Inaccurate home testing and self-diagnosis is leading to unnecessarily restrictive diets and malnutrition, says a report claiming to make sense of allergies.
A mother's environment and dietary habits around the time of conception could permanently change the function of genes influencing the risk of diseases in her child, say researchers.
The top causes of food waste in homes include buying too much, preparing in abundance, unwillingness to consume leftovers, and improper food storage, say researchers from the Cornell Food and Brand Lab.
Low-income families need to spend at least one third of their weekly income on food if they want to eat healthily, a Food Standards Agency survey has found.
Meat reduction and vegetarianism is a growing trend among German consumers – and one in five young people buys meat alternatives, according to new research from Mintel.
The trend toward raw foods is being driven by a growing group of consumers looking for ‘clean food’ – not just those who consider themselves raw foodists, says Teresa Havrlandova, founder of raw food firm Lifefood.
The use of whey protein fluid gels can produce ‘very stable’ foams that may be useful in the commercial production of food foams and areated products, say researchers.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published its final opinion on acrylamide in food, reconfirming previous evaluations that it increases the risk of developing cancer for consumers in all age groups.
The Swedish National Food Agency (NFA) has begun an investigation into levels of nutrients and potentially undesirable substances present in common foods on the Swedish market.
By Annie-Rose Harrison-Dunn, reporting from Indonesia
Indonesia has ambitious plans to add value to its seaweed industry – but its success could depend on the outcome of an ongoing tug-of-war between industry and government.
When compared to the same amount of glucose, consuming fructose could cause ‘significant’ weight gain, physical inactivity, and body fat deposition, say researchers.
Sustainability in the soy sector is being driven by food companies aiming to mitigate brand risk, according to Europe Outreach Manager for the Round Table on Responsible Soy (RTRS) Lieven Callewaert.
A European push toward segregated certified sustainable palm oil may inadvertently exclude smaller producers from the supply chain, says GreenPalm manager Bob Norman.
The European halal market is booming and set to grow – but manufacturers must appeal to Muslims without alienating non-Muslim consumers if they want to maximise sales , say experts.
Research suggests boys eat more fast food and are more susceptible to junk food marketing than girls, prompting renewed calls for limits on advertising to children.
To sell insects to Western consumers, food manufacturers must create products that align ethical motivations with sensory expectations – meaning cricket-flour cookies will fare better than chocolate-coated crickets.
Mandatory labelling for dairy could push up production costs by nearly 50% and limit consumer freedom of choice - the current status quo is the most suitable option, say two Commission reports that have been welcomed by the food industry.
The European Commission is calling its Better Regulation initiative 'radical and different' - but consumer groups say power is being handed over to big businesses and that consumers will suffer from weakened food policy.
It’s not just the high fat, salt or sugar content of processed foods that is driving obesity and diet-related illnesses – the lack of food diversity is killing our gut flora, claims one researcher.
Designing low-fat foods requires thorough understanding of the many roles that fat plays in the way we experience foods, according to a paper published in Advances in Nutrition.
Vegetarians are enjoying a wide range of packaged food– but it's their flexitarian friends who are fuelling innovation in the taste and texture of plant-based meat alternatives.
The price of fruit and vegetables in the UK has tripled in the past 30 years, while the price of ice cream has halved – a pattern being repeated across the developing world which is fuelling the global obesity crisis.
The food industry – the most water-intensive business on earth - is unprepared for global water shortages, according to a report which ranks the best and worst offending companies for their water management.
The EU and Mexico will strengthen their economic ties by modernising the Free Trade Agreement, announced EU trade commissioner Cecilia Malmström and the Mexican economic minister yesterday.
Own-brands have enjoyed a boom in crisis-hit Europe, winning new consumers with both price and quality – but big brands are resorting to aggressive pricing and promotions to win back their old consumer base.
More than 2 billion tons of coffee by-products that are currently thrown away could have applications in the food and nutrition sector, say researchers.
Global food import costs are set to reach their lowest level in five years during 2015, even as volumes remain the same or rise slightly, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
It is time for the food industry to demonstrate that the natural, healthy food we eat is the result of food science and innovation, says one expert – but opinion is divided over how to achieve this.
Breakthrough innovation is marked by a total transformation of an organisation and is completely different to developing food or drink products that just follow the latest fad or trend, according to a leading consultant.
Yes we can: By making healthy food choices Convenient, Attractive and Normal companies and policy-makers can foster healthy eating habits in all contexts, say researchers.
The German confectionery industry has slammed plans for a 19% tax proposal on sugar aimed at reducing obesity - but the social democrat party denies that such a 'sin tax' is on the cards.
With no ingredient or species information required for processed fish products, seafood fraud in Europe is prevalent – so why is EU legislation failing to protect consumers?
Big differences in the calorie content for one food type distorts expectations of satiety and energy content leading to overeating - a feature of Western diets that is fuelling the obesity crisis, say researchers.
Manufacturers must take the threat of bribery more seriously by putting in place measures to safeguard against it, a legal expert has advised. The warning comes as new figures suggest a third of food firms have no protection in place against such illegal...
The organic sector has cultivated a culture of ethical awareness among consumers that conventional manufacturers are now cashing in on – and new product development is vital for the sector to retain its value, say experts.
A pioneering salt reduction scheme was derailed by the UK government leading to 6000 preventable deaths, says Consensus Action on Salt and Health (CASH).
The Western European packaged food market has grown 5% since 2009, with chilled pasta, sustainable foods and frozen yoghurt leading the way, according to Euromonitor International – but Europe is still a divided market.
Manufacturers of fish products should adopt clearer labelling to allow consumers to make sustainable choices – because otherwise they may be encouraging boycotts of their products, say campaigners.
A Spanish consumer rights group has launched a naming and shaming Twitter campaign after it found one third of consumers surveyed has bought the wrong product due to confusing food labels.
Wackaging – using cute and quirky language on a product’s packaging – seems to be everywhere. But with consumers becoming increasingly cynical, should manufacturers stop trying to be cool?
Europe’s largest frozen foods business Iglo Group has been bought by a pair of US investors for €2.6bn, at 2.4 times return on the original investment made by parent company Permira.
