uptake of Fair Trade at a local level, which FTAO director Sergi Corbalán says could incite the food and beverage industry to source a larger...

WATCH

Inside the lab: Tate & Lyle reveals on-trend prototypes

20-Mar-2019 By Flora Southey

Ingredients supplier Tate & Lyle takes us behind the scenes at its application centre in Lübeck, Germany, to try a number of vegan, reduced-sugar and clean label prototypes.

Blockchain opens up milk supply chain to consumers in France

20-Mar-2019 By Flora Southey

Carrefour has applied blockchain technology from local dairy farm to supermarket shelf, which it says enhances traceability and connects the consumer to ‘the agricultural world’.

Frigo Magic app empowers consumers to tackle waste and track nutrition

20-Mar-2019 By Katy Askew

French start-up Frigo Magic is using data to provide consumers with suggestions on how to tackle food waste and calculate the Nutri-Score of recipes. “We have an educational vocation but we do not want to teach lessons,” co-founder and chief technical...

WATCH

What’s in a name? 25% of consumers object to meat-related words for vegetarian products

12-Mar-2019 By Flora Southey

A survey has revealed that one in four consumers support a ban on traditionally meat-related words being used for vegetarian products.

NPD trend tracker: From insect-based snacks to chocolate coated superfruit

11-Mar-2019 By Flora Southey

Nestlé launches its first ever Milkybar milk and white chocolate offering, cricket-based crackers hit UK shelves, and Red Date superfruits get a dark chocolate makeover. FoodNavigator brings you the latest new product development trends in Europe.

Adulteration, tampering or misdescription? Nofima defines food fraud

07-Mar-2019 By Flora Southey

A new European standard for food fraud has been developed to clarify inconsistencies in terminology, covering sub-terms that go beyond the safety aspect of food crime.

GFSI CONFERENCE 2019

Food fraud: It takes scandals, higher penalties, and greater surveillance to catch cheats

05-Mar-2019 By Flora Southey

Weak legislation and insufficient surveillance in Europe have contributed to a growing food fraud market across the bloc, said experts at the GFSI Conference last week.

Norwegian gov’t called to action: ‘Social media is actively used to promote unhealthy food’

01-Mar-2019 By Flora Southey

Norway’s youth is not adequately protected from the often subtle and sophisticated digital marketing techniques of unhealthy food brands, says the Norwegian Consumer Council.

‘Food will define the future’: Compass CEO sees tech and trends transforming the food system

01-Mar-2019 By Katy Askew

More than any other sector, the food industry will be key to achieving a sustainable future. Technological innovations and emerging trends play an essential role in reaching this goal, says Compass CEO Dominic Blakemore.

Five health & wellness trends transforming packaged food strategies

28-Feb-2019 By Natasha Spencer

As health and wellness and snacking trends emerge as leading influences in the packaged food industry, we explore how food manufacturers and brands can appeal to consumer needs in this competitive landscape.

GFSI CONFERENCE 2019

EC identifies ‘dual quality’ issues across the bloc: ‘It is not an East-West issue, it is everywhere’

27-Feb-2019 By Flora Southey

As the European Commission finalises its EU-wide report on so-called dual quality food, JRC director Elke Anklam reveals ‘dual quality’ products have been identified in “some Member States” across the bloc, irrespective of geography.

UK urged to cut cartoons on unhealthy breakfast cereals: “We must have more enforcement”

26-Feb-2019 By Flora Southey

Campaign groups in the UK have called for the ban of cartoons and bright packaging on unhealthy breakfast products after a recent survey found cereals are “still shockingly high in sugar”.

Gluten inequality? Report finds two thirds of coeliac sufferers in Italy are female

25-Feb-2019 By Flora Southey

Women, who have more reactive immune systems than men, are more susceptible to coeliac disease, says the Italian Ministry of Health.

Is food packaging doing enough to communicate allergen information?

20-Feb-2019 By Natasha Spencer

As high profile media coverage looks at the misguided, and as witnessed, dangerous consequences of unclear allergen information, we spoke to global intelligence agency, Mintel, about how big the problem of allergen labelling is.

Grain of truth: Watchdog demands food makers clarify ‘multigrain’ content

18-Feb-2019 By Flora Southey

Tighter regulations are required to stop manufacturers claiming products are ‘multigrain’ if “hardly any grains” other than the main wheat component are present in the finished product, says consumer watchdog Foodwatch.

