Food safety

Africa needs to diversify crops to achieve nutrition security, study suggests

05-Jan-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Crop diversification is an important part of achieving nutrition security; the risks of reliance on a single crop are immense. Sub-Saharan Africa, suggests a new study in Nature Food, must diversify its crops to achieve food security by mid-century.

AI and digital tracing: Building efficient and transparent supply chains in 2024

22-Dec-2023 By Natasha Spencer-Joilliffe

Artificial intelligence (AI) and digital tracing will shine an even brighter spotlight on efficiency and transparency in 2024 to protect the future of food.

The benefits of food processing for preservation, bioavailability and food security: IFT

20-Dec-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Negativity around processed foods does not tell the whole story according to a new paper published by the Institute of Food Technologists

Lower-impact protein and dietary swaps benefit climate change and health

18-Dec-2023 By Natasha Spencer-Joilliffe

Making simple substitutions by swapping animal-based products for plant-based alternatives and opting for lower-impact protein supports climate change efforts and personal health goals, a new study reveals.

Food contamination risks: Old is not new

15-Dec-2023 By Natasha Spencer-Jolliffe

Despite laws, technology and more information, food contamination and safety risks remain, prompting calls for an integrated and collaborative approach and strong, well-funded regulatory governance.

Biggest threat to additives development? Quality data, says food industry

13-Dec-2023 By Natasha Spencer-Joilliffe

As the World Health Organization (WHO) publishes its latest information on additives, the food industry details how insufficient quality data is the biggest threat to their growth and management.

Finding microplastics with AI: A boon for the food industry?

12-Dec-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastic debris which are often found in food. When consumed, they can lead to negative health effects. A recent study has developed a way to use artificial intelligence to help find microplastics more efficiently, which...

Disrupting cow, sheep, goat & donkey milk: Cell cultivated start-up Senara emerges from stealth

11-Dec-2023 By Flora Southey

After 18 months in stealth mode, German start-up Senara is emerging to disrupt the conventional milk market (derived from cow, sheep, goat, donkey and more) with cell cultivation.

5 start-ups that caught our eye in 2023

08-Dec-2023 By Flora Southey

From upcycling ‘spent hens’ into flavour enhancers to recreating breast milk in a lab, we round-up five of the most innovate start-ups we interviewed in 2023.

Is animal-free testing for food on the horizon?

06-Dec-2023 By Natasha Spencer-Joilliffe

The European Food Safety Authority (ESFA) develops a new platform to model and predict the toxicity of chemicals, signalling the potential to end animal testing.

Recreating Willy Wonka flavours with food science: 'In principle, we could simulate any flavour'

05-Dec-2023 By Natasha Spencer-Joilliffe

Food and flavours collide with the film world and a fictional favourite as a University of Warwick professor explores the most famous creations of chocolate idol Willy Wonka ahead of its reimagined release premiering in December 2023.

‘Essentially real meat, just grown differently’: Ivy Farm’s CSO on cultivated meat production and commercialisation

01-Dec-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

UK-based Ivy Farm, which produces cultivated meat, began as a spin-off from Oxford University. Now, says its new CSO, Dr. Harsh Amin, commercialisation is in sight.

Scientists find nutrient in meat and dairy that helps fight cancer

28-Nov-2023 By Flora Southey

Fresh research reveals a fatty acid in meat and dairy products improves the ability of immune cells to fight tumours.

Cell-based breast milk in development to replace ‘suboptimal’ bovine infant formula

27-Nov-2023 By Flora Southey

Can the complexities of breast milk be replicated by cows? France-based Nūmi doesn’t think so. The start-up is turning to cell culture to develop the ‘closest thing possible’ to breast milk.

Plant-based kids formula: Danone mulls ‘multi-stage collaboration’ with vegan start-up

21-Nov-2023 By Flora Southey

The Aptamil owner has signed a letter of intent with Else Nutrition, a start-up making formula for babies and kids from almonds, buckwheat and tapioca.

Ultra-processed foods, but not bread or breakfast cereals, linked to multimorbidity: The Lancet

16-Nov-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

A recent study published in medical journal The Lancet has found that ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption is often linked to multimorbidity. However the study found no link between multimorbidity and consumption of UPFs including breakfast cereals,...

African cultivated meat facility to boost low-cost R&D

13-Nov-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

South African cultivated meat startup Newform Foods (formally Mzansi Meat Co.) has announced that it plans to open a demonstration facility for cultivated meat products in South Africa, collaborating with engineering company Project Assignments.

