Fears are rife that consumer trust in the food products they buy will denigrate as cash strapped consumers are forced to turn their backs on clean living and healthy eating as inflation reaches record highs in the UK and eurozone.
The clean label ingredients market is witnessing continued growth, with evidence suggesting clean labels increase consumer willingness to pay a higher price point and build loyalty. FoodNavigator digs down into the trend to profile what categories and...
Non-nutritive sweeteners such as stevia and sucralose are not a panacea, but new recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO) questioning their value do a “disservice to public health” by failing to recognize their role in sugar/energy reduction...
Human insect consumption has received another boost as the lesser mealworm (Alphitobius diaperinus) becomes the fourth insect to receive a positive assessment by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for human consumption.
The European Council has backed Commission proposals designed to combat deforestation linked to consumer goods sold in the region – but with some important carve-outs. As environmentalists accuse EU Environment Ministers of ‘significantly watering down’...
The global snack and confectionery giant is expanding its Harmony Programme in Hungary – aiming for a higher local wheat content for its biscuits produced at its Győr biscuit factory in Székesfehérvár in central Hungary.
With vegan chocolate ‘transitioning into the mainstream’, ingredient supplier Beneo is investigating what European consumers want and need from the category.
Nine in 10 UK shoppers would still buy sweets or chocolate if they weren’t on offer, yet most consumers think that less fat, sugar and salt in supermarket foods is a good idea.
The Swiss flavours and fragrances company has leveraged its flavour-masking expertise to address the bitterness of Sweet Victory’s botanical-infused chewing gum for kids.
Eco-label group Foundation Earth has invited its competitors to a summit in order to build a harmonised approach and agree ‘one method and one label deployed at scale across the continent’.
Sustainable nutrition is key to the future of people and the planet. Providing it is an important opportunity for the food and beverage sector to engage with shoppers who are ever more focused on conscientious consumption, FoodNavigator hears.
A food system that is resilient to shocks and can help bring solutions to the climate crisis requires should be diversified, localised and deliver a ‘fairer’ distribution of value across the food chain, speakers at the Rural Policy Group annual conference...
Flavourings, extracts and essences formulator, Synergy Flavours takes inspiration from the 2022 Michelin Great Britain and Ireland guide to develop new flavour profiles and pairings.
As the food industry champions full transparency and shifts to finding preventive measures against foodborne outbreaks, genomics testing provider Clear Labs is developing surveillance and diagnostics to progress accuracy and efficiency in today’s food...
Have food products’ nutritional profiles been negatively impacted by the substitution of sunflower oil – currently in short supply – for coconut and palm oil?
The Hershey Company has filed a patent application covering the substitution of dairy solids with roasted grain flour, which it says yields ‘improved organoleptic and rheological properties’ over known dairy-free chocolates.
Low supply and high demand for agricultural products has resulted in skyrocketing prices for inputs like grains and fertilisers. This could well continue ‘beyond 2023’, analysts at Barclays warn.
Scientists from 19 countries have announced the launch of the EAT-Lancet Commission 2.0, which will ‘update and expand the evidence base for sustainable and equitable food systems change’.
EU Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski has insisted the Green Deal, which contains the landmark Farm to Fork and Biodiversity strategies, will remain a key priority despite the conflict in Ukraine.
Firmenich and DSM have revealed plans to merge the two companies in a move that they believe will create an ‘unparalleled’ leader in nutrition, beauty and wellbeing.
Cargill has unveiled its new 6,200-square-metre House of Chocolate at its Mouscron site in Belgium, which will include a state-of-the-art chocolate experience centre, a unique pilot plant with sensory expertise, and creative workspace for the company’s...
Food companies are increasingly opting for insetting over offsetting their carbon emissions, it's been claimed, as the voluntary carbon offset market continues to look to improve its credibility.
Ingredient supplier Sweegen hailed its victory against PureCircle in a stevia Rebaudioside M (Reb M) patent battle as opening the door to ‘major expansion’ opportunities. However, FoodNavigator understands PureCircle owner Ingredion is already preparing...
Flavours are not currently defined by their most important functionality: taste. We speak to flavour tech innovator iSense about how it is using sensory data and digitalisation to develop a marketplace approach that delivers transparency to boost agility...
Mars Inc hopes to make a positive contribution to the livelihoods of smallholder cocoa farmers. The chocolate giant is trialling two new programmes that aim to address some of the structural issues that stand in the way of living incomes in cocoa. FoodNavigator...
Swiss-Ghanaian start-up Koa has secured two major investments to scale up its impact in the cocoa sector by successfully completing its Series A round raising a total of $4.7 million in equity – and a $3.5 million investment from climate adaptation and...
UK start-up WNWN Food Labs is launching what it claims to be the ‘world’s first’ cacao-free chocolate. Made from two ‘hero ingredients’ – barley and carob – we ask co-founders Arhum Pak and Dr Johnny Drain what makes their product better than the real...
Private label loyalists (shoppers that buy them over 75% of the time) now equal those of national brands in all key European markets, claims fresh IRI data.
The Fairtrade Foundation has released a new report revealing key insights into factors it says can “either enable or jeopardise the ability of cocoa co-operatives to create and fairly distribute positive benefits to their farmer members.”
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’...
As a 100+-year-old company of some of the most well-known CPG brands, Mars Inc. sees innovation as the driving force behind the company's next chapter of growth and the key to maintaining consumer relevancy.
Food giant Mars Inc. has teamed with an artificial intelligence firm PIPA to speed the discovery of new plant-based ingredients for the human and animal food and dietary supplement markets.
Unilever has said it will stop advertising its brands to children under the age of 16. But, in a digital advertising space that experts liken to the ‘Wild West’, can the company deliver? And will the move place its brands at a competitive disadvantage?
Two food industry giants are facing major European product recalls. Nestlé’s Buitoni pizza brand has been linked to an E.coli outbreak in France while Ferrero has been forced to recall Kinder products across a number of markets due to Salmonella contamination....
Dutch physicists and food researchers have shown it is possible to design edible materials to ‘optimise enjoyment’ using ‘metamaterials’ constructed in the lab. Their building material of choice: chocolate.
The founder of UK-based ‘super natural’ chewing gum start-up Milliways is also calling for a single-use plastic levy to make it easier for consumers to switch to a ‘more sustainable’ option.
Agrifood SMEs are crucial to the development of much-needed innovation in the food system but encounter limited access to scale up facilities and technological proficiency, reveals a new report from EIT Food, the food arm of the EU-funded European Institute...
We are nowhere near on track to keep global warning below 2°C, was the stark conclusion of the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report. But hope was also on offer. FoodNavigator looks at how food system transformation can help mitigate...
The manufacturing side of the German confectionery industry is facing its worse crisis in 70 years and could grind to a halt as it struggles with the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic and an impending gas shortage caused by the Russian invasion of...
The UK hopes to be at the vanguard of CBD innovation and investment after the country’s Foods Standards Agency created a list of more than 3,500 food products permitted for sale to consumers.
In an important legal case that may delay the advancing fortified foods sector, products containing vitamins are not required to list the chemical source of the vitamins on the labelling, the EU’s highest court has ruled.
