Fruit, vegetable, nut ingredients

‘There’s a problem in every supply chain’: How drinks start-ups are building ethics and sustainability into ingredients sourcing

09-May-2022 By Flora Southey

From paying coffee growers healthy wages to upcycling ‘wonky’ fruit and veg, beverage start-ups are integrating ethics and sustainability into their supply chains from the get-go. FoodNavigator hears what challenges and opportunities they’ve faced along...

Mars Edge discusses ‘milestone’ research linking flavanols to health benefits: ‘This is a landmark moment but there is more to come’

06-May-2022 By Katy Askew

A ‘milestone’ study has been published supporting the link between flavanol consumption and cardiovascular health. FoodNavigator speaks to Mars Edge’s science and nutrition director Catherine Kwik-Uribe about the implications of this ‘landmark moment’...

‘Food oasis in the desert’: Locally grown dates fuel production of mushroom protein in Oman

05-May-2022 By Flora Southey

Alt protein supplier MycoTechnology has teamed up with Oman Investment Authority to produce mushroom protein in the desert.

Promoting plant-based: What motivates people to eat less meat?

02-May-2022 By Katy Askew

Environmental concerns don’t motivate consumers to replace meat products with plant-based alternatives, new research suggests. So, what does prompt people to make the swap? And how can the food industry tap into this to support growth in the plant-based...

Indonesia bans palm oil exports, should food makers be worried?

28-Apr-2022 By Flora Southey

A shortage of palm oil in Indonesia’s domestic market has prompted a ban on exports. Will food and beverage makers be impacted?

The tech behind ‘single-ingredient’ smoked salmon analogue revealed: ‘Our spirulina can act as a complete replacement for animal-based protein’

28-Apr-2022 By Katy Askew

An Israeli food tech company has developed a proprietary process leveraging spirulina to mimic ‘virtually any type of fish and animal tissue’. It’s first product: a ‘single-ingredient’ smoked salmon analogue. FoodNavigator catches up with co-founder and...

Beneo builds new pulse-processing plant for ‘rising star’ ingredient faba bean

27-Apr-2022 By Flora Southey

The ingredients supplier is investing €50m in the new facility to make protein concentrate, starch rich flour and hulls from faba beans – a crops that comes with ‘convincing sustainable credentials’, Beneo’s Christoph Boettger tells FoodNavigator.

An ‘underrated superfood’? Meet the Estonian start-up tapping hemp for ‘vegan meat’

21-Apr-2022 By Katy Askew

The Naturist is leveraging hemp to create what it describes as the ‘ultimate formula’ for its sustainable, protein-rich ‘vegan meat’, Crump. FoodNavigator caught up with innovators at the Estonian start-up to learn more about the benefits this ‘underrated...

‘We have aggressive projections for the region’: Mushroom protein supplier MycoTechnology eyes European growth

12-Apr-2022 By Oliver Morrison

The US-based company has built a proprietary fermentation platform which makes functional ingredients using mycelium, the fibrous root structure of mushrooms.

Griffith Foods talks nutrition and plant-based innovation: ‘Think different, think centre plate transformation’

29-Mar-2022 By Katy Askew

Griffith Foods is focusing its product development might on the core pillars of nutrition and plant-based product development, with efforts informed by the ‘guiding star’ of sustainability. European President Wim van Roekel weighs in on the massive potential...

Let there be light: Netherlands probes photonics for food security solution

28-Mar-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Precision technology, assisted by photonic technology, allows a faster, lighter, more durable, and much cheaper way of producing plants and animals believe Dutch growers.

‘Dietary guidelines are likely wrong’: Saturated fat does not increase cardiovascular disease risk, argue researchers

24-Mar-2022 By Flora Southey

While consuming saturated fats increases blood cholesterol, meta-analyses suggest this does not translate into increased risk of cardiovascular disease, say researchers.

Reading the tea leaves: How is Clipper Teas delivering market-beating growth?

23-Mar-2022 By Katy Askew

What trends are hot in tea? FoodNavigator caught up with the Ecotone-owned Clipper Teas - a brand that has successfully been outgrowing the market - to learn what’s brewing in the category.

