Scientists have discovered that a plant native to America could be grown in the UK and Europe, bringing huge potential benefits for ‘a balanced, sustainable diet’.
The frozen food revival will thrive post-pandemic as it offers a greater array of indulgent items and as consumers seek solutions to the problem of food waste, says the British Frozen Food Federation.
In exciting news for KitKat-loving vegans, Nestlé has confirmed plans to roll out a plant-based version of the chocolate favourite this year. Elsewhere in new product development across Europe, vegetarian chicken salt crisps are coming to the UK, Bauer...
Danone is coming under increasing investor pressure to invigorate its brands – an effort that requires innovation and investment. The group’s International CEO, Véronique Penchienati-Bosetta, says that the company’s new ‘Local First’ strategy will deliver...
UK vertical farming company Vertical Future is creating an on-site vertical farm for sausage maker Heck Food in a move that the company says will ‘supercharge’ the health and nutrition of Heck’s vegan range.
Coca-Cola has been streamlining its portfolio: cutting down from 400 to 200 master brands. This doesn’t mean the company has abandoned NPD, says CEO James