Sweeteners (intense, bulk, polyols)

EFSA to consider limits for kaurenoic acid in stevia

12-Jul-2018 By Niamh Michail

EFSA may recommend limits for the impurity kaurenoic acid in stevia but suppliers have played down safety fears.

300,000-strong survey 'confirms positive impact' of NutriScore logo

11-Jul-2018 By Niamh Michail

Leading French retailer E.Leclerc is definitively backing the NutriScore logo after a survey of 300,000-consumers showed it is best in encouraging healthy food choices, especially among younger shoppers and those from lower socio-economic backgrounds.

New product trend tracker: Seaweed-infused oils, granola for kids and cocktail sweets for adults

09-Jul-2018 By Niamh Michail

From algae-infused cooking oils to baobab herbal teas; cocktail-flavoured sweets and low-sugar yoghurts with no sweeteners, we take a look at some new product launches that stand out from the crowd.

Orkla expands in Denmark with bakery filling acquisition

06-Jul-2018 By Niamh Michail

Orkla Food Ingredients has inked a "strategically important" deal to acquire Danish fruit filling, syrup and marmalade supplier Igos.

UK food industry is not failing on sugar reduction targets, says expert

02-Jul-2018 By Niamh Michail

UK food and drink manufacturers are achieving "substantially better" sugar reductions than has been reported, according to a health policy expert. "It's good news for public health as well as private business."

Fat-carb combo intensifies brain reward signals and triggers overeating: Study

29-Jun-2018 By Niamh Michail

Combining fat and carbohydrates in food intensifies the reward signalling to the brain regardless of calorie-count, liking or portion size, creating a desire to eat even beyond satiety, researchers have found.

Summer trendwatch: Jackfruit, 'naturally essenced' water and snack pairing

28-Jun-2018 By Niamh Michail

Forget hot dogs and soda, this summer's staples will be barbecued jackfruit, naturally 'essenced' water and snacks that 'perfectly pair' with alcoholic drinks, according to market research analysts at Mintel.

Isoglucose is not more of a health risk than sugar - if its fructose content does not increase: BfR

28-Jun-2018 By Niamh Michail

The type of isuglucose currently used in Europe poses no greater health risk than sucrose – but if manufacturers increase its proportion of fructose, the potential risks must be communicated, said the German risk authority.

UK firm claims to have first commercially viable scale-up process for brazzein

22-Jun-2018 By Niamh Michail

Magellan Life Sciences says its patent-pending fermentation process to scale up the sweet-tasting protein brazzein will make it the first company to market the natural, zero-calorie sweetener.

A texture, taste and legal challenge: Chocolate start-up shirks sugar for dates

20-Jun-2018 By Niamh Michail

London start-up Kaakao managed to overcome texture and flavour challenges when sweetening its chocolate with dates instead of sugar but the regulatory challenge - the EU definition of chocolate - is proving to be more difficult.

Could computationally designed sweet proteins revolutionise sugar replacement sector?

19-Jun-2018 By Tingmin Koe

Israeli firm Amai Proteins has developed computerised 'designer' sweet proteins as it seeks to tap into the sugar replacement market.

In 30 years, every successful food company will be a ‘personalised food company’: Nutrino CSO

06-Jun-2018 By Niamh Michail

As consumers become increasingly invested in their health, personalised nutrition and gene-tailored diets will become the norm, says the chief science officer of Israeli start-up Nutrino. “The future of food is in personalisation and companies who fail...

ANIA sets 1000-day deadline to 'make food better'

31-May-2018 By Niamh Michail

The French trade group ANIA has set itself a 1000-day deadline to ‘make food better’ in a bid to close France’s food and nutrition gap.

Carob's health halo beats cocoa for kids confectionery, says UK start-up

29-May-2018 By Niamh Michail

Far from being cocoa's poor cousin, carob powder is the ideal ingredient for healthy confectionery for kids, mimicking the "shine, snap and silky smooth texture" of milk chocolate without the stimulants caffeine and theobromine, says Supertreats...

Tate & Lyle making stevia ‘integral’ with Sweet Green Fields stake

24-May-2018 By Katy Askew

Tate & Lyle is taking a stake in integrated global stevia ingredients company Sweet Green Fields as it works to accelerate portfolio development.

