Food safety

Attention, algae! Food agency warns against carcinogenic contamination in edible seaweed

27-Aug-2020 By Flora Southey

French food agency ANSES has published recommendations for edible algae, raising concerns about cadmium levels in seaweed eaten as vegetables or used in processed foods and supplements.

4 ways food tech can lead to more resilient and sustainable food systems

26-Aug-2020 By Oliver Morrison

With COVID-19 exposing fragile food chains and putting scrutiny on the ways we consume and produce foods and approach our own health, now is the perfect moment for food tech startups to step up and lead the way, says venture capitalist and entrepreneur...

Caffeine in pregnancy: current guidance unlikely to change after ‘alarmist’ study

25-Aug-2020 By Oliver Morrison

Health experts have stressed that the current advice given to woman to avoid high doses of caffeine during pregnancy is not likely to be altered after new research claimed there was ‘no safe level of caffeine consumption for pregnant women and would-be...

Food and pandemics: Is intensive animal farming the ‘single most risky human behaviour’?

21-Aug-2020 By Flora Southey

A recent report has identified the eating and farming of animals as the single most risky human behaviour in relation to pandemics. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, however, is not convinced.

'We are helping to build positive narratives for our customers': Olam discusses its sustainability platform AtSource

19-Aug-2020 By Oliver Morrison

Agri-business giant Olam International has launched a digital platform, AtSource, that provides detailed information about its supply chains. The company hopes the data and insight on the platform will allow its customers to be more transparent with their...

UK meat industry hopeful for extension of 10-day shelf-life rule after safety risk study

10-Aug-2020 By Oliver Morrison

The British Meat Processors Association (BMPA) is optimistic it can persuade the UK’s Food Standards Agency to change its guidance on use-by dates on red meat products by October.

Using blockchain to boost traceability in the CBD market

05-Aug-2020 By Oliver Morrison

The Cannabinoid Association of the Netherlands (CAN), a consortium of Dutch CBD producers, is harnessing blockchain technology with the hope of improving transparency, accountability and traceability in the CBD market.

Food texture’s influence on ‘feeling fuller for longer’

04-Aug-2020 By Oliver Morrison

A new study says the next generation of ‘health conscious’ products should focus on food texture to enhance the feeling of being full.

Adjusting to the new normal: FoodBytes! by Rabobank’s four pandemic-proof innovations

03-Aug-2020 By Oliver Morrison

As the food industry adjusts to the ebb and flow of COVID-19, FoodBytes! by Rabobank shares the trends that are here to stay.

Report attacks Britain’s ‘fatal’ food culture

29-Jul-2020 By Oliver Morrison

The first part of Leon-owner Henry Dimbleby’s much-awaited National Food Strategy calls for a change in Britain’s relationship with food.

‘A missed opportunity’: UK food industry hits back as government anti-obesity plan unveiled

27-Jul-2020 By Oliver Morrison

The government’s new obesity strategy for England will raise prices, reduce consumer choice, threaten jobs and stifle innovation. And all to save 17 calories a day, says the FDF.

Hygiena new formulation selects Listeria from non-Listeria more selective for target species

24-Jul-2020 By Jenny Eagle

Hygiena food safety has launched InSite Listeria, a reformulated easy-to-use, all-in-one, test for Listeria species, which has been certified by AOAC RI, which verifies the test detects low levels of Listeria species on stainless steel, ceramic and plastic...

Farmers need to be better protected against the risk of ASF

21-Jul-2020 By Jenny Eagle

African swine fever (ASF) is continuing to spread across Asia at a worrying rate and in September 2019 the disease was confirmed for the first time in South Korea, where six cases were reported within a two-week period. The fever also spread to the Southeast...

UK cannabinoid industry spots opportunity as EC considers reclassifying CBD a narcotic

15-Jul-2020 By Oliver Morrison

The UK could be set to emerge as a global leader in the research and development of CBD as a food ingredient after the news that the European Commission has postponed the Novel Food applications of non-synthetic CBD products as it decides whether to class...

FSA chief on trust, collaboration, and food business: ‘I object to an ideological distrust of the private sector’

13-Jul-2020 By Flora Southey

FSA chief executive Emily Miles says when working with food businesses, the regulator must both be trusting and suspicious at the same time: “To assume that the food industry is stuffed with exploitative corner-cutting businesses is lazy thinking.”

Cutting the trans-fat: Potential link found between deep frying oils and ovarian cancer

07-Jul-2020 By Flora Southey

Fresh research suggesting a potential link between industrially produced trans-fatty acids – predominantly found in fried foods and partially hydrogenated cooking oils – and ovarian cancer has implications for the food industry, IARC scientist Dr Veronique...

