Sweeteners (intense, bulk, polyols)

Scotland launches hard-hitting snack campaign as government confirms 2017 obesity strategy

08-Sep-2016 By David Burrows

Scotland will publish a new strategy on diet and obesity next year, as new research shows that the average child aged between four and 10 eats around 110,000 calories through “unhealthy, unnecessary snacks” annually.

Ireland ponders sugary drinks tax

06-Sep-2016 By Niamh Michail

A tax on sugary drinks is being considered by the Irish government as part of the upcoming budget, a measure condemned by the Irish Beverage Council (IBC) as “costly political posturing”.

Sugar taxes: A case of pop policy and comic consultation

01-Sep-2016 By J T Winkler, emeritus professor of nutrition policy, London Metropolitan University

The UK's sugar tax was little more than populist light relief to brighten a speech full of economic doom and gloom. But what's worse, argues Professor Jack Winkler, is that the government's 'pseudo-consultation' about the tax is...

Dolce consortium to develop 'mystery' natural sweeteners

31-Aug-2016 By Niamh Michail

French ingredient supplier Roquette has teamed up with a German biotech company and a natural product specialist to develop and bring to market natural sweeteners and sweetness enhancers.

Scottish food boss suggests UK obesity strategy won’t work

31-Aug-2016 By David Burrows

The head of Scotland’s food regulator has claimed that the UK’s childhood obesity strategy doesn’t go far enough.

Guidelines not sugar-coated: Limits for children announced

23-Aug-2016 By Will Chu

Children between the ages of two and 18 should consume fewer than six teaspoons of added sugars daily, the American Heart Association (AHA) recommends.

Mixing two well-known ingredients could be key to new weight-loss foods: Study

22-Aug-2016 By Natalie MORRISON

Combining glucomannan with chitosan could be important for designing new weight loss foods, researchers suggest.

Government reticence on sugar tax and obesity policy leaves everything to play for in bitter battle

17-Aug-2016 By David Burrows

The UK food industry, the government and health campaigners are locked in a bitter battle to determine the country’s plan to tackle obesity. At its heart is the proposed sugar tax on soft drinks.

Companies eager for sugar reformulation could lose sight of healthy goal – experts

10-Aug-2016 By Natalie Morrison

The zeal for sugar reformulation could blinker companies against producing the healthiest versions of their products, experts told FoodNavigator following the FDF’s latest sugar reduction guidelines.

FDF ‘stealth’ sugar reformulation recommendations stir expert debate

09-Aug-2016 By Natalie MORRISON

New FDF suggestions for ‘stealth sugar reformulation’ has sparked debate, with some experts convinced unobtrusive changes are the way forward while others worry it may not work in real life.

DISPATCHES FROM IFT

From 'good sugar' to reformulation R&D: The companies that welcome sugar taxes

05-Aug-2016 By Niamh Michail

A sugar tax might be bad news for some manufacturers but for others it's an opportunity. We spoke to a stevia manufacturer, a low GI sugar company and a reformulation R&D firm to see how they view such policies.

Hard water can boost sweetness and cut costs: study

27-Jul-2016 By David Burrows

Using certain types of water could allow drinks manufacturers to cut back on sweeteners, according to a new study.

Counterfeit stevia on the rise but spectroscopy could be the solution: Study

20-Jul-2016 By Natalie MORRISON

Handheld spectroscopy devices could be used for on-the-spot detection of counterfeit stevia, scientists have found.

Call for UK to bulk up childhood obesity strategy in wake of leaked plans

19-Jul-2016 By Natalie Morrison

Action on Sugar is urging the UK government to revise its childhood obesity strategy, alleging that leaked draft documents show plans do not go far enough.

Put the sugar tax on hold after Brexit, says FDF

12-Jul-2016 By Niamh Michail

Industry group, the Food and Drink Federation, has called for the UK's sugar tax to be put on hold due to the economic fragility of the post-Brexit environment - but campaigners have slammed it as opportunistic.

EU caffeine claim ban

MEP caffeine vote 'disgraceful' victory of politics over science: Industry

08-Jul-2016 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Industry has lamented yesterday’s European Parliament plenary vote to block four caffeine claims, which otherwise seemed set to pass into EU law books after years of delay.

Beneo sets out R&D priorities with €4.6m lab investment

08-Jul-2016 By Niamh Michail

German ingredients supplier Beneo and Belgian sugar producer Raffinerie Tirlemontoise have invested nearly €5m in research and development (R&D) at its Belgian laboratory facility.

Nestlé renews successful salt reduction collaboration with Chromocell

04-Jul-2016 By Niamh Michail

Nestlé has renewed its collaboration with US-based life sciences firm Chromocell to cut salt levels in its global portfolio, after investing nearly €12 million in 2012.

Will Italy also debate a sugar and sat fat tax?

30-Jun-2016 By Niamh Michail

A small group of Italian politicians have presented a bill to the Senate proposing a tax on sugary and diet drinks as well as palm oil and industrial trans fats in a bid to stem rising obesity rates.

EFSA panel adopts energy conversion factor for sweetener D-tagatose – consultant calls for guidance

30-Jun-2016 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has adopted a draft opinion on the energy conversion factor for 'functional sweetener' D-tagatose, meaning its calorie count can be listed on product labels.