Behind the 'most sustainable company in the world': Chr. Hansen

15-Feb-2019 By Flora Southey

Chr. Hansen has divulged its own sustainable practices, covering water reduction, renewable energy, and use of plastics, having secured first place in Corporate Knights’ 2019 ranking.

France ups resale threshold to favour food distributors & farmers

14-Feb-2019 By Flora Southey

France has enforced measures designed to re-balance power in the supply chain and limit buy-one-get-one-free promotions.

Ketchup for kids: Start-up markets tomato ketchup with no added sugar or salt

04-Feb-2019 By Flora Southey

UK start-up Wonderchup is targeting children and families with its clean label, healthy alternative to classic tomato ketchup. “We’ve had a lot of interest from people with health problems,” co-founder Elise Daly told FoodNavigator.

Plant protein alliance to improve structure and taste of gluten-free bread

31-Jan-2019 By Flora Southey

Coeliac UK and Innovate UK are helping fund research to develop three new plant proteins for gluten-free bread, which Nandi Proteins chairman Neil Crabb says could improve its taste and texture.

CRISPR for coeliacs? Gene-editing tech makes ‘wheat with safe gluten’

29-Jan-2019 By Flora Southey

Gene-editing technology can be used to remove epitopes – the molecules responsible for inducing coeliac disease in susceptible individuals – from wheat, according to recent research. However, with Europe’s strict GM rules, will this make a dramatic difference...

‘We want to ensure labels are clearer’: UK mulls tougher allergy labelling regulations

29-Jan-2019 By Katy Askew

The UK government is looking at how “tougher labelling laws” can protect allergy sufferers and close loopholes in labelling requirements.

2019 on the pulse: France champions nuts, legumes and wholegrains in dietary guidance

28-Jan-2019 By Flora Southey

Unsalted nuts, pulses and wholegrains have been added to France’s dietary guidance, which in 2019 also promotes environmental sustainability and consideration of the Nutri-Score label system.

Non-stick spaghetti? New enzyme developed to stabilise ‘overcooked’ pasta

24-Jan-2019 By Flora Southey

German company Mülenchemie has developed an enzyme to improve the cooking tolerance of pasta, which the firm says could save manufacturers in raw material costs.

Food firms slammed for mislabelled bread products in Norway: ‘This is a clear breach of trust’

21-Jan-2019 By Flora Southey

The Norwegian Consumer Council has criticised food manufacturers after eight out of ten bread products sold in Norway were found to be mislabelled, including errors in ingredients and allergens lists.

UAE bans formula ads in attempt to promote breastfeeding

21-Jan-2019 By Cheryl Tay

The UAE Cabinet has implemented a blanket ban on the advertising of infant formula and other infant nutrition products, including follow-up formula and complementary foods.

Yofix yoghurt alternative taps into clean label trend: ‘People are fed up with ingredients they don’t know’

18-Jan-2019 By Flora Southey

Yofix Probiotics uses a zero waste production method to make its clean-label, plant-based yoghurt alternative, which has launched in Israel.

Germany targets food waste with supermarket scanner tech

15-Jan-2019 By Flora Southey

A compact scanning device that determines the freshness of food in supermarkets is under development in Germany, where the Bavarian government is tackling food waste.

Few UK consumers recognise RSPO logo, but does it matter?

10-Jan-2019 By Flora Southey

The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) says it is ‘not surprised’ by findings that just 5% of consumers in the UK recognise its logo, noting that as a voluntary label, “not all companies want to draw attention to an ingredient that is one of many”....

Germany calls for food manufacturers to voluntarily reduce sugar, fats and salts

08-Jan-2019 By Flora Southey

The nationwide strategy, which aims to reduce sugar, fats, and salt content in finished food products to promote healthy eating and reduce obesity levels, has received criticism for its voluntary approach.

Study confirms carbon label efficacy: 'They had the predicted effect... lower-emission food choices'

04-Jan-2019 By Niamh Michail

An easy-to-understand, front-of-pack carbon label is effective in driving more environmentally-friendly food choices - and this is what it could look like, say researchers behind a recent study.

Offering e-shoppers alternative products leads to healthier food choices

18-Dec-2018 By Niamh Michail

Offering similar but healthier food alternatives to online grocery shoppers as they select items can improve the healthiness of people’s shopping baskets, particularly when it comes to lower salt foods, according to UK research.