Danone hits back at watchdog allegation: ‘All our infant nutrition products can be consumed safely’

03-Jul-2020 By Flora Southey

Dairy giant Danone ‘strongly disputes’ foodwatch’s claim that its infant formulas contain toxic substances.

Development of coronavirus detection tools in foods ‘essential’, argue researchers

22-Jun-2020 By Flora Southey

To ensure food safety and prevent supply chain disruptions, researchers are calling for the development of detection tools for SARS-CoV-2 in foods.

CBD body announces safety study consortium as Novel Foods crunch time looms

19-Jun-2020 By Oliver Morrison

Ahead of the UK Food Standards Agency’s 31 March 2021 deadline for CBD products to have a validated novel foods application, the Association for the Cannabinoid Industry (ACI), which works to create a safe, legal and well-regulated CBD market in the UK,...

Norway squashes speculation that salmon was source of fresh Covid wave in China

17-Jun-2020 By Oliver Morrison

Norway’s seafood industry has hit back after China halted imports from European salmon suppliers after a new wave of coronavirus at a Beijing market was said to have entered the city via salmon.

Spanish consumers shifted to healthier diets during COVID-19 confinement – study

16-Jun-2020 By Oliver Morrison

COVID-19 lockdown in Spain led to the adoption of healthier diets, according to a study.

Freeze-dried survival food specialist spots gap in care home market

16-Jun-2020 By Oliver Morrison

Fuel Your Preparation says it is hoping to tap into the care sector with its nutritious food which can be stored for up to 25 years.

US trade deals risk sending food standards to pre-mad cow disease levels, Britons warned

15-Jun-2020 By Oliver Morrison

UK consumer group Which? has warned that food standards could be compromised in any trade deal brokered with the US.

Microalgae start-up rolls out industrial-scale production after ‘influx of demand’

05-Jun-2020 By Oliver Morrison

Israel-based Yemoja has begun industrial-scale production of microalgae at its 1,000 square metre facility.

Meat body hits back as report warns coronavirus could be ‘straw that breaks its back’

05-Jun-2020 By Oliver Morrison

The British Meat Processors Association has slammed a new report which claims that factory farming is both vulnerable to pandemics, and guilty of creating them.

Bacteria barcode: Researchers develop new method to trace salmonella outbreaks

04-Jun-2020 By Guan Yu Lim

Researchers in Australia have developed a standardised method of identifying Salmonella strains to better help trace foodborne outbreaks.

2020: a turning point for nutrition?

03-Jun-2020 By Oliver Morrison

A new report is urging food companies to embrace regulation, reformulation, relabelling and more diverse ingredients to become ‘part of the solution’ to malnutrition in all its forms.

French legislators demand ‘sober’ diet with ‘more vegetables’ in bid to call time on ready-meal rise

02-Jun-2020 By Oliver Morrison

Senators are proposing to tax foods with ‘poor nutritional’ quality amid concerns consumers are eating ‘too many calories and too much meat’ in a bid to force the food industry to design ‘less sweet, salty and fatty dishes’.

Demands for government intervention on obesity to help cut 'increased but preventable' COVID-19 death risk

29-May-2020 By Oliver Morrison

Public health campaigner Action on Sugar and Action on Salt has fleshed out the details on the interventionist measures it wants adopted in the UK to combat obesity and improve the nation’s health.

Coronavirus era puts resilience of supply chains ‘front and centre’ warns Kellogg

28-May-2020 By Oliver Morrison

With the COVID-19 crisis highlighting their vulnerability to external shocks, food and beverage companies are set to increasingly diversify their supply chains and locate production closer to their markets.

Cargill: ‘Technology is moving us closer towards maximum transparency and traceability’

27-May-2020 By Oliver Morrison

US agri-food giant Cargill is looking to solutions such as mobile money, GPS mapping and digital data collection to improve transparency in its cocoa supply chains in Africa and elsewhere.

Iceland cuts food waste 23% in two years as it commits to a 50% cut by 2030

27-May-2020 By Oliver Morrison

A year after the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in the UK called on businesses to ‘step up to the plate’ and drive forward plans to cut food waste, the supermarket Iceland has announced food waste reductions of almost 2,500 tonnes,...

What does the farm-to-fork strategy mean for the future of food in Europe?

22-May-2020 By Oliver Morrison

After a two-month delay, the EU Commission unveiled its Farm to Fork and Biodiversity strategy this week with the aim of creating a more ‘robust, secure, and sustainable food system’.

Baby food sector is neglecting infants’ nutritional needs, says start-up

19-May-2020 By Oliver Morrison

Little Tummy hopes to disrupt the UK baby food sector with paediatrician-developed meals with more micronutrients and less sugar than other brands on the market.