Winemaking with 25% less pesticides: AI predicts disease outbreaks for ‘greener’ grapes

09-Nov-2023 By Flora Southey

Grapevine farmers currently uses ’immersive’ amounts of pesticides to protect their crops, according to Richard Petersik, CEO of VineForecast. In response, the German start-up is tapping artificial intelligence to help farmers reduce their use of agricultural...

Food misinformation and fake news? Scientific and sustainable communication efforts expand to end misreporting

09-Nov-2023 By Natasha Spencer-Jolliffe

Environmental food hubs emerge online to spread accurate scientific information and education on sustainability in food to convey credible research.

Salmonella outbreak linked to kebabs following death in Austria: ‘New cases are likely to occur’

08-Nov-2023 By Flora Southey

Nine people have ended up in hospital and one has died following an outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis ST11 across the EU.

WATCH – Down on the cultured meat farm with Ivy Farm Technologies

06-Nov-2023 By Flora Southey

Ivy Farm Technologies invites FoodNavigator to its pilot plant in Oxford, UK, to talk cultivated meat production, sustainability credentials, and plans for regulatory approval.

The possibility of ‘net zero carbon’ protein: DSM-Firmenich develops single-cell proteins for food and feed

03-Nov-2023 By Flora Southey

The Dutch-Swiss ingredients supplier has developed single-cell proteins it claims have the potential to offer ‘net zero carbon protein’ for the food, feed, and pet food markets.

Big Food likely to miss plastic targets, while ‘large part’ of industry yet to take action

31-Oct-2023 By Flora Southey

Although efforts show progress on plastic pollution is possible, the world is ‘not on course’ to eliminating plastic waste and pollution, stresses the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.

How cultivated meat could be the key to avoiding the development of antimicrobial resistance

30-Oct-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

While the ‘routine use’ of antibiotics in animal agriculture is banned in the EU, increasing globalisation can make it difficult to avoid imported meat reared in this way. While the routine use of antibiotics can increase the risk of antimicrobial resistance,...

Crop-free liquor: Meet the start-up repurposing CO2 into alcohol ‘made from air’

30-Oct-2023 By Flora Southey

Finnish start-up Aircohol is working to decarbonise the alcohol industry by producing drinks from carbon dioxide released during alcohol fermentation. The result? A crop-free liquor with up to 50% reduced carbon footprint.

Is it time for the ‘outdated’ supermarket free from aisle to evolve?

27-Oct-2023 By Oliver Morrison

As free from brands spot long-term growth potential, a perpetual debate is reigniting: is it best for these products to be in separate or standard aisles?

GUEST ARTICLE

Industry Insights from NIZO: Great flavour without compromise for plant-based food

26-Oct-2023 By René Floris, NIZO Food Research Division Manager

To successfully launch a plant-based product onto the market today, businesses have to go above and beyond in flavour to stand out. How can a new, more holistic flavour approach put an end to organoleptic compromise?

‘We want happy pigs’… welfare and health outweigh climate concerns for consumers

25-Oct-2023 By Oliver Morrison

Focusing solely on climate improvements in pork production is not what consumers care most about when buying pork, two studies reveal.

‘It has the potential to improve sustainability across the supply chain’: UK mulls regulatory changes to allow insects to eat your food waste

25-Oct-2023 By Oliver Morrison

Food companies can potentially cut their volumes of waste up to 75% using insect bioconversion, whilst at the same time creating valuable new revenue streams, FoodNavigator hears.

Eight crops endangered by climate change

19-Oct-2023 By Oliver Morrison

From staple crops like potatoes and maize, to cash crops for wealthier customers like cocoa and coffee, climate change is having a widespread impact on global agricultural production.

How next-generation refrigerants hope to fight climate change

17-Oct-2023 By Oliver Morrison

Refrigeration and insulation technologies can be employed to save both food waste and energy, Honeywell Advanced Materials tells FoodNavigator.

COP28’s food system focus eagerly anticipated by experts

13-Oct-2023 By Oliver Morrison

Long ignored in global climate negotiations, food systems have been made a top priority at COP28 beginning on November 30 in Dubai.

‘It’s imperative to recognise that not all CBD is created the same’: CBD players digest potential ‘dagger-blow to the UK industry’

12-Oct-2023 By Oliver Morrison

In a move that has potentially far-reaching implications for the CBD industry in the UK, the Food Standards Agency has issued new precautionary advice, recommending healthy adults should limit their consumption of CBD from food to 10mg per day, down from...

Fresh calls for ban on ‘forever chemicals’ in food packaging

11-Oct-2023 By Oliver Morrison

European consumer group BEUC is urging for its calls for a ban on so-called ‘forever chemicals’ in food packaging to be adopted ‘as quickly as possible’ after a new compilation of recent product tests by its members found that everyday consumer products...