Inside Hive: A deep-dive into Unilever's plant-based innovation drive

21-Mar-2022 By Katy Askew

“We want to outgrow the competition and we want to do it in ways that are better for people and the planet,” Unilever’s head of Food & Refreshment Hanneke Faber says. How does the company plan to do this? FoodNavigator goes inside Hive, Unilever’s...

Study reveals nutritional benefits of regenerative agriculture crops

18-Mar-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Regenerative farming practices such as soil-building techniques that minimize plowing, use cover crops, and plant diverse crops positively affect the nutritional content of the food, claims research.

Start-up develops ‘meaty’ products from pumpkin and sunflower seeds: ‘We bring a new experience to the plate’

17-Mar-2022 By Flora Southey

Israeli start-up More Foods has developed protein- and fibre-rich ‘meaty’ products made from pumpkin and sunflower seeds. FoodNavigator asks founder and CEO Leonardo Marcovitz about the line’s sustainability, nutritional, and ‘clean label’ credentials.

EU-wide adoption of max THC limits in hemp seed foods a ‘significant win for sector’

16-Mar-2022 By Flora Southey

Maximum levels of Delta-9-THC in hemp seeds and hemp oil have been established across the bloc, putting an ‘end’ to ‘internal market fragmentation’, according to the European Industrial Hemp Association (EIHA).

Koa ‘disrupts transparency in cocoa’ with public payments: ‘This is how supply chains need to be’

16-Mar-2022 By Flora Southey

The Swiss-Ghanaian start-up, best known for its upcycling of cocoa side streams, has partnered with seedtrace and MTN Group to ‘disrupt transparency standards’ in cocoa.

Cancer risk 14% lower in vegetarians, finds study

14-Mar-2022 By Flora Southey

Vegetarians, fish-eaters, and low-meat eaters have a reduced risk of cancer compared to regular meat-eaters, according to a new study out of the UK.

Are we farming in the wrong areas? Relocating croplands can reverse environmental impacts, say researchers

10-Mar-2022 By Flora Southey

Relocating current croplands to ‘optimal locations’ - while allowing ecosystems in then-abandoned areas to regenerate - could turn back the clock on carbon emissions, according to a team of international researchers.

More water stewardship, less synthetic fertiliser: Diageo backs regenerative agriculture for Guinness barley

10-Mar-2022 By Flora Southey

Beverage giant Diageo has committed to work ‘hand-in-hand’ with Irish barley farmers to support their transition to regenerative agricultural practices.

The fibre dilemma: If we build it, will they come?

04-Mar-2022 By Oliver Morrison

The UK’s Food and Drink Federation is pushing manufacturers to make more fibre-rich foods. But is there a market for these products?

‘The street fight has already begun’: The winners and losers as inflation bites

28-Feb-2022 By Oliver Morrison

With prices rising faster than in decades and with wages failing to keep up, food manufacturers and retailers are vying to maintain volume, margin and growth, reveals IRI International.

Apeel-protected fruits roll out in Asda to extend shelf-life: ‘It works by sealing moisture in and keeping oxygen out’

25-Feb-2022 By Flora Southey

US start-up Apeel Sciences has landed its first big retailer contract in the UK with Asda, which will see fruit protected by Apeel’s edible layer sold across 150 stores.

From cocaine to palm oil: The highs and lows of transforming a narcotic landscape

24-Feb-2022 By Flora Southey

Colombia, the world’s largest producer of cocaine, is working to reduce reliance on coca cultivation. Instead the government is investing in oil palm, which locals say is benefiting communities and the environment.

Eating vegetables alone ‘not enough’ to reduce heart risk: study

21-Feb-2022 By Oliver Morrison

A sufficient intake of vegetables is important for maintaining a balanced diet and avoiding a wide range of diseases. But might a diet rich in vegetables also lower the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD)?

Tackling deforestation: What lessons can palm oil teach other problematic commodities?

18-Feb-2022 By Flora Southey

Which tools and strategies employed to combat deforestation in palm oil supply chains can be leveraged for other commodities? Should we be wary of taking a ‘cookie cutter’ approach? Experts weigh in.

Future Crops develops vertical farm-adapted basil variety for European market

17-Feb-2022 By Flora Southey

Israeli-Dutch vertical farming start-up Future Crops is increasing output of its proprietary basil variety, developed specifically for cultivation in closed and controlled environments.