Fairafric’s Made in Africa organic chocolate: ‘We are making our farmers brand co-owners’

17-Dec-2018 By Niamh Michail

Not only is Fairafric the first organic chocolate bar that is manufactured and packed in Ghana, it has begun making its cocoa farmers brand co-owners by buying them shares in the company.

'Date paste, sugar beet juice... Using pseudonyms for sugar is not acceptable,' says complainant

Kellogg, Hipp and five others told to remove misleading 'no added sugar' claims

14-Dec-2018 By Niamh Michail

The Dutch Advertising Authority has told seven manufacturers and retailers, including Kellogg, Albert Heijn and Hipp, to remove ‘no added sugar’ claims from products that are sweetened with date paste, apple juice concentrate and sugar beet syrup.

Start-up nation? A round-up of France's top food start-ups

14-Dec-2018 By Niamh Michail

From plant-based sweeteners to clean label additives; urban farming to healthy eating apps, we round up some of the most interesting start-ups to come out of France in recent years.

Future food predictions; fighting malnutrition & nano guidance: A round-up of EU news & views

07-Dec-2018 By Niamh Michail

What will food and farming in 2030 look like? The Commission makes its predictions; the EU opens a centre to fight global malnutrition and guidance for manufacturers using nanoparticles is published. This is our round-up of news and views from the EU.

ScanUp: The app that tells consumers if food is 'ultra-processed' and helps manufacturers reformulate

04-Dec-2018 By Niamh Michail

The developers of ScanUp, a French app that allows consumers to scan food products and see just how ‘processed’ or ‘ultra-processed’ they are, are working with manufacturers to develop simple products that score more highly.

Mission possible: Tackling organic fraud in the lab, field and cloud

23-Nov-2018 By Niamh Michail

From cloud-based satellite imagery of acreage that reveals the veracity of organic claims to the latest analytical techniques, we look at some of the ways industry is fighting what Europol calls "a major problem" for the sector.

Poland to bring in mandatory origin labelling for potatoes

22-Nov-2018 By Niamh Michail

Poland has announced plans to bring in mandatory country of origin labelling for fresh potatoes.

The end of the ENL? Nestlé pulls out of Evolved Nutrition Label; others suspend involvement

20-Nov-2018 By Niamh Michail

Nestlé is ceasing involvement in the Evolved Nutrition Label (ENL) while the four remaining companies, Unilever, Mondelez, PepsiCo and Coca-Cola, have put trials for food "on hold".

Firms named and shamed for 'excessively' sugary milkshakes

14-Nov-2018 By Niamh Michail

Manufacturers have been slammed for excessively high levels of sugar in ambient and chilled milkshakes, with 90% of products surveyed by campaign group Action on Sugar receiving a red light.

Spain to officially adopt NutriScore

13-Nov-2018 By Niamh Michail

Spain has become the third European country to adopt the front-of-pack NutriScore as its official nutrition label.

'We're helping reduce reliance on processed food,' says Gousto CEO

06-Nov-2018 By Niamh Michail

Meal kits can help reduce the UK's reliance on processed food and help Britons adopt more "European eating habits", according to meal kit delivery company Gousto.

Eight reasons we need to stop focusing on nutrients – and what this means for processed food makers

31-Oct-2018 By Niamh Michail

The rise of nutritionalism – focusing on nutrient content rather than the whole food – has created a ‘nutritional cacophony’ that leaves people confused. Nutritionist Bernard Lavallée explains how manufacturers can create healthy processed foods.

From quinoa couscous to green banana chips: What we saw at SIAL

29-Oct-2018 By Niamh Michail

From quinoa couscous to green banana chips; organic ghee to 'raw' olive oil, FoodNavigator rounds up some of the most interesting products we saw at this year's SIAL in Paris.

Editor's spotlight

'Riding on a high': TheraCann expected to grow sales of ETCH Biotrace thanks to growing demand for legalised cannabis

26-Oct-2018 By Jenny Eagle

Canada is the second country in the world to legalise recreational marijuana after Uruguay, where adults can carry and share up to 30 grams of dried cannabis and operate up to four homegrown marijuana plants per household, in most provinces.

FoodNavigator's biggest stories of 2018 so far

17-Oct-2018 By Niamh Michail

From the rise of foodtech to the end of the commodities era; from the organic sector's boom to the Mediterranean diet's bust, these are the most read stories on FoodNavigator this year so far.