The ‘world’s first’ robotic farm has attracted funding from the UK government, a move Farms Minister Victoria Prentis said would support innovation to tackle the food sector’s ‘greatest challenges’.
Technological advances are transforming the food sector – and nowhere is this more evident than in the field of food safety. FoodNavigator caught up with Alex Bromage, Food Safety and Quality Director at Tetra Pak, to find out what innovations he is getting...
Sustainability sells. This has given rise to scepticism among consumers that brands are ‘greenwashing’ their environmental claims. Radical transparency could be the cure.
Agri-business giant Olam International has launched a digital platform, AtSource, that provides detailed information about its supply chains. The company hopes the data and insight on the platform will allow its customers to be more transparent with their...
Following on from a successful pilot of Apeel’s food waste reduction technology, Germany retailer Edeka and the US food tech company are extending their ‘joint commitment’ against food waste.
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...
Food Tech group Treasure8 has joined forces with global innovation consultancy PA Consulting to accelerate global access to ‘high-quality nutrition’ while also reducing food waste. FoodNavigator caught up with the partners to learn how.
The Amsterdam-based owner of Flora, Blue Band, Stork, Becel, Country Crock and I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! is introducing on-pack carbon labelling to 100 million packs of its margarine and spreads by the end of 2021 in order to “help consumers...
Big Idea Ventures is welcoming a second cohort of start-ups to its New Protein Fund accelerator. From cellular agriculture, to bio-fermentation and plant-based innovation, Managing Partner Andrew Ive shares his thoughts on building a more sustainable...
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’.
A new AI platform has been created to help food businesses manage the risk of COVID-19 in their workforce. We spoke to the platform’s developer to find more.
Grains fermented with Propionibacterium freudenreichii – the bacteria usually used as a ripening culture in Swiss-type cheese -- have enough vitamin B12 to be nutritionally significant and could potentially be cheaper than fortification, according to...
The European Institute of Innovation & Technology’s food arm received 106 applications to its COVID-19 support fund from different start-ups across Europe. The number was eventually whittled down to just 13.
JBS has defended its efforts to eliminate deforestation in the Amazon Rainforest after criticism from environmental campaigners led the UK’s largest supermarket Tesco to attempt to cut links with the meat giant.
The Cannabinoid Association of the Netherlands (CAN), a consortium of Dutch CBD producers, is harnessing blockchain technology with the hope of improving transparency, accountability and traceability in the CBD market.
Botanical ingredients supplier Euromed claims a study shows that its fig extract product, called ABAlife, can lower the glycaemic index of foods, and could potentially be a treatment for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes, while also help to make products...
Unilever has entered into a tie-up with biotech start-up Algenuity. FoodNavigator hears from both companies about the ‘huge potential’ to develop ‘future foods’ using Chlorella vulgaris microalgae as a nutritious and sustainable protein source.
The use of antibiotics and other adulterants in meat is a global health problem. Consumers increasingly demand products that are free-from contaminants and additives. But how can you be sure the meat you eat is hormone or antibiotic free?
Romanian food company Salconserv Food has invested €3m to grow its sustainable plant-based brand, Verdino, and the brand now has international ambitions. “The future of food is also produced in Romania,” CEO Eberhart Răducanu says.
Hygiena food safety has launched InSite Listeria, a reformulated easy-to-use, all-in-one, test for Listeria species, which has been certified by AOAC RI, which verifies the test detects low levels of Listeria species on stainless steel, ceramic and plastic...
Israeli start-up Seebo has raised a total of $31m to help manufacturers predict and prevent food waste on the factory floor. The more complex the production line, the better, CEO Lior Akavia tells FoodNavigator.
Cadbury-owner Mondelēz International says it remains committed to reformulation via reducing portion sizes after a backlash over its move to shrink the sizes of all Cadbury chocolate bars sold in multipacks in the UK without changing the price.
A recent study analysed recent advances to improve the quality of gluten-free bread, focusing not only on the latest conventional ingredients and innovative approaches to replace the gluten-network, but also on technological and processes methods that...
What do you get when you cross chicken cells with plant-based ingredients and 3D printing technology? KFC collaborates with biotech research lab 3D Bioprinting Solutions in Moscow to bring hybrid nuggets to the Russian market.
A Canadian ag-tech start-up that utilises the humble but industrious bumblebee to offer fruit and vegetable growers an alternative to spraying their crops with pesticides has its sights on the European market.
Unilever recently set out a range of commitments to tackle climate change as well as halt – and even reverse – the degradation of the natural world. This includes a target to reach net zero emissions from all products by 2039. FoodNavigator speaks to...
A UK study detailing the environmental benefits of vertical farming – and in particular, aeroponics – has listed ‘strategic areas of future research’ to underpin the system’s productivity and sustainability.
COVID-19 has accelerated food trends that were already on the rise prior to lockdown. So how can entrepreneurs best capitalise on these trends to attract early-stage funding? And in a growing field of competitors, how can investors pick the right horse?
Spanish food tech start-up Cubiq Foods has developed a vegan ‘smart fat’ that, it claims, behaves like animal fat within product formulations. Addressing some of the functional constraints of coconut oil, CEO and co-founder Andrés Montefeltro tells FoodNavigator...
The impact of COVID-19 on retail and food-to-go channels has challenged many food businesses. Yet challenger brands and start-ups with an agile mindset can use the crisis to their advantage, say a panel of experts.
Vertegrow and Intelligent Growth Solutions (IGS) are investing in the development of a UK vertical farm. According to Vertegrow director Graeme Warren, investment in ag tech in general – and vertical farming in particular – is vital to delivering food...
Students in Demark aim to commercialise vegan alternatives to salmon and tuna in Europe, having developed 3D printing processes capable of printing plant proteins and binders in structured forms.
Working with the likes of Tesco and Albert Heijn, Spoon Guru uses its AI powered software to ease the path to purchase and transform food discovery. The company’s co-founder Markus Stripf tells FoodNavigator that the way people shop online is changing...
Cell-based cultured protein is an industry still in its infancy. Food makers should look at the emerging field as an opportunity to collaborate and invest in the sector’s development, according to experts speaking at IFF’s Plantful Virtual Festival.
A cross-industry collaboration has been launched in Norway that leverages blockchain to share supply chain data across the country’s seafood sector. The aim is to provide ‘safer, better seafood’ to consumers worldwide.
Redefine Meat today unveiled its trade-marked Alt-Steak, a plant-based 3D printed steak, with consumer testing to kick off in high-end restaurants this year. FoodNavigator speaks to co-founder and CEO Eshchar Ben-Shitrit to learn more about the path to...
In a ground-breaking series of webinars, FoodNavigator’s global editorial teams will unpick one of the biggest questions facing the sector today: What will COVID-19 mean for the future of the industry?
Fairfood is on a mission to ‘uncover the human fingerprint in food’. And the Dutch not-for-profit’s recently launched Trace platform is doing just that, by ‘powering sustainable sourcing’, raising consumer awareness, and sharing added value with the people...
Personalised nutrition is a phrase that has attracted much attention, with futuristic visions of people consuming a diet tailored to their individual needs to deliver optimum health and wellness. But for this future to materialise it will require a complete...
The UK government has outlined a package of measures that, it says, are designed to ‘turbo charge’ UK food and drink businesses as the world recovers from coronavirus.
Ahead of the UK Food Standards Agency’s 31 March 2021 deadline for CBD products to have a validated novel foods application, the Association for the Cannabinoid Industry (ACI), which works to create a safe, legal and well-regulated CBD market in the UK,...
Chocolate and confectionery maker The Hershey Company reached a milestone in its CSR strategy in January when 100% of the cocoa it sources was certified sustainable. FoodNavigator speaks to the company’s director of global sustainability and social impact...
Chilean biotech Protera Biosciences is heading for the city of lights, having closed $5.5m (€4.9m) Series A financing led by Sofinnova Partners. Europe, Protera CEO Leonardo Álvarez tells FoodNavigator, is known for its ‘vast expertise’ in producing enzymes...
Food scientist at the University of Nottingham are collaborating with local start-up Pola to develop an ambient version of the company’s frozen treats.
US plant-based meat specialist Beyond Meat expects to begin European production by the end of 2020 after opening a new plant in Zoeterwoude and acquiring a further site in Enschede.
