Processing and Packaging

‘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.

Nestlé invests £7 million into new hard-to-recycle plastics plant

28-Nov-2023 By Flora Southey

Global food and beverage conglomerate Nestlé injects multi-million-pound investment into Impact Recycling’s pioneering facility to progress hard-to-recycle plastic management and create positive environmental change.

Returnable packaging needs scale to lower emissions, Ellen MacArthur Foundation report suggests

24-Nov-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

A recent report by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, an organisation working to develop a circular economy, emphasises the importance of reusable and returnable packaging in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, compared with the use of single-use plastics,...

EU moves to ban ‘forever chemicals’ and light plastic bags, but throwaway packaging ‘still a long way off’

23-Nov-2023 By Flora Southey

The European Parliament has voted in favour of banning BPA and ‘forever chemicals’ in food packaging, and MEPs want to eliminate ‘less necessary’ packaging such as very lightweight plastic carrier bags. But the plastic industry is concerned the vote is...

Beverage giants in hot water over plastic bottle recycling claims

14-Nov-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Environmental and consumer rights organisations are taking legal action against Nestlé, Danone, and The Coca-Cola Company, over recyclable claims made about their plastic bottles. They have raised an external alert to both the European Commission and...

Chr Hansen bets on bubbling growth for alcohol-free trend: ‘We expect the taste and quality of beers to advance’

14-Nov-2023 By Flora Southey

The quality of non-alcoholic beer is on the up. So too is the number of consumers opting for alcohol-free tipples for different drinking occasions, observes Chr Hansen, who is expanding its offerings for the non-alcoholic brewing industry.

NPD Trend Tracker: From peanut butter stout to Christmas chocolate nut mix

13-Nov-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

This week in our NPD Trend Tracker, we have new products from Baileys, which is releasing a nut mix for the Christmas period, and Brixton Brewery, which has teamed up with ManiLife to create a peanut stout. Furthermore, Freedom Brewery, Milliways and...

Exports of livestock for slaughter on the chopping block in UK

10-Nov-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Among the legislation announced alongside the King’s Speech on Tuesday was a ban on the export of UK livestock for fattening and slaughter. The decision, if it gets through Parliament, will have a keen impact on both animal welfare and animal agriculture...

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.

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.

AI-driven environmental product management platform inks deal with Norway’s largest online grocer

26-Oct-2023 By Oliver Morrison

Austrian start-up inoqo, which uses AI to help grocery retailers and food and beverage brands to reduce the environmental impact of their food supply chains, has announced a tie-up with Norway-based online grocery delivery provider Oda.

‘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.

Why manufacturers shouldn’t overlook the visual element when aiming to enhance the inclusivity of their products

18-Oct-2023 By Oliver Morrison

Pringles has just announced that new technology will be added to cans to make them more accessible to blind and partially sighted people. Other brands are being encouraged to follow suit.

‘This stuff is so abundant’: The benefits of using side streams in food production

17-Oct-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Using side streams in food production has a wide range of benefits. They can help cut down on the environmental impact of operations. They are neglected but often highly nutritious. Lastly, because of the breadth of food companies who have side streams,...

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.

Identifying some foods as addictive could bring health benefits, scientists say

12-Oct-2023 By Oliver Morrison

An international team of researchers, writing in the British Medical Journal, have called for a global rethink of food choices.

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...

Quorn, mycoprotein and the push to grow a ‘third kingdom of fungi proteins’

10-Oct-2023 By Oliver Morrison

Mycoprotein and fungal proteins hope to offer a solution to the negative impact to the environment associated with industrial farming, heard FoodNavigator’s recent Climate Smart Food​​ digital summit.

‘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...

BENEO targets ‘scale, cost and timing issues’ as key to plant-based counterattack

06-Oct-2023 By Oliver Morrison

The category’s current woes are a ‘temporary hiccup’, the ingredient supplier tells FoodNavigator.

Branston’s race to net zero in the potato supply chain

05-Oct-2023 By Oliver Morrison

Branston, one of the UK’s largest suppliers, has begun trials to assess the viability of creating net zero potatoes. Field Technical Manager Andrew Blair shares his insights into the methods the company is following and how it hopes to establish a process...

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.

England bans range of single use plastics to tackle ‘scourge of plastic pollution’

02-Oct-2023 By Michelle Perrett

Single-use plastics, including plates and cutlery, have been banned in England as part of the Government strategy to tackle what it calls “the scourge of plastic pollution.”

Food producers take controlled environment agriculture to space

29-Sep-2023 By Natasha Spencer-Jolliffe

New research and ongoing projects are growing food in space-mimicking conditions to develop new controlled environment agriculture (CEA) approaches.

‘More than mylk’: Alternatives to coffee, cocoa, salt and sugar on the table at Mylkcubator 3.0

27-Sep-2023 By Flora Southey

The Mylkcubator programme has largely focused on next-gen dairy innovation to date. But for the incubator’s third edition, dairy-major Pascual wants to expand its focus to alt coffee, cocoa, salt, sugar and more.

‘You've got to do it as an evolution rather than a revolution’: PepsiCo on adapting sustainability in field and factory

26-Sep-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

For a big company such as PepsiCo, sustainability is not only complex, but also a multi-layered process. Tackling sustainability across different geographies, in both factories and in agriculture, and across scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions, requires a multi-pronged,...

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.

Seaweed start-up secures fresh funds million to scale and commercialise

15-Sep-2023 By Oliver Morrison

Scotland-based OCEANIUM announces a $2.6 (€2.4) million fundraise to scale up its proprietary biorefinery technology to meet market demand for its seaweed ingredients and materials.

Start-up up hails 3D food printing 'the tech of the future' after ‘world first’ salmon filet launch

12-Sep-2023 By Oliver Morrison

Austrian food-tech startup Revo Foods has unveiled what it claims is the first 3D printed product available in a supermarket worldwide.

Agritech vital for net negative emissions in food industry, study shows

11-Sep-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

While shifting our diets away from meat and dairy is often the recommended way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the food industry, a recent study has shown that this, on its own, is not sufficient. Instead, optimising agritech could be the way forward....

Digital carbon labelling partnership aims to cut catering industry emissions over 30% by 2025

06-Sep-2023 By Oliver Morrison

UK food tech start-up Dynamify has teamed up with Swedish sustainability software specialist Klimato to deliver what it claims is the UK-first digital carbon labelling system enabling the catering industry to dramatically reduce carbon emissions.

‘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.

Swapping out plastic for seaweed: Meet the start-up tackling packaging waste, boosting soil health

01-Sep-2023 By Flora Southey

UK start-up Searo is addressing the plastic problem with a seaweed-based alternative for flexible packaging, flow wrap, and single-use cups.

‘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...

In the Loop: TerraCycle revamps reusability to eliminate single use packaging

30-Aug-2023 By Flora Southey

Loop, a division of TerraCycle, is adapting traditional reusability models to modern consumption habits. The aim is to eliminate the concept of waste, Clemence Schmid, general manager, Loop Global, tells FoodNavigator.

Report pushes for more sustainable proteins investment in UK

30-Aug-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

A report published by the Good Food Institute Europe (GFI Europe) suggests that the UK government should invest between £245m and £390m, or between £49m and £78m annually, between 2025 and 2030 into the growth of sustainable proteins such as plant-based...

Superbugs and plastic pollution: Researchers link microplastics to antimicrobial resistance spread

25-Aug-2023 By Flora Southey

Concerning associations between microplastic contamination in soil and the spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria have been identified by researchers.

MadeRight: Mycelia-based packaging pioneer mushrooms with investment

24-Aug-2023 By Flora Southey

Israeli start-up MadeRight has secured funding to expand its development team and refine its fungi-based packaging production process with the aim of achieving a commercially viable prototype.

Suntory to make fossil-free PET bottles from waste and residues like used cooking oil

23-Aug-2023 By Flora Southey

Neste, a Finland-based supplier of renewable fuels and feedstock for plastics, is partnering with Suntory, ENEOS and Mitsubishi Corporation to enable the production of PET bottles with renewable materials replacing fossil alternatives (via a mass balance...

New tool to boost fruit and vegetable shelf life and cut waste

21-Aug-2023 By Oliver Morrison

The technology – from Poland-based food-tech company Fresh Inset – promises to preserve freshness, vitamins and antioxidants.

Lidl GB promotes kid-friendly packaging to increase sales of fresh fruit and veg snacking

18-Aug-2023 By Gill Hyslop

Earlier this year, Lidl GB reported sales of its Oaklands Funsize fruit range had increased by over a third since 2017 following the introduction of packaging design changes - including the use of quirky names and cartoon characters - to make it more...

Unwrapping the recyclability problem: From food packaging materials to consumer responsibility

17-Aug-2023 By Flora Southey

If relevant stakeholders – from government to industry and consumers – play their part, recyclability can be improved and plastic pollution eliminated, believes NGO WRAP.

‘It’s brilliant the industry has stepped up’: The technology allowing partially sighted shoppers to ‘hear’ what’s on a product label

16-Aug-2023 By Oliver Morrison

Partially sighted consumers are a growing demographic. Solutions are coming aimed at allowing these shoppers to more easily access key on-pack product information and nutritional details.

Extending shelf-life through packaging: The complexities and variations

16-Aug-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Food packaging has a number of key roles. Firstly, it aims to keep food safe from its environment, so it doesn’t get dirty or contaminated. Secondly, it makes it more convenient to transport. Thirdly, it can serve to extend food shelf life. It is this...

GUEST ARTICLE

The top 5 trends driving innovation in packaging science

16-Aug-2023 By Katy Askew, managing director, IFIS Publishing

Packaging is the shop window for your brand, the primary interface through which food and beverage manufacturers interact with consumers. Packaging innovation, therefore, cannot be taken lightly. How are R&D teams leveraging packaging science to develop...

The FoodNavigator Podcast: Innovating our way out of the plastic problem

16-Aug-2023 By Flora Southey

Plastic pollution is a global concern, with an estimated eight million tonnes of plastic enters the marine environment every year, wreaking havoc on the planet, ocean-life, and even humans. What role can innovation in food and beverage packaging play...

‘To the Moon, Mars and beyond’: Vertical farming for future space exploration

15-Aug-2023 By Sarah Rhynes and Flora Southey

Vertical Future will be the first UK-based company working in the agri-space sector after it received a grant to develop controlled environment agriculture (CEA) technology for future space exploration missions.

Greenwashing, greenhushing and confusion… Carbon market responds with clearer rules on offsetting

11-Aug-2023 By Oliver Morrison

What’s a ‘good’ carbon credit and how do businesses use them without fear of criticism from consumers? New guidance on carbon credits has been issued as attitudes shift among food and beverage companies towards using offsets to meet their climate targets.

A temporary blip or a sign of oversaturation? Beyond Meat’s woes and the future of plant-based meat

11-Aug-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

This week, it was announced that revenue for plant-based meat brand Beyond Meat had fallen by more than 30%. Does this say more about Beyond Meat or the plant-based sector in general? Why are some consumers rejecting plant-based meat?

Fears of ‘greenhushing’ in hospitality could stymie sustainability communication, roundtable concludes

08-Aug-2023 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

It is important not to mislead consumers with sustainability claims. However, fears of inadvertently misleading consumers can, according to findings from a recent roundtable, contribute to ‘greenhushing’, when companies fail to share progress in sustainability...