British food firms fail on government's 5% sugar reduction target

22-May-2018 By Niamh Michail

UK food and drink manufacturers have fallen short of Public Health England’s 5% voluntary target for sugar reduction, achieving just 2% at the end of the first year.

Galicia sets legal definition of artisan food

30-Apr-2018 By Niamh Michail

Spain's Galicia has set a legal definition of artisan food, which prohibits the use of artificial colours, flavours and tropical fats such as palm oil and coconut oil.

Clean label 2.0: Tapping into the trends of tomorrow

30-Apr-2018 By Niamh Michail

What will the clean label foods of tomorrow look like? From actively healthy additives to clean packaging and connected products, five industry experts share their views.

Super-charged sugar? Peruvian inventor seeks patent on nutrition-dense sweetener

27-Apr-2018 By Kacey Culliney

An inventor from Peru has developed a sweetening formulation that enables calorie reduction but also targets disease prevention through functional ingredients like prebiotic fibers and omega-3s.

Cross party call for action to tackle UK child obesity

25-Apr-2018 By Joseph James Whitworth

Thirteen measures including an end to ‘buy one get one free’ junk food offers are among actions proposed by opposition party leaders to tackle UK childhood obesity.

EU and Mexico agree free trade deal in principle

24-Apr-2018 By Joseph James Whitworth

The European Union has agreed a modernised free trade agreement in principle with Mexico.

Dutch consumers support UK-style traffic light logo

16-Apr-2018 By Niamh Michail

A majority of Dutch consumers would like to see the UK’s traffic light logo adopted in the Netherlands, according to a 1000-strong survey.

Premium chocolate

Barry Callebaut launches Gold because ‘consumers are prepared to pay more’ for caramel chocolate

16-Apr-2018 By Douglas Yu

Barry Callebaut has added a new caramel chocolate, Gold, to its premium Belgian chocolate portfolio, which currently includes dark, milk and white chocolate.

Bayn uses E-sensory tech to enhance sugar-reduced gingerbread taste

09-Apr-2018 By Will Chu

Bayn details the use of electronic sensory (E-sensory) technology that determines the aroma profile of a sugar-reduced food to mimic the taste of the original full sugar version.

Sugar, salt or sweeteners may be key to getting children to eating greens

06-Apr-2018 By Niamh Michail

Adding very small amounts of sugar or salt to food may increase vegetable intake by reducing bitterness, and could be an important first step in getting children to eat leafy greens, researchers have found.

News In Brief

OptiBiotix files three new patents for SweetBiotix

05-Apr-2018 By Nathan Gray

Three new patent filings relating to sweet fibres and natural high intensity sweeteners – with improved flavour and microbiome modulating functions – will add further protection to OptiBiotix’s intellectual property, says the firm.

PureCircle plays down EU stevia stumbling block

04-Apr-2018 By Niamh Michail

Malaysian supplier PureCircle must provide more data to prove the safety of both minor steviol glycosides and glucosylated stevia, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has said in two separate opinions.

Are some 'no added sugar' claims really illegal?

03-Apr-2018 By Niamh Michail

Claims such as ‘no added sugar’ on foods containing sweeteners are commonplace and an important part of healthy branding - but are they technically illegal under EU law? We put the question to a food law expert.

Category crossovers and savoury swaps: Mintel on the future of sweet flavours

29-Mar-2018 By Niamh Michail

As the backlash against sugar continues, manufacturers of sweet products are coming up with eye-catching solutions to win consumers’ attention from chocolate pizza to vegetable muffins, says Mintel.

Orkla refreshes sustainability goals to include sugar and salt reduction

19-Mar-2018 By Will Chu

Norwegian-based food firm Orkla places an emphasis on lowering salt and sugar in its products as part of a sustainability drive that also includes a curb on food waste.

Shortfall in soft drinks levy attributed to ‘aggressive’ reformulation

14-Mar-2018 By Will Chu

Income earned from the impending soft drinks levy will be less than half that announced by the UK government after drinks makers moved to cut sugar content in their products sooner than expected.

DOLCE hits ‘major milestone’ in sweetener development

09-Mar-2018 By Katy Askew

The DOLCE consortium, formed by industry groups to develop natural sweeteners, has reached a “major milestone” in its drive for natural sugar and calorie reducers “faster than expected”.