Campaigners call for junk food and drink advertising ban as British PM hints at interventionism to tackle obesity

15-May-2020 By Oliver Morrison

Public health campaigner Action on Salt and Action on Sugar is calling for an advertising ban on unhealthy foods during the lockdown.

CBD industry body looks to lay foundation for standardised testing

14-May-2020 By Oliver Morrison

The Association for the Cannabinoid Industry (ACI), which aims to create a safe, legal and well-regulated CBD market in the UK, says it is in high-level discussions with the Laboratory of Government Chemists (LGC) to develop more precise methods for testing...

Beef fraud: Counterfeit products the biggest threat to supply chain

12-May-2020 By Flora Southey

In a 20-year analysis of reported food fraud in the beef supply chain, researchers have found counterfeiting to be the most common type of fraud. “By better understanding the fraud which is taking place, we can target fraud prevention, detection, and...

Coronavirus: Betting on aeroponics to increase food security

12-May-2020 By Oliver Morrison

As the COVID-19 pandemic upends farming and food supply chains and raises concern of widespread shortages and price increases, aeroponics players are hoping their new food production innovations can help strengthen food security.

‘Fragmented’ food policy in England cause for new cross-government committee, argue academics

11-May-2020 By Flora Southey

With at least 16 departments responsible for food from fark to fork in England, academics are calling for improved government coordination. “This isn’t a new problem, but COVID-19 has really highlighted the lack of coordination,” says Rosalind Sharpe...

Food agency stresses vitamin D intake in lockdown: ‘Our immune defences might need to work particularly hard’

05-May-2020 By Flora Southey

With fewer hours spent in the sun due to COVID-19 lockdown, vitamin D levels are at risk of falling. So what can consumers eat to help ensure sufficient intake? ANSES weighs in.

Is extra-virgin olive oil just as healthy when pan-fried? Study

05-May-2020 By Flora Southey

A team of researchers have set out to determine if extra virgin olive oil maintains its polyphenol profile – responsible for its antioxidant content – when used for cooking.

CBD and Novel Foods: A guide to who, what and when

05-May-2020 By Katy Askew

CBD is considered a Novel Food by European regulators. While many CBD products remain on the market, they have not been authorised by European authorities. FoodNavigator takes a look at the path to compliance and tries to shed some light on the questions...

RSPO requests support from governments to reframe the palm oil narrative

30-Apr-2020 By Oliver Morrison

The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), which promotes the use of sustainable palm oil products and which counts the likes of Nestle, Unilever, Danone and Kellogg among its members, has called for assistance from European governments in its effort...

UK refusal to postpone CBD deadline ‘baffling’ amid coronavirus pandemic, says lobby group

29-Apr-2020 By Flora Southey

The Cannabis Trades Association has criticised the Food Standards Agency’s refusal to postpone its CBD novel foods deadline, describing the move as ‘unsympathetic’ to businesses in the sector.

How chocolate ‘fingerprints’ could help prove sustainability claims

27-Apr-2020 By Flora Southey

Scientists are analysing cocoa’s chemical ‘fingerprint’ to determine in which country it was produced. In the future, the technology could have the potential to confirm chocolate label claims, say researchers.

Companies urged to look beyond best before dates to expand food distribution

24-Apr-2020 By Oliver Morrison

New guidance is urging food companies to look beyond best before dates when giving surplus food to redistribution organisations and charities.

4 ‘significant issues’ food systems must address in new COVID-19 era

24-Apr-2020 By Flora Southey

In the era of the COVID-19 crisis, industry must avoid ‘business as usual’ practices, think outside the box, and accelerate efforts to develop sustainable and modern food systems, says food waste expert.

Foreign worker drive exposes risk of exploitation and organised crime, fears employment agency

23-Apr-2020 By Oliver Morrison

With fruit and vegetable pickers being flown into the UK on specialist charter jets to plug farm work gaps, one company is highlighting the importance of protecting these workers from the risk of exploitation.

Coronavirus and obesity: Doctors take aim at food industry over poor diets

22-Apr-2020 By Oliver Morrison

A cardiologist has blamed the food industry for ‘normalising’ ultra-processed junk food as more evidence emerges suggesting poor diet is the root cause behind increased mortality from Covid-19.

FODMAP: Could enzymes help boost tolerability in plant-based foods?

21-Apr-2020 By Flora Southey

Research into the use of enzymes to break down FODMAPs could help industry develop new, stomach-friendly plant-based food products. FoodNavigator speaks to VTT researcher Antti Nyyssölä to find out more.