Food labelling

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.

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.

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.

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.

Breaking away from bad science? Mars to leave ILSI in transparency bid

08-Feb-2018 By Niamh Michail

Mars plans to quit industry-funded science group, the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI), and says it will support research regardless of results after making its science policy public.

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.

Italian court quashes €0.5m Lidl olive oil fine after appeal

05-Feb-2018 By Niamh Michail

An Italian appeal court has quashed Lidl's €0.5 million fine over its extra virgin olive oil that sensory panels flagged as virgin oil, in a case that highlights the importance of control checks throughout the supply chain, a food law expert says.

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...

GM labelling will be no barrier to Plenish soybean oil uptake, says trade group

02-Feb-2018 By Niamh Michail

DuPont Pioneer's soybean oil Plenish has been approved for the EU and, despite having to label on pack it as genetically modified, European manufacturers have already shown interest, says US trade group Qualisoy.

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,"...

Danish government slams 'political mudslinging' at heart of nutrient profile debate

29-Jan-2018 By Niamh Michail

The Danish government has reiterated its call for nutrient profiles to stop unhealthy foods making health claims, slamming the "political mudslinging" that has prevented them from becoming a reality so far.

Small ingredient tweaks could make packaged sandwiches more eco-friendly

25-Jan-2018 By Niamh Michail

Small changes to the recipe - such as cutting out the lettuce or using less meat - could reduce the carbon footprint of the humble packaged sandwich, researchers say.

Flavour forecasts: Bell’s predictions for 2018 food trends

24-Jan-2018 By Katy Askew

Botanic flavours and gourmet snacks are among the top trends expected to take Europe by storm in 2018, Bell Flavors and Fragrances predicts.

Four manufacturers face Paris High Court legal complaint over undeclared nanoparticles

23-Jan-2018 By Niamh Michail

French consumer group UFC-Que Choisir has filed a legal complaint to the High Court of Paris against Mars, Casino, McCormick and Jacobs Douwe Egberts due to the “significant proportion” of undeclared nanoparticles in their products.

EJC opinion suggests genetic engineering exempt from GMO regs

19-Jan-2018 By Katy Askew

The European Court of Justice Advocate General has issued an opinion that genetic engineering techniques such as CRISPR should be considered exempt from European regulations governing GMOs.

Plastic-free private label: UK retailer Iceland praised for packaging target - but will others follow?

17-Jan-2018 By Niamh Michail

Iceland has pledged to remove plastic packaging from all its own brand products by 2023. Will other food industry players follow its lead?

Calorie caps in processed food: Industry welcomes ‘focus beyond sugar’

17-Jan-2018 By Niamh Michail

Calories in processed foods such as pizzas and readymade sandwiches could be capped in the UK, according to recommendations in an upcoming report by advisory body Public Health England (PHE).

Are fragmenting attitudes to health a threat to food brands?

16-Jan-2018 By Katy Askew

New research finds that consumers are increasingly confused by the numerous – and sometimes contradictory – messages about food and health. A loss of trust in traditional sources of information adds to the chaos and stands as a barrier to the development...

Avoid the ‘V’ word, and other tips to boost meat-free and dairy-free sales

15-Jan-2018 By Niamh Michail

Plant-based proteins may be booming but if sustainable eating is to become mainstream – and companies are to maximise sales – they should avoid vegan or vegetarian labels, says the executive director of the Good Food Institute (GFI).

‘90% sugar and fat but no red light': Foodwatch slams industry’s Evolved Nutrition logo

09-Jan-2018 By Niamh Michail

Manufacturers' Evolved Nutrition logo makes foods high in sugar, fat and salt seem healthier than they are, according to campaign group Foodwatch which has compared products under the UK's traffic light and the industry-own label.

Dutch supermarket app will recommend healthier products over unhealthy ones

04-Jan-2018 By Niamh Michail

The Netherlands’ government-backed Nutrition Centre has launched an app that consumers can use to compare brands in store and find the healthiest one. "We hope to unleash a revolution in the supermarket," it says.

2018 and beyond: Five mega-trends set to shape the food industry

03-Jan-2018 By Katy Askew

FoodNavigator looks at five mega-trends that are set to influence the future of innovation in the food sector.

Makin’ bacon healthy: Nitrite-free version launches in the UK for 2018

03-Jan-2018 By Will Chu

Nitrite-free bacon that uses Mediterranean fruit and spice extracts to replace the cancer-causing chemicals used in the manufacture of traditional bacons, will be available in supermarkets later this month.

Limit kids’ snacking to two a day, urges UK health agency

02-Jan-2018 By Will Chu

Snacking on sweets, cakes and fizzy drinks are setting children up for obesity and poor health, warns Public Health England, as it urges parents to clamp down on these unhealthy eating habits.

What trends will shape grocery retail in 2018?

18-Dec-2017 By Katy Askew

From immersive retail experiences to demand for hyper-local sourcing, FoodNavigator takes a look at the top five trends that will shape grocery retailing in 2018.

FoodDrinkEurope submits complaint about Italy’s country of origin labels

14-Dec-2017 By Katy Askew

FoodDrinkEurope, the trade body representing European food makers, has registered an official complaint with the European Commission over Italy’s new country of origin labelling regulations.

Salt of the Earth on expanding reformulation potential of umami

04-Dec-2017 By Katy Askew

Israel-based Salt of the Earth expanding distribution of its Mediterranean Umami flavouring, a product that the company says can help companies in their reformulation efforts by “heightening” taste perceptions of salt – and possibly even sugar.

