A new frozen ingredients supply venture in the UK will import frozen food ingredients from around the world, specialising in Individually Quick Frozen (IQF) fruit, vegetables, spices and herbs for further processing by UK and Irish food and eventually...
From an environmental and sensory standpoint, it makes sense to create ‘hybrid’ products from a blend of plant-based and meat proteins. Yet experts are dubious the category will take off.
Unilever has some ambitious goals on food waste. The multinational wants to halve waste from its direct operations by 2025 and is working with suppliers and customers to reduce waste across the food chain. It also hopes to tackle one of the trickiest...
Over a quarter of processed, vegetarian meat-substitute products are not a source of protein, according to research by Safefood into the nutritional content of more than 350 products which claim to be meat replacements.
Europe’s largest frozen food player has announced plans to acquire Fortenova’s frozen savoury and ice cream assets. The buy-out marks Nomad’s second in six months, and CEO Stéfan Descheemaeker says investors ‘should not assume we are done’.
Current food classification systems for ‘processed’ food are confusing and can be misleading, a new study argues. “It is over simplistic to assume that processed equals unhealthy,” the research’s lead author tells FoodNavigator.
Mars Edge – the segment of Mars Incorporated dedicated to supporting human health through nutrition – is on a mission to reconcile the nutrition that consumers need with the food they want, it tells FoodNavigator.
A glimmer of light is appearing at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel. As we prepare to move into the ‘new normal’, how can food and beverage brands deliver a clean conscience to consumers?
The meat giant and world’s second-largest food company has announced a new pledge to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2040 and zero deforestation across its global supply chain by 2035.
The UK meat sector has dismissed the suggestion that Brexit trade disruption can be chalked up to ‘teething problems’ and insisted that ‘systemic weaknesses’ in the export system need to be addressed.
COVID-19 has boosted interest in functional foods that deliver wellbeing benefits like immunity and stress management. But while the pandemic may have accelerated this trend, functional foods are no flash in the pan, experts insisted at FoodNavigator’s...
With industry feedback indicating that meat reduction and flexitarianism has slowed amid the ongoing pandemic, we talk to Eshchar Ben-Shitrit, CEO and Co-Founder of meat alternative innovators, Redefine Meat, on the landscape, present challenges and growth...
The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF), representing some of the world’s largest food makers and retailers, has launched a new framework for the implementation of human rights due diligence systems. This aligned approach is a ‘major victory’ in the fight against...
Dutch cell-cultured meat startup Meatable - which is working with porcine and bovine induced pluripotent stem cells [iPSCs] – has closed a $47m Series A round (bringing its total funding to $60m) to advance small-scale production at the Biotech Campus...
By René Floris, NIZO Food Research Division Manager
In his latest column, NIZO Food Research Division Manager and FoodNavigator advisory panel member René Floris explores the role of in-vitro studies in substantiating health benefits of food products.
For the first time in history, across the globe people aged over 65 now outnumber children under five, according to the UN. By the middle of this century there will be more than twice as many. In Europe, the population of over 65s is expected to reach...
Global investment in alternative proteins was the highest ever in 2020 and three times the capital invested in 2019 – signalling growing momentum for sustainable alternatives.
Yellowfin tuna in the Indian Ocean is overfished and ‘heading for collapse’ by 2026, according to non-profit thinktank Planet Tracker. The only way to avert this situation is a significant reduction in catch.
FoodNavigator hears from agri-food players – sitting at both extremes of farm-to-fork – and an MEP, who make the case for enforcing indication laws across the bloc.
The FMCG giant recently tasked start-ups to find solutions that promise to improve the taste, texture, sustainability and affordability of plant-based meat and dairy alternatives. The winner? A French company with a patented plant-based fat that closely...
[UPDATE NOV 22, 2021: The authors of this report have just issued a corrigendum*] Cell-cultured meat could be cost competitive with some forms of conventional meat within a decade, according to two new studies from Dutch consultancy CE Delft using data...
For cell-cultured meat to be commercially viable, we’ll need to see significant movement in the price and availability of growth factors (signaling proteins that stimulate cell growth and differentiation) says UK-based CellRx, which says it can produce...
Who are the winners and losers of mandatory country of origin labelling? FoodNavigator hears from supporters and sceptics of the initiative less than two years out from the European Commission’s proposal.
Organic sales are on the rise in Europe. But, for some consumers, the price premium charged by the sector acts as a barrier. According to Alara Wholefoods founder Alex Smith, organic manufacturers need to make ‘affordability part of the conversation’.
A new survey commissioned by The Vegan Society suggests a significant number of Brits would support plans and policies that promote plant-based eating to help combat climate change.
“Italy can be a leader in the ecological transition,” Italy’s new environment minister said this week. But comments on the need to reduce meat consumption have proven controversial – and sparked a backlash from the meat lobby.
‘Urgent’ and ‘immediate’ action is required from UK retailers, according to NGO Feedback, which is campaigning for meat and dairy sales to halve by 2030.
Europeans want to know more about where their food comes from. Would mandatory country of origin labelling mean consumers make more sustainable food choices?
The food industry has a ‘critical and urgent’ role to play to resolve the food waste crisis, according to Unilever’s president of foods and refreshment, Hanneke Faber.
In a move said to illustrate rising investor concerns with companies’ health impacts, the UK’s largest supermarket Tesco has announced it aims to increase the proportion of sales from healthier products to 65% by 2025.
London-based start-up Hoxton Farms is cultivating animal fat for plant-based meat alternatives. What is the secret to the duo’s competitive edge? Computational biology, the founders tell FoodNavigator.
With the food industry under increased pressure to promote healthier diets, address obesity and reduce diet-related diseases, more evidence emerges to suggest environmental factors, specifically screen time and poor sleep, may go hand-in-hand with overconsumption.
Despite the pandemic straining supply chains, causing food shortages and price volatility, Europe’s high-income levels and relatively low rates of inequality mean it is well placed to cope with the types of unexpected economic shocks that can drive food...
New rules on organic farming and production in the EU are set to come into effect at the beginning of 2022. In the first in a series of articles examining the update, legal experts Katia Merten-Lentz, partner at international law firm Keller and Heckman,...
Beyond Meat has secured a three-year supply agreement with McDonald’s for the fast-food restaurant’s McPlant burger. Market tests have already begun in Europe.
By René Floris, NIZO Food Research Division Manager
The need to preserve protein functionality is prompting food makers to explore ‘milder processing’ than traditional heat treatment. In his second monthly column, René Floris, NIZO Food Research Division Manager and member of the FoodNavigator expert advisory...
They have fed us for millennia and are critical for the food and nutrition security, livelihoods and cultures of hundreds of millions of people across the globe. But today, nearly a third of freshwater fish species are threatened with extinction.
Nestlé reported ‘strong’ growth of its plant-based brands when it delivered its full year results. But, CEO Mark Schneider stressed, the opportunity is much bigger than meat-free burgers or bangers.
What do canned baked beans, low fat fruit yogurt, ice cream, pre-packaged sliced bread, ready-made pasta sauces, and breakfast cereals with added sugar all have in common?
Givaudan’s flavour business, Givaudan Taste & Wellness, is launching a new tool that leverages artificial intelligence for the ‘next generation’ of product development. “Success comes from combining the output of the tools with the sensitivity and...
Researchers from the French National Institute for Research into Agriculture, Food and the Environment (INRAE) are hoping to buck the trend of falling white truffle production in Europe.
Voluntary codes to limit the marketing of unhealthy food and beverages to children ‘cannot work’, according to the Federation of German Consumer Organisations. The association is calling for tougher action.
Kerry Group’s strategic review of its dairy production and consumer food assets will allow it to free up money for acquisitions in faster growing areas, say equity analysts.
Having closed a $29m Series A, the maker of 3D-printed alt meat is looking to expand its product line and rollout its beef alternatives into Israel, Germany and Switzerland, before moving into Asian and US markets.
Traditional bricks-and-mortar retail still has “a long way to run”, but food and beverage manufacturers must embrace AI and predictive analysts to create value, according to IGD’s chief economist James Walton.