Nordic 5 ask EFSA to help set intake limits for added sugar

30-Jun-2016 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Five Nordic countries have asked the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) whether new evidence means limits for added sugar intakes could now be set.

France creates new ice cream trade group

27-Jun-2016 By Niamh Michail

Nestlé, Unilever and General Mills are among the founding members of France's new ice-cream industry group.

‘Make Europe's food healthier by 2017,’ Council tells member states

17-Jun-2016 By Niamh Michail

The Council of Health Ministers has called on member states to draw up national plans to improve Europe's food composition by the end of 2017.

Sugar tax reformulation: Could your company claim an R&D tax credit?

15-Jun-2016 By Shraddha Sisodia

The UK's sugar tax will spur some companies to reformulate. Here, a leading R&D tax consultant at Ayming UK explores how manufacturers can make full use of R&D tax reliefs to offset the investment costs and challenges.

Belgium to reduce nation's calorie intake by 5%

15-Jun-2016 By Niamh Michail

Belgian manufacturers and retailers have signed a voluntary convention with the Health Minister to cut the nation's calorie intake by 5% by next year - but without independent monitoring, critics say it lacks credibility.

Plant-based sweeteners can regulate blood glucose levels: Study

13-Jun-2016 By Will Chu

Replacing half the sugar content of food with a plant-based sweetener could lead to improved sugar control without affecting textural properties, a study has shown.

It’s official: Manufacturers can make sugar replacement claims

13-Jun-2016 By Lynda Searby

From 20th June, manufacturers will be able to claim a “lower blood glucose rise” when using non-digestible carbohydrates as sugar replacers, following the publication of a new article 13.5 claim in the EU Official Journal.

Early nutrition vital to fighting back against EU childhood obesity crisis

10-Jun-2016 By Nathan Gray

European children are ‘in crisis’ over the risk of gut disease and obesity, according to a new report that calls for renewed focus on pediatric digestive health.

Wood-derived ingredients: Clean label innovation or consumer turn-off?

07-Jun-2016 By Niamh Michail

Finnish researchers are developing a range of clean-label wood-derived ingredients to replace current emulsifiers, texturisers and additives for bakery, meat and dairy products - but do consumers want wood in their food?

Prehistoric instinct could explain mystery of glucose-boosted self control

07-Jun-2016 By Natalie MORRISON

Glucose’s mysterious positive effect on self control could be due to the brain’s natural instinct to grab immediate rewards when deprived of sugary foods, a new theory suggests.

New sugar labeling a boon for alternative sweeteners

06-Jun-2016 By Hank Schultz

The added sugars portion of the newly revamped nutrition facts labels for food products will provide a significant opportunity for purveyors of alternative sweeteners, an industry expert says.

Sweeteners in the clear? Study finds saccharin does not lead to weight gain - but sugar does

06-Jun-2016 By Nathan GRAY

In contrast with previous reports that link artificial sweeteners with weight gain, new research on rats has found the non-nutritive sweetener saccharin has no effect on weight, while glucose does.

NUTRITION LABELLING IN THE US AND EUROPE

Should Europeans be told how much sugar is added to their food?

01-Jun-2016 By Niamh Michail

Nutrition labels in the US will now have to tell consumers how much sugar has been added by manufacturers and how much is naturally occurring. Is it time Europe introduced similar measures so consumers know whether the food they are eating is healthy?

EFSA health claim opinion

EFSA rejects Tate & Lyle polydextrose-defecation claim

27-May-2016 By Shane Starling

The link between polydextrose consumption and maintenance or normal defecation is ‘weak’, EFSA has found in rejecting an article 13.5 submission from agrifood sugar giant Tate & Lyle.

Ditching 'diet' and laying off 'light': Consumers mistrust healthy processed foods, says Mintel

27-May-2016 By Niamh Michail

The National Obesity Forum's advice to shun processed foods such as low-fat yoghurts and cheeses for whole foods this week has provoked mixed reactions – but consumers are already turning away from foods labelled as low-fat, diet or light, according...

Evolva bags European patent for fermented stevia

27-May-2016 By Niamh Michail

Swiss-headquartered biotech company Evolva has secured a European patent for its novel technique for producing fermentation-derived stevia.

Artificial sweeteners cut calories but may affect glucose control in obese: Study

25-May-2016 By Will Chu

Artificial sweeteners may help obese individuals cut calories and lose weight but a new study has suggested that these sugar substitutes impair how glucose is utilised in the body.

Sweet potential: Tongue enzyme research may aid zero calorie sweetener industry

25-May-2016 By Nathan GRAY

The discovery of ‘gut enzymes’ in sweet taste receptors on the tongue could point industry towards a new route in the development of non-caloric sweeteners, say those behind the research.

Clean label on the rise in Turkey but price and taste still king

23-May-2016 By Niamh Michail

Demand for clean label ingredients is on the rise in Turkey, especially for children's food - but the market is too price sensitive and focused on taste for it to become mainstream, according to some industry players.

'It's still an attractive market': How are companies overcoming political instability in Turkey?

18-May-2016 By Niamh Michail

At the crossroads of east and west, Turkey offers huge promise but given the current political and economic situation, there are also challenges. FoodNavigator spoke to both Turkish and global companies at Food Ingredients in Istanbul this month to get...

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