Sweeteners (intense, bulk, polyols)

Beneo doubling down on the clean label mega trend

20-Jan-2021 By Oliver Morrison

Beneo predicts to see significant growth in the market for chicory root, sugar beet, wheat and rice starches as consumers in 2021 demand cleaner but also natural easily recognisable ‘cupboard ingredients’.

Ocean Spray taps Amai’s ‘hyper-sweet’ protein to cut 40% sugar from cranberry juice

14-Dec-2020 By Flora Southey

Developer of ‘hyper-sweet designer proteins’, Amai Proteins, is teeing up with Ocean Spray to create a reduced sugar cranberry juice product – without compromising its ‘bold’ taste.

Tate & Lyle’s Sweet Green Fields acquisition unlocks innovation leveraging 'deep technical stevia expertise'

01-Dec-2020 By Katy Askew

Tate & Lyle has taken full control of stevia supplier Sweet Green Fields (SGF). Abigail Storms, Global Sweeteners Lead, says the move will create ‘more opportunities to innovate with customers leveraging SGF’s deep technical stevia expertise’.

‘Mega trends’ in clean label revealed: ‘It’s what’s not on the label that’s important’

26-Nov-2020 By Flora Southey

For today’s consumers ‘clean label’ is less about the ingredients featured back-of-pack and more about what isn’t listed, be it preservatives, genetically modified ingredients or artificial sweeteners, according to L.E.K. Consulting.

From immunity and sustainability to plant-based and clean label: Top trends out in force at Fi Europe CONNECT 2020

18-Nov-2020 By Katy Askew

Fi Europe is a red-letter event for the European food sector. This year, COVID-19 means things will be a little different. But the need to share ideas and innovation – as well as networking and business opportunities – has ‘never been more important’.

EU soft drinks achieve 14.6% reduction in added sugars

17-Nov-2020 By Rachel Arthur

Europe’s soft drinks industry has reduced added sugars in drinks by an average of 14.6% between 2015 and 2019; contributing to a reduction of 26% since 2000.

Food standards agencies rule out aspartame bans as scientists warn of ‘adverse effect’ on consumers

13-Nov-2020 By Oliver Morrison

The list of food additives authorised for use in the UK will not change at the end of the Brexit transition period, according to the country's food safety regulator, while the EFSA insists that aspartame does not pose a safety concern at current...

SweeGen starts commercial production of Reb I stevia sweetener

02-Nov-2020 By Elaine Watson

Stevia specialist SweeGen has started commercial production of Reb I, a lesser-known steviol glycoside “with its own unique and distinct taste” that works well in a wide range of food and beverage applications.

Meet the 7 brands promising to disrupt the healthy snacking space

21-Oct-2020 By Oliver Morrison

A business accelerator fund has handpicked a group of start-ups it believes can help tackle the UK’s childhood obesity problem.

Kerry spots opportunities for gut health and food protection solutions as it targets net zero emissions by 2050

09-Oct-2020 By Oliver Morrison

Ingredients supplier Kerry Group has unveiled an ambitious sustainability strategy including a commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 33% by 2030 and achieve net zero before 2050. It is also exploring those sectors such as immunity and food...

'Everybody should drink ketones — not just elite cyclists'

08-Oct-2020 By Oliver Morrison

Ketone drinks have been embraced by professional athletes looking to boost their performance. But these ‘magic potions’ have the potential for mass appeal, believes the scientist who helped develop them, although taste and price remain huge barriers in...

Sugar reduction scheme a ‘Soviet-style diktat’

07-Oct-2020 By Oliver Morrison

Critics have rounded on the UK government’s voluntary sugar reduction plan -- which calls for a 20% cut from the food industry in key products by the end of this year -- after a report revealed it is heading for failure.

Firmenich and Novozymes partner on sugar reduction

07-Oct-2020 By Jim Cornall

Firmenich, the world’s largest privately-owned perfume and taste company, and Danish biological solution leader Novozymes, have launched their new, jointly-developed natural sugar reduction solution: TasteGEM SWL with Saphera lactase.

Azucarera creates first-of-its kind palm oil-free sugar coating

05-Oct-2020 By Oliver Morrison

Spanish sugar maker Azucarera has created a moisture-resistant bakery coating which it claims is the only ingredient of this kind in the market that does not contain palm oil.

NEWS IN BRIEF

Subway rolls too sugary to legally be called bread, rules Irish Supreme Court

02-Oct-2020 By Flora Southey

In Ireland, a supreme court judge rules Subway’s ‘bread’ contains too much sugar for it to be categorised as such.

Kraft Heinz on the ‘constant balance’ of salt reduction: ‘We can’t go too fast, or too slow’

02-Oct-2020 By Flora Southey

The beans and ketchup manufacturer employs two key strategies to cut salt in its core products, Kathy La Macchia, Head of Nutrition, Consumer Science and Culinary at Kraft Heinz EMEA tells FoodNavigator, “and we’ve had some huge successes”.