Smoke and mirrors or clear communication? Industry clashes over Evolved Nutrition Label

01-Dec-2017 By Niamh Michail

As Coca-Cola, Mars, Mondelez, Nestlé, PepsiCo and Unilever develop their Evolved Nutrition Label, the dairy industry has slammed it as "nonsense" while consumer groups brand it “an attempt to scramble” France’s official NutriScore.

Chr. Hansen's encapsulation tech advances beta-carotene colour options

27-Nov-2017 By Katy Askew

Ingredients group Chr. Hansen is extending its patented encapsulation technology to increase the stability of beta-carotene colour pigments for use in beverage products.

EU project looks to ensure supply of halloumi in Cyprus as PDO decision looms

27-Nov-2017 By Jim Cornall

A partnership between European and Cyprus research institutions, within the AGRICYGEN project, intends to facilitate increased production of goat and sheep milk in Cyprus so that the demand for the cheese can be met.

Seaweed steps into sustainability spotlight with certification scheme

23-Nov-2017 By Niamh Michail

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) have launched a certification standard for sustainable seaweed production. "This is a very big deal," one seaweed manufacturer told us.

Nutrition, naturalness and NPD: How TAPPED’s founder plans to grow the birch water category

20-Nov-2017 By Katy Askew

Birch water start-up TAPPED is expanding its business in the UK with the support of PepsiCo’s innovation programme, the Nutrition Greenhouse. TAPPED founder Paul Lederer speaks to us about how he plans to drive the company – and category – forward.

Nutritional fact panel update? ‘Single design not uniformly effective,’ says study

17-Nov-2017 By Will Chu

Redesigning nutritional fact panels (NFP) may aid consumers to make an informed healthy food choice by making them pay more attention to the nutritional profile of less healthy items, a study finds.

Consumer understanding of genome editing ‘essential’ – BfR

16-Nov-2017 By Katy Askew

Educating consumers about the nature of emerging genome editing methodology and appropriate risk communication will be “essential” to developing a public discourse around this new technology, according to German research and scientific advisory body BfR.

Lobby asks French manufacturers to spur Nutri-Score for alternative nutrition logo

10-Nov-2017 By Niamh Michail

French food association Alliance 7 is asking its members to ignore France's official, government-backed nutrition logo in favour of an alternative that is more favourable to its products - a move slammed as "a denial of science" by critics.

Chr. Hansen goes beyond natural colours with colouring foodstuffs

03-Nov-2017 By Katy Askew

Chr. Hansen is pushing back the boundaries of ‘natural’ ingredients and expanding its range of colouring foodstuffs to help food and beverage manufacturers take clean labels to the next level.

EU to set legal definition of vegetarian and vegan food

03-Nov-2017 By Niamh Michail

The European Commission says it will begin the process of establishing a legal definition of vegetarian and vegan food in 2019, an announcement that has been welcomed by food manufacturers.

Industry should label food as a meal not a snack to prevent over-eating, say scientists

02-Nov-2017 By Niamh Michail

Labelling food as a snack rather than a meal, or packaging it as a snack leads to people eating "significantly more", researchers say, and they are calling on industry to change the way it markets food for the sake of public health.

Nutri-Score labelling comes into force in France

31-Oct-2017 By Katy Askew

The French government signed a decree backing the voluntary adoption of the 'Nutri-Score' front-of-pack nutritional labelling scheme today (31 October).

Should ‘precision breeding’ biotech be included in GMO regulation?

23-Oct-2017 By Katy Askew

Developments in genetic coding techniques open the doorway to crops that produce higher yields or have positive characteristics, such as drought or pest resistance. The EU regulates the cultivation and use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in food...

Agri-food mega mergers will push food prices up, report claims

17-Oct-2017 By David Burrows

Mega-mergers between the world’s largest agri-food companies will squeeze farmers and push retail prices up, according to a new report.

European shopper trends: health, organic, vegetarian

05-Oct-2017 By Katy Askew

A “large proportion” of European shoppers are buying “healthy”, organic, vegetarian and free-from foods, new research from IRI reveals.

Vegetarian Butcher slams Dutch food authority for double standards over 'misleading' meat name ban

05-Oct-2017 By Niamh Michail

Should The Vegetarian Butcher company be forced to change all its product names after one consumer complaint while other companies continue to use similar 'meaty' terms?

Defining ‘vegan’ and ‘vegetarian’ in Europe

04-Oct-2017 By Katia Merten-Lentz, partner at Keller and Heckman, and Oliver Hartmanm, legal consultant at Keller and Heckman

Pressure is rising for the development of a legal definition of ‘vegan’ and ‘vegetarian’ food in Europe but national governments are moving ahead of the European Commission in this regard.

Nestlé to add traffic light label to all UK breakfast cereals

03-Oct-2017 By Niamh Michail

Nestlé will add the UK government’s traffic light nutrition label to all its breakfast cereals in the UK, starting this month (October).

The end of EU sugar quotas: Beet gets free rein but cane will still take a beating

03-Oct-2017 By Niamh Michail

Food manufacturers are welcoming the end of the EU’s “market-distorting” sugar beet and isoglucose quotas that have capped production for nearly 50 years. But sugar cane processors are angry that cane tariffs remain while public health may pay the ultimate...