Food safety

Mapping the ‘food microbiome'

02-Sep-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

New research, which maps the ‘food microbiome’, opens up a range of new avenues for study and points to significant overlap between food and human microbiomes.

Is caffeine damaging to heart health?

23-Aug-2024 By Donna Eastlake

New research puts the daily cuppa under the microscope. But how will the food and beverage industry react and what are the NPD opportunities?

Will consumers accept mycelium?

22-Aug-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Mycelium can be a protein-rich alternative to animal products. But will consumers accept it? The interplay of disgust and naturalness perceptions is the key, a new study suggests.

Are phthalates linked to reduced fertility?

15-Aug-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Phthalates are highly useful chemical compounds often used to soften plastic to make it more flexible. They have also been linked to a range of negative health effects.

Why are gluten-free products more expensive?

09-Aug-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Gluten-free products are typically more expensive than those containing gluten. A cost-of-living crisis has exacerbated the problem.

Can a plant-based diet really reduce biological age?

07-Aug-2024 By Megan Tatum

New research suggests a vegan diet could lower biological age faster than an omnivorous diet. Scientific experts and dietitians have urged caution.

How to produce a clean-label beverage with a long shelf life

07-Aug-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Without artificial additives, ensuring that products have a long shelf-life is more challenging.

The building backlash against ultra-processed food for children

02-Aug-2024 By Megan Tatum

As the high prevalence of UPFs in children’s food comes under scrutiny, both authorities and manufacturers face mounting pressure to act.

Finally, an approval application for cultivated meat submitted in the EU

01-Aug-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

French start-up Gourmey has submitted a novel food application to the EU for cultivated foie gras. This is the EU’s first cultivated meat application.

Gluten-free is gaining popularity and sales are quickly rising

23-Jul-2024 By Donna Eastlake

Food and beverage manufacturers are embracing the consumer trend towards going gluten-free. But just how powerful, and profitable, is it?

Strawberry yields forever? The impact of high temperatures on strawberries

19-Jul-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Strawberries are one of a wide range of crops impacted by the high temperatures of climate change.

How the Swiss make chocolate, but in bioreactors

10-Jul-2024 By Flora Southey

Switzerland is one of the world’s biggest consumers of chocolate and coffee, and now it’s home to a company making both – in bioreactors.

Sugar reduction: Three learnings from growth markets

09-Jul-2024 By Flora Southey

How do approaches to sugar reduction in growth markets differ from those in the rest of the world?

Monk fruit ingredient no longer a novel food in UK, what about EU?

28-Jun-2024 By Flora Southey

In sweet news for food manufacturers, monk fruit decoctions are no longer classified a novel food in the eyes of the UK Food Standards Agency. What does this news mean for the EU?

What are the nutritional needs of older people?

28-Jun-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

With an increasingly ageing population worldwide, it is important to understand the specific nutritional needs of over-65s.

Smart packaging that fights food waste

28-Jun-2024 By Donna Eastlake

Packaging that lowers food waste? It seems too good to be true but scientists say it’s possible, in fact, it already exists!

Packaging that composts at ambient temperatures aims to make litter disappear

27-Jun-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Aiming for uniquely long shelf life and strong versatility, a new biobased packaging innovation has been developed to make litter vanish.

Does it matter that consumers don’t understand the term ‘ultra-processed’?

17-Jun-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Consumers have consistently been shown not to understand what the term ‘ultra-processed’ means. But how much does this matter?

Early peanut exposure reduces allergy risk by 71%

17-Jun-2024 By Donna Eastlake

As the number of peanut allergy sufferers continues to rise, scientists investigate whether early exposure is the solution.

Scientists develop better-for-you chocolate, and it’s better for the planet

14-Jun-2024 By Flora Southey

Healthier and more sustainable chocolate? While it sounds almost too good to be true, that’s exactly what scientists have created in Switzerland.

Ultra-processed food kills, says WHO

12-Jun-2024 By Flora Southey

The World Health Organization is linking ultra-processed food, alcohol, tobacco, and fossil fuel industries to millions of deaths in Europe every year.

How are ‘better for you’ and other health claims regulated?

12-Jun-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Despite widespread use, terms such as ‘better for you’ and ‘healthy’ can’t just be used outright. They must be used in the right context.

Do emulsifiers increase the risk of diabetes?

12-Jun-2024 By Donna Eastlake

Emulsifiers are found in a whole range of foods, including yogurts, ice creams, chocolate bars, margarines and even some breads. But could this common food additive increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes?

Is zero-calorie sweetener xylitol bad for the heart?

11-Jun-2024 By Flora Southey

Another sweetener has come under fire from researchers, and industry is pushing back.

French cultivated meat start-up seeks approval in UK, rather than EU

10-Jun-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

French cultivated meat company Vital Meat has submitted a novel foods application in the UK. What makes the UK application different from Singapore and, more importantly, from the EU?

Can cultivated cocoa solve the chocolate crisis? ‘It’s like cultivating meat, but simpler’

04-Jun-2024 By Flora Southey

With climate change threatening the future supply of cocoa, could cellular agriculture offer a solution? Israeli start-up Kokomodo thinks it can, and is emerging from stealth mode to prove it.

Understanding the Autoimmune Protocol diet

29-May-2024 By Donna Eastlake

Health trends are huge at the moment, with new diets and ‘superfoods’ popping up on an almost weekly basis. Enter the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) diet.

Multiple milk proteins grown in a single plant? NewMoo makes liquid casein for animal-free cheese

28-May-2024 By Flora Southey

Another newcomer is joining the molecular farming ranks, but this one is producing multiple dairy proteins – in the form of liquid casein – from a single plant.

Better-for-you pizza? How Nomad cuts fat, salt and calories from Goodfella’s

24-May-2024 By Flora Southey

Every pizza in Nomad Foods’ Goodfella’s range is now non-HFSS. Here’s how.

Trust in food industry declining

20-May-2024 By Donna Eastlake

As consumers become increasingly engaged in understanding the contents of the foods they’re consuming, it appears that trust in the food industry is plummeting. But can that trust be restored?

Case of mad cow disease confirmed in the UK: What we know so far

13-May-2024 By Donna Eastlake

This weekend brought the unwelcome news of a confirmed case of BSE, commonly known as mad cow disease, in Ayrshire, Scotland. Here’s what we know so far.

AI watch: The latest on artificial intelligence in food

07-May-2024 By Flora Southey

While some fear artificial intelligence spells the end of humanity, others back its potential for positive disruption. How’s this playing out in food and drink? We bring you the latest…

Study predicts crop yields by detecting plant fluorescence

07-May-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Using satellite imagery to detect plant fluorescence, researchers have developed a way to predict crop yields that can potentially be used widely in developing countries.

Artificial sweetener neotame does not increase appetite, but could damage gut

02-May-2024 By Flora Southey

Neotame was recently found to have no impact on appetite. But within weeks, researchers have deemed the same artificial sweetener capable of damaging the human intestine and causing illness.

How is saccharin regulated in Europe?

29-Apr-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

After a tragic death in India, the sweetener saccharin made the headlines. While it has widespread use in Europe, including the UK and EU, the sweetener is tightly regulated.

Could there be a link between pesticide use and endometrial cancer?

26-Apr-2024 By Donna Eastlake

Pesticides have gained negative attention in recent years owing to their links to biodiversity loss. But could pesticides also lead to serious illnesses such as cancer?

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.