Food safety

The ‘next generation’ of cultivated seafood? Affordable species from trout to seabass

24-Apr-2024 By Flora Southey

Unblocking persistent bottlenecks in cultivated protein is the aim of the game for Sea2Cell, a ‘next generation’ cultured seafood start-up targeting affordable fish species.

Nestlé accused of adding sugar to baby food in lower income countries

18-Apr-2024 By Flora Southey

Sugar is added to some of Nestlé’s baby food products sold in poorer countries, but not in its main European markets, claims a new report.

Forever chemicals: What are they and why are they harmful?

18-Apr-2024 By Donna Eastlake

PFAS, widely known as forever chemicals, have been found in foods, including fruits and vegetables, across Europe. But what are they? How did they get into the food chain? And are they harmful?

Antibiotic use in dairy: Could traces in milk put consumers at risk?

17-Apr-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

When antibiotics are used for livestock, it can put consumers at risk of developing antimicrobial resistance, for example in dairy when traces can get into milk. Regulations, therefore, are vital.

Animal-free dairy seeks EFSA approval: What we know so far

17-Apr-2024 By Flora Southey

Precision fermentation-derived dairy players have started submitting novel food applications for pre-market approval in the EU.

How much time should dairy cows spend outside?

17-Apr-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

To have a fulfilling life, cows arguably must be allowed outside. But what constitutes a ‘free-range’ cow is ambiguous. For optimum welfare, farmers must balance time outdoors and time indoors.

UPF watch: What’s the latest on ultra-processed food?

16-Apr-2024 By Flora Southey

Ultra-processed food is making headlines. In our rolling coverage of UPF, we unpack the good, the bad, and the confusion around this classification of products. Here’s the latest…

Do non-sugar sweeteners make people hungrier?

15-Apr-2024 By Flora Southey

This is the question posed by researchers, who also wanted to find out whether swapping out sugar for artificial and natural sweeteners reduces blood sugar levels.

Flour upcycled from olive waste a ‘revolution’ for industry

10-Apr-2024 By Flora Southey

Just 15% of the olive is used when making olive oil. But with the right technology, the remaining 85% can be valorised, according to Israeli start-up PhenOlives.

Organic alternative to chemical pesticides discovered

09-Apr-2024 By Donna Eastlake

Scientists believe they’ve found an organic solution to chemical pesticides

Free from: Allergen contamination can never be ruled out 100%

09-Apr-2024 By Flora Southey

The free-from category caters to consumers with food allergies and intolerances, but contamination risk is always a possibility.

Contamination of Nestlé bottled water sources? Food agency raises alarm in leaked report

08-Apr-2024 By Flora Southey

Concerns over the ‘health quality’ of Nestlé bottled water brands Perrier, Vittel, and others, have been raised by France’s food agency, according to a leaked report.

Cultivated quail: Yet another lab-grown meat greenlit outside of EU

04-Apr-2024 By Flora Southey

The latest victory for cultivated meat shines a light on the situation in the EU, where not one novel food application for cell-based meat has been submitted for regulatory approval.

Foodborne bacteria can adapt to cleaning methods, research suggests

04-Apr-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Foodborne bacteria such as listeria can adapt to cleaning methods in ready-to-eat food factories, new research suggests, pointing to a potential explanation for high levels of infections.

Dairy in potatoes? Molecular farming newcomer teaches spuds to act like mammals

03-Apr-2024 By Flora Southey

Molecular farming newcomer Finally Foods is emerging from stealth mode to produce casein from plants – with the help of AI.

Animal-free collagen: The food and drink potential

28-Mar-2024 By Flora Southey

As demand for collagen ‘surges’, will its animal-free alternative edge further into food and drink?

Danone, Nestlé, Kraft Heinz baby food ‘unfit for promotion’: ATNI

27-Mar-2024 By Flora Southey

In fact, none of the 1,297 complementary foods tested from six companies were up to scratch, according to the Access to Nutrition Initiative. The food makers disagree.

‘Vegan’ or ‘free-from’? Tackling lack of awareness of the difference between allergen and dietary labelling

26-Mar-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

A ‘vegan’ label does not mean a food is safe to eat for those with allergies to animal products. New research shows the public is dangerously unaware of this distinction.