The FoodNavigator Podcast: How big is the healthy ageing opportunity?

17-Feb-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Is the industry ignoring the growing numbers of older people? Or do older people just not want to be directly targeted by the food sector? FoodNavigator investigates.

Old spice: Salt reduction potential found in adding spice to older populations’ food

16-Feb-2022 By Flora Southey

Spices, such as chipotle, can help maintain the perception of saltiness amongst older populations, while reducing the white stuff.

Has palm oil become a deforestation scapegoat? ‘We need to stop focusing just on oil palm and look across all deforestation drivers’

16-Feb-2022 By Flora Southey

When it comes to deforestation, is there too much focus on palm oil? Experts advocate for a broader approach to tackling forest and biodiversity loss.

GUEST ARTICLE

Industry Insights from NIZO: Scaling up plant production processes

16-Feb-2022 By René Floris, NIZO Food Research Division Manager

How can brands prove the viability of new plant protein and get it market-ready?

European algae industry to be ‘accelerated’ by Commission: ‘Algae production and consumption is too slow’

15-Feb-2022 By Flora Southey

The European Commission is launching an algae stakeholder platform to promote algae for nutrition across the bloc.

Study shows the potential of pea isolate as a 'high-quality protein'

10-Feb-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Roquette’s pea protein isolate displayed a well-balanced indispensable amino acid composition associated with a high digestibility.

Deforestation: What are the challenges and ‘unintended consequences’ of government action?

09-Feb-2022 By Flora Southey

As policymakers move to stamp out deforestation in global supply chains, experts consider: what are the hurdles and potential fallouts?

‘Microalgae could be cultivated on Mars’: Experts detail less obvious benefits of algae production

03-Feb-2022 By Flora Southey

Aside from its obvious lack of dependency on limited natural resources, just how sustainable is micro- and macroalgae cultivation? Sophie's BioNutrients and Genesea, amongst others, weigh in.

Food and drink companies join pledge to boost fibre

03-Feb-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Over 20 food and drink brands have pledged their support to increase the amount of fibre in consumer’s diets after backing the Action on Fibre initiative launched by the Food and Drink Federation (FDF).

Traditional growing regions for coffee, cashews, and avocados predicted to shift as Earth warms

02-Feb-2022 By Oliver Morrison

The most suitable regions for growing coffee arabica, cashews, and avocados will decline in some of the main countries that produce these crops as climate change progresses, predicts new first-of-its-kind analysis.

PureOaty’s ‘new look’: If Glebe Farm won the Oatly dispute, why change its branding?

01-Feb-2022 By Flora Southey

Having won the IP infringement case against Oatly last year, meaning Glebe Farm could keep its packaging as is, the British oat drink maker has decided to rebrand anyway.

‘Ocean-cultivated seaweed is a regenerative force’: BettaF!sh and Nordic Oceanfruit founder talks turning the tide on ocean destruction

31-Jan-2022 By Flora Southey

German food brands BettaF!sh and Nordic Oceanfruit are bringing ocean-cultivated seaweed to the masses. We hear co-founder Jacob von Manteuffel talk macroalgae diversity, product formulation, and the ‘sustainable’ force of cultivation.

Plant-based: Mitigating against ingredient bottlenecks to disrupt 6% of global meat market

28-Jan-2022 By Flora Southey

In a new report the Good Food Institute investigates what ingredient requirements will help the plant-based meat industry achieve 6% penetration of the global meat market by the end of the decade.

‘Sustainable, nutritious and unique’ Ethiopian orphan crop promises food security solution

27-Jan-2022 By Oliver Morrison

A banana-like plant grown in Ethiopia can be grown on a wider scale across Africa, say scientists.

‘Yellow is the new brown’: Protective coating for fresh produce made from squeezed fruit and vegetable peels

26-Jan-2022 By Flora Southey

Lidl Switzerland has joined forces with research institute Empa to co-develop a cellulose protective coating for fruit and vegetables.

The sustainability trends to watch… and if they'll survive the cost of living crisis

19-Jan-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Increasing citizen awareness, investor pressure and government action around the health, environmental, social, and animal welfare impacts of our food systems, means that in 2022 the chorus to translate words into actions, to transform a food system many...

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