‘Synthetic vs natural’: Start-up targets fortification category disruption with organic plant-derived nutrients

06-Oct-2023 By Oliver Morrison

UK-based BIOVIT is poised to launch plant-derived nutrient blends targeting fortified food and meal-replacement markets. Its vitamins and minerals, extracted from leaves, flowers, roots and fungi extracts, guarantees nutrient content, it claims, to boost...

Most of it comes from our homes… so what role, if any, can food manufacturers play in helping to minimise food waste?

05-Oct-2023 By Oliver Morrison

Thanks to collaboration, education and labelling innovation, brand influence can pass over the threshold to help shift consumer behaviour, Danone tells FoodNavigator’s Climate Smart Food summit.

Cultivated meat ‘breakthrough’: Media supplement achieves full muscle maturation on scaffold within 48 hours.

26-Sep-2023 By Flora Southey

Having achieved muscle and protein gains in 2D environments, Profuse Technology is celebrating a ‘breakthrough’ in cultivated meat growth within 3D environments, CEO Guy Nevo Michrowski explains.

‘The only barrier now is regulation’: UK cultivated meat company urges urgent approvals overhaul to allow industry to flourish

22-Sep-2023 By Oliver Morrison

Ivy Farm Technologies sounded the warning it will look to open its first production facility in another country, likely the US, if the Food Standards Authority drags its feet on giving regulatory approval to this fledgling industry.

The FoodNavigator Podcast: Why avoiding terms like ‘vegan,’ ‘vegetarian,’ or ‘meatless’ may boost the plant-based market

20-Sep-2023 By Oliver Morrison

As arguments rage about the use of ‘meaty’ or ‘dairy-like’ names for plant-based versions of animal-based foods, we ask could plant-based sector momentum be improved if meat and dairy alternatives avoid imitating the names of animal-based products.

BPA above acceptable levels across Europe, EU warns after assessing 11 countries

15-Sep-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

The presence of Bisphenol A (BPA) in humans is above acceptable levels for health in many European countries, the EU's European Environment Agency (EEA) reports.

‘The risk we have here is enough to manage’: Athlete turned entrepreneur Floyd Landis discusses how regulatory uncertainty threatens the global CBD industry

15-Sep-2023 By Oliver Morrison

Regulatory bottlenecks are threatening to hinder CBD innovation on both sides of the Atlantic, the former professional road racing cyclist Floyd Landis tells FoodNavigator.

Prepare for a ‘new age of global economic instability’, food and beverage industry warned

13-Sep-2023 By Oliver Morrison

A new whitepaper explores the instability in the current macro environment and the risks and opportunities this will bring for the beverage industry over the next few years.

'The metaverse is a new digital battleground in the making', data researchers predict

12-Sep-2023 By Natasha Spencer-Jolliffe

As food service giants Taco Bell, Wendy’s and Starbucks enter the metaverse with their devised lands and non-fungible tokens (NFTs), we explore whether it is only a matter of time before manufacturers take a bite out of the metaverse experience.

Milk made from carbon dioxide and electricity backed by EU

06-Sep-2023 By Flora Southey

A four-year project aimed at developing whey protein from CO2 and electricity has been selected for investment by the European Commission via its innovation programme.

Maolac NPD: Gut support and anti-inflammatory activity targeted with AI and breastmilk

05-Sep-2023 By Flora Southey

Israeli start-up Maolac is launching two new products made from biofunctional proteins in breastmilk (sourced from colostrum) that can be used in functional beverages, sports bars and smoothies.

‘A strong vote of confidence’: Alt protein made from spent yeast backed by Lesaffre

04-Sep-2023 By Flora Southey

The world’s largest producer of ‘natural’ food ingredients derived from microorganisms is taking a 10% share in Israeli alternative protein maker Yeap.

‘Many businesses are not aware that there is a way to safely preserve these materials’: Trouw Nutrition on the business and environmental case for repurposing waste

01-Sep-2023 By Oliver Morrison

FoodNavigator caught up with Evelien van Donselaar at Trouw Nutrition to learn more about the ‘untapped’ opportunities for the food sector to explore circular production models.

Alternative protein research hub to be opened in UK

01-Sep-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

A new £15 million research hub will look to improve the UK’s alternative protein sector: how to improve taste and texture of alternative proteins, reduce the cost and scale up production of alternative proteins, and even improve best practice.

‘Green’ straws raise red flags: PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ identified in 90% of paper straws tested in Europe

31-Aug-2023 By Flora Southey

Single use plastic has long been vilified, prompting beverage makers to swap out plastic straws for paper alternatives. But fresh research warns paper straws in Europe contain ‘forever chemicals’, and that using such straws potentially contributes to...