Bisphenol A exposure: Worse for kids with obesity?

22-Mar-2024 By Flora Southey

Exposure to BPA, used to make epoxy resins to form protective coatings for food and beverage cans, has been linked to increased childhood obesity risks.

How is the food industry supporting childhood nutrition?

21-Mar-2024 By Donna Eastlake

From infancy through to adolescence, nutrition is essential in ensuring a healthy body and mind for our youngsters. So how can this be achieved and what it the food industry doing to help parents?

How is animal-free collagen made and does it work?

20-Mar-2024 By Flora Southey

From plant-based to slaughter-free, we ask innovators how they make collagen – without the cow.

Why precision fermentation competitors Formo and Those Vegan Cowboys are joining forces

19-Mar-2024 By Flora Southey

Two producers of precision fermentation-derived dairy – developing products within the same category – have decided to work together, rather than in strict competition with each other.

Is hemp the next functional food in vegetarian nutrition?

14-Mar-2024 By Natasha Spencer-Joilliffe

As regulatory restrictions ease, researchers studying Cannabis sativa L. identify its nutritional benefits and potential in vegetarian diets while highlighting the need for clarity on the safety of some concentrated extracts.

Single-ingredient meat analogue developed in ‘happy accident’: ‘We’re the first and only ones doing this’

12-Mar-2024 By Flora Southey

Although developing meat alternatives from a single ingredient was not Nosh Bio’s initial aim, the start-up very quickly realised it had something ‘super powerful’ on its hands.

Total recall: Which foods are being withdrawn from shelves and why?

07-Mar-2024 By Flora Southey

Recall data has been examined across multiple geographies to identify the key food safety trends of 2023.

From meat to 3D printed plants: Why Cargill is diversifying its protein investments

06-Mar-2024 By Flora Southey

The agrifood giant is investing across the board, from traditional livestock production to cultivated meat and 3D printing technology.

Ultra-processed food linked to 32 poor health outcomes in largest study to date

05-Mar-2024 By Flora Southey

We ask lead author Melissa M Lane where she stands on the ultra-processed food debate.

Nestlé in hot water over Perrier and Vittel processing methods

01-Mar-2024 By Flora Southey

The largest bottled water company in the world is being accused of selling bottled tap water as mineral water and using illegal treatment methods to do so.

Rubisco: Overcoming extraction hurdles to market the ‘most abundant protein on earth’

29-Feb-2024 By Flora Southey

Israeli start-up Day 8 has emerged from stealth mode with plans to disrupt plant-based food and drink. Its secret weapon? A protein derived from leaves: Rubisco.

Can links be drawn between Nutri-Score and ultra-processed food?

19-Feb-2024 By Flora Southey

Are ultra-processed foods more likely to have low Nutri-Score ratings? And should the Nova classification system be incorporated into the Nutri-Score algorithm?

Infusing drinks with celebrity spirit: Marketing gold or reputational risk?

16-Feb-2024 By Flora Southey

Who wins and loses when celebrities back alcoholic drinks? We spill the tea on stardom in the beverage world.

What is required for halal certification?

12-Feb-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

With a growing Muslim middle class in countries such as the UK, and even many non-Muslims increasingly buying halal products, halal certification is more important than ever for businesses selling them.

Unblocking the ‘fermentation bottleneck’: Inside Planetary’s quest to optimise protein production

07-Feb-2024 By Flora Southey

A fermentation bottleneck still exists for the microbial fermentation sector, according to Swiss biotech Planetary, who is working to optimise protein and fat production with not just ‘overall infrastructure, but correct infrastructure’.

Gluten-free but wheat? Coeliac-safe wheat flour developed in Spain

07-Feb-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Gluten-free substitutes such as rice and corn flour have for decades aimed to take the role of wheat flour in baked goods, so that those with coeliac disease can consume them. Now there is a new substitute: wheat flour itself.

How will the BTOM impact food imports into Great Britain?

06-Feb-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

The Border Target Operating Model (BTOM), the first stage of which came into force on 31 January, will have a significant impact on how the EU trades with Great Britain. Over three stages throughout 2024, new checks and declarations will be required for...

3 start-ups boosting food quality in Europe

05-Feb-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Food quality technology plays a vital role both in ensuring that food is safe to eat, therefore reducing food waste, and providing insights around its health and composition. Three European start-ups tell FoodNavigator how technology can help them understand...

'Vegan' labels don't always mean free from animal products

02-Feb-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Despite common public understanding that the word ‘vegan’ means free from animal products, there is no legally binding definition for the term in the UK and EU. This means that products labelled ‘vegan’ can contain trace amounts of eggs or dairy. Furthermore,...

Novonesis: Chr Hansen and Novozymes merge to form €3.7bn ‘biosolutions’ major

02-Feb-2024 By Flora Southey

Just over a year after announcing plans to merge, Danish enzyme and cultures suppliers Novozymes and Chr Hansen have joined forces under a new company name: Novonesis.

Fermentation-based stevia with ‘cleaner, sugar-like profile’ wins EFSA safety nod

01-Feb-2024 By Flora Southey

EverSweet, a stevia sweetener made via fermentation rather than stevia leaf extraction, is one step closer to market entry in Europe having received positive safety opinions in the EU and UK.

Tackling trans fat: WHO awards top 5 countries for elimination

01-Feb-2024 By Donna Eastlake

World Health Organization partners with Resolve to Save Lives to recognise countries working to remove industrially produced trans fat from their national food supplies.

Food allergy breakthrough: omalizumab displays promising results for kids and teens

30-Jan-2024 By Donna Eastlake

A study on the effects of using omalizumab, in the treatment of food allergies, has shown an improved tolerance to a variety of everyday foods in children and adolescents.

Star ingredients ‘take the spotlight’ of leading 2024 trend

29-Jan-2024 By Natasha Spencer-Joilliffe

The presence of star ingredients will drive purchasing and packaging decisions, Innova Market Insights reveals in its Top Ten Trends for food and beverages in 2024.

Regulatory greenlight for cultivated beef leaves EU sector ‘hopeful’

26-Jan-2024 By Flora Southey

The world’s first regulatory approval for cultivated beef has been granted in Israel. For EU cultivated meat stakeholders, is the greenlight yet another sign the EU – which has yet to approve such a product – is falling behind? Or does it hold promise...

Is cultivated meat a threat to farming? EU countries clash over cellular agriculture’s future

25-Jan-2024 By Flora Southey

According to delegates from Italy, France and Austria, cellular agriculture practices represent a threat to primary farm-based approaches and ‘genuine’ food production methods.

Protein ‘made from air’ enters snacks category

23-Jan-2024 By Flora Southey

A collaboration between two Finnish companies – Solar Foods and Fazer – has seen protein ‘made from air’ added to a chocolate snack bar for consumers in Singapore.

Cultivated eel that ‘melts in your mouth’? How Forsea mimics ‘tender, succulent’ texture of fish and seafood

22-Jan-2024 By Flora Southey

Eel meat is unlike any other: it is fatty, tender, and ‘almost melts in your mouth’, explains Roee Nir, co-founder and CEO of Forsea Foods. The start-up is working to mimic these attributes with stem cells in a lab.

CRISPR-editing rice crops: Mitigating the impacts of rice disease in sub-Saharan Africa

22-Jan-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Rice is one of the most important crops in sub-Saharan Africa. However, it is particularly at risk from disease. A new study has found that CRISPR technology can be used to edit genes in some strains of rice, developing resistance.

Diversified protein sourcing is on the 2024 agenda: What's the path to mainstream adoption?

17-Jan-2024 By Natasha Spencer-Joilliffe

While the alternative protein scene continues to pursue widespread uptake and acceptance, in 2024, expect to see new and evolving concepts, technologies and regulatory support to progress towards attaining resilient food systems.

The consequences of poor communication in packaging for the blind and partially sighted

17-Jan-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

For those who are blind and partially sighted, buying food and beverages often poses problems. Knowing the ingredients of a product, whether it contains allergens, or often simply what it is, can often be difficult when packaging does not communicate...

EU cultivated meat player seeks market approval in ‘logical choice’ Singapore

12-Jan-2024 By Flora Southey

European cultivated chicken ingredients may soon be winging their way to Asia if Vital Meat is successful in its novel food regulatory submission to the Singapore Food Agency (SFA).