'The beverage with the ideal sensory profile is waiting to be created': DuPont

29-Sep-2020 By Oliver Morrison

The ingredient giant discusses how its latest sensory testing model allows plant-based beverage manufacturers a faster and less risky route to market.

Cracking the clean label conundrum: Beneo discusses tapping consumer desire for fewer ingredients and improved nutritional profiles

28-Sep-2020 By Oliver Morrison

There has been a global shift among consumers towards clean and clearer labels that promote natural claims, and a willingness to pay a premium for products that do so, notes functional ingredient manufacturer Beneo.

Huel aims to scoop ‘time-poor, health conscious consumers’ with new hot meals

18-Sep-2020 By Oliver Morrison

Meal replacement brand Huel is expanding its powdered food range and launching its first hot meals in the UK.

Fruit snacks under fire: Is Action on Sugar's call for 'honest labelling' justified?

16-Sep-2020 By Oliver Morrison

Action on Sugar wants a ban on the use of claims such as 'one of your five a day', 'naturally occurring sugars' or 'made from real fruit' on fruit snacks for children that can contain the equivalent of five teaspoons of sugar....

Ground-breaking trial gives new hope for peanut allergies

15-Sep-2020 By Oliver Morrison

A trial suggests that oral immunotherapy treatment, which involves repeated exposure over time to gradually increase doses of the allergen, could allow sufferers to increase their tolerance to peanuts. They would not be able to eat nuts at will, but their...

Balancing health with price: six ways food and beverage innovation is evolving in the COVID-19 era

14-Sep-2020 By Oliver Morrison

ADM has identified six emerging behavioral changes that will power innovation and growth in the months ahead.

Anti-E171 group claims small battle in long war

10-Sep-2020 By Oliver Morrison

Food safety campaigners are hopeful the European Commission will rethink its stance on titanium dioxide (or E171) after a committee voted down new specifications for E171 and instead passed a resolution calling on the EC to remove E171 from the list of...

The key to healthy and sustainable diets… more processed foods?

09-Sep-2020 By Oliver Morrison

Opportunities abound for the food industry to address public health and environmental issues through clever food processing, say nutrition scientists.

UK weight-loss diet plan sparks fortification versus clean label debate

07-Sep-2020 By Oliver Morrison

A soup and shake weight-loss diet prescribed by the UK National Health Service to tackle type 2 diabetes has stirred a row over long ingredients lists.

Children with food allergies face ‘staggering’ lack of choice

04-Sep-2020 By Oliver Morrison

With one in 40 kids suffering from cow’s milk allergy alone, and with food allergies more prevalent in children than adults, food companies are way behind in servicing the demand for healthy free-from children's products, says the founder of UK dairy-free...

The FoodNavigator Podcast: Sugar reformulation part 2: The taste conundrum

14-Aug-2020 By Oliver Morrison

The food industry is under pressure to reformulate products with less sugar. The UK has a voluntary target for manufacturers to meet a 20% cut in sugar by 2020. This is unlikely to be met and campaigners are increasingly demanding that mandatory sugar...

Three innovations set to shake up sugar reduction

11-Aug-2020 By Katy Askew

With sugar reduction in the spotlight, Netherlands-based consultancy FutureBridge shares its predictions for three new bioprocesses ‘set to rattle the low-calorie sweetener market’.

Children and adolescents are ‘less sensitive’ to sweet taste: study

05-Aug-2020 By Katy Askew

Children and adolescents are less sensitive to sweet taste than adults, new research finds.

Coca-Cola to streamline its innovation pipeline after ‘toughest and most complex’ period ever

22-Jul-2020 By Oliver Morrison

The snacks and beverage giant says it will cut a number of its zombie brands and focus on ‘fewer but bigger and stronger’ products after its second-quarter sales fell 27% year-on-year - the sharpest quarterly sales drop in a decade.

Oatly: ‘Now we want to challenge the whole dairy industry’

20-Jul-2020 By Oliver Morrison

Plant-based drink disruptor Oatly says it is planning to take on the overall dairy category after securing $200 million in new equity from an investment group led by private equity giant Blackstone and a group of celebrities.

Stevia pioneer Morita sends ‘clear message to the market’ to respect IP around Reb M

18-Jun-2020 By Elaine Watson

Japanese stevia pioneer Morita Kagaku Kogyo Co has taken the unusual step of issuing a press release highlighting the extent of its intellectual property around sweet tasting steviol glycoside Reb M and naming the three partners to which it has licensed...