Regulation ‘could boost clean label’ and build trust

05-Mar-2018 By Katy Askew

There is currently no clear legal definition of what constitutes a clean label product. One marketing and economics expert argues certification and regulation could actually boost clean label sales.

Improved recipe claims hide ingredient 'downgrading'

01-Mar-2018 By Niamh Michail

Manufacturers including Unilever, Mondelēz and Alpro are using claims of ‘new, improved recipe’ to hide ingredient "downgrading", according to a German consumer group.

German biotech firm Brain bags European patent for taste technology

26-Feb-2018 By Niamh Michail

After bagging a European patent for its taste cell technology to develop natural sweeteners, German biotech company Brain is turning its attention to bitterness and salt reduction.

Understanding genetic flavour preference could promote healthier choices

23-Feb-2018 By Katy Askew

Children’s snacking choices – whether they prefer sweet, fatty or bitter flavours – could be genetically pre-programmed and understanding this could help people make healthier choices, new research suggests.

Valio pledges sugar and salt cut

16-Feb-2018 By Niamh Michail

Finnish dairy and snack company Valio wants to reduce the salt and sugar in its products.

Clean label pectin can shorten ingredient list, says DuPont

15-Feb-2018 By Niamh Michail

DuPont's pectin for reduced-sugar jams, fruit spreads and ice creams can clean up labels by removing the need for calcium salts, it says.

Ultra-processed food may be linked to cancer: BMJ study

15-Feb-2018 By Niamh Michail

There may be a causal link between eating highly processed food and cancer risk, and four reasons why this could be, according to the authors of a 105,000-strong French study published in the British Medical Journal.

Breaking away from bad science? Mars to leave ILSI in transparency bid

08-Feb-2018 By Niamh Michail

Mars plans to quit industry-funded science group, the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI), and says it will support research regardless of results after making its science policy public.

Tate & Lyle pleased with Q3 progress

08-Feb-2018 By Niamh Michail

Tate & Lyle on track to deliver progress in adjusted profit in line with its expectations, it said in a Q3 trading statement today.

'No added sugar' plus a sweetener? 'Pure and simply illegal,' says Test Achats

06-Feb-2018 By Niamh Michail

If a product in the EU has a 'no added sugar', it cannot contain any added sweetener, natural or artificial. Yet too many companies are flouting this law and it's "pure and simply illegal", says Belgian consumer group Test Achats.

Spanish manufacturers promise to make 3,500 products healthier

06-Feb-2018 By Niamh Michail

Over 500 companies in Spain have pledged a 10% voluntary reduction in salt, sugar and fat in over 3,500 products. "This is a business transformation," says the country's health minister.

Images help people who are not 'health-conscious' make better food choices

05-Feb-2018 By Niamh Michail

Health-conscious people will choose healthy foods anyway – but visual cues, rather than words, can help those who are less health-conscious to make better food choices, researchers say.

Is OptiBiotix’s prebiotic fibre a contender to topple sugar’s standing?

01-Feb-2018 By Will Chu

The development of a viable low calorie prebiotic sweetener that disrupts the industry’s use of sugar took another step forward after OptiBiotix Health revealed details of its latest taste study.

Danish government slams 'political mudslinging' at heart of nutrient profile debate

29-Jan-2018 By Niamh Michail

The Danish government has reiterated its call for nutrient profiles to stop unhealthy foods making health claims, slamming the "political mudslinging" that has prevented them from becoming a reality so far.

In the wheat of the moment: Cargill cans corn for wheat protein and starch

22-Jan-2018 By Niamh Michail

Cargill is considering switching from corn to wheat processing at one of its German plants to meet demand for plant protein, starches for sustainable packaging and biofuels.

EJC opinion suggests genetic engineering exempt from GMO regs

19-Jan-2018 By Katy Askew

The European Court of Justice Advocate General has issued an opinion that genetic engineering techniques such as CRISPR should be considered exempt from European regulations governing GMOs.

'Ultra-processed' food is obesogenic and must be made less available & affordable, say researchers

19-Jan-2018 By Niamh Michail

There is a "significant" link between eating ultra-processed food and obesity levels in adults, say researchers who studied data for 19 European countries.