The FoodNavigator Podcast: Sugar reformulation part 1: Why reducing by stealth is key

12-Jun-2020 By Oliver Morrison

The food industry is under massive pressure to reformulate products with less sugar. And in light of the voluntary target in the UK for manufacturers to meet a 20% cut in sugar by 2020 unlikely to be met, campaigners are increasingly demanding that mandatory...

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’.

Kellogg’s drops advertising from Joe Wicks’ YouTube channel after Pringles blunder

26-May-2020 By Flora Southey

A complaint concerning an advertisement for Kellogg’s-owned Pringles on Joe Wicks’ Body Coach YouTube platform has seen the food major cut all adverts from the channel.

Could SDIL’s sweet success expand beyond soft drink? ‘The lack of taxation for sugary milk drinks definitely needs more thought’

22-May-2020 By Flora Southey

The UK’s soft drink tax has probably been of greatest benefit to the Childhood Obesity Plan, says Association for the Study of Obesity Chair Dr Maria Bryant, and similar principles should ‘absolutely’ be applied to sugary milk drinks.

Tate & Lyle aims to cut carbon emissions 30% by 2025 as reformulation lifts profits

22-May-2020 By Oliver Morrison

Tate & Lyle has announced a set of ambitious environmental targets including a commitment to cut Scope 1 and 2 CO2e emissions 20% by 2025 and 30% by 2030. Scope 1 and 2 are defined as direct emissions from owned or controlled sources, and indirect...

Ingredion launches polyol sweetener to tap health-conscious trend

04-May-2020 By Oliver Morrison

Ingredion EMEA has launched its first polyol sweetener -- ERYSTA Erythritol – to enable manufacturers to reduce or replace sugar to achieve nutrition-related claims, such as ‘no added sugar’ or ‘calorie-reduced’, in multiple applications.

Making sweet food taste sweeter: Could coffee hold the key to sugar reformulation?

23-Apr-2020 By Flora Southey

Fresh research out of Denmark reveals that drinking coffee changes our sense of taste, making sweet foods even sweeter. Could these findings help inform sugar reformulation strategies?

‘We innovate, we create, and we have a track record of delivering:’ Nim’s Fruit Crisps on life in the healthy snacking fast lane

23-Apr-2020 By Oliver Morrison

We caught up with the healthy snacking pioneer to discuss the importance of innovation in what is one of the world’s fastest moving sectors.

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.

Coronavirus: Company results reveal shift to indulgence among consumers

21-Apr-2020 By Oliver Morrison

Trading updates from Premier Foods and Danone illustrate how the Covid-19 crisis has shifted consumer demand towards familiar foods and pantry staples.

McVitie’s hails sugar reformulation ‘breakthrough’

03-Apr-2020 By Oliver Morrison

McVitie’s is reducing sugar in nine of its best-selling UK biscuits by up to 10%, in what it calls a breakthrough in sugar reduction that doesn’t compromise taste.

Could falling prices hinder sugar reformulation?

18-Mar-2020 By Oliver Morrison

Sliding sugar prices in the wake of the virus pandemic, may handicap, though not stop, reformulation efforts, according to experts.

Chocolate brands deny ‘marketing timidity’ of reduced sugar variants

21-Feb-2020 By Oliver Morrison

Mars, Mondelez and Nestlé have insisted they are committed to their sugar-reduced items following accusations they do not back healthier versions of products with the necessary marketing spend.

Sugar taxes work even among poor… just: study

14-Feb-2020 By Oliver Morrison

Sugary drink consumption in Chile fell nearly a quarter after the country introduced a raft of regulatory measures on foods high in sugar, fat, salt and calorie content. The affect was slightly greater among middle and high socioeconomic groups.

Brain wave: How DuPont is pushing the boundaries of sensory testing for better consumer feedback

12-Feb-2020 By Oliver Morrison

How are we going to make food taste better if we cannot rely on what people say they like? DuPont Nutrition & Biosciences is grappling with this challenge by embracing brain testing techniques, in conjunction with traditional sensory testing panels,...

Brain wave: How DuPont is pushing the boundaries of sensory testing for better consumer feedback

12-Feb-2020 By Oliver Morrison

How are we going to make food taste better if we cannot rely on what people say they like? DuPont Nutrition & Biosciences is grappling with this challenge by embracing brain testing techniques, in conjunction with traditional sensory testing panels,...

Healy leverages cocoa shells for natural sugar reduction

06-Feb-2020 By Katy Askew

Healy Group, the Ireland-based ingredient supplier, has developed a process to turn cocoa shells – an otherwise under-utilised by-product of cocoa production – into a micronised cocoa fibre that can help with sugar reduction in chocolate.

PureCircle announces new management following probe into accounting irregularities

29-Jan-2020 By Elaine Watson

Stevia supplier PureCircle has unveiled a new management team following a probe into accounting irregularities that has delayed the publication of its full-year results and prompted a suspension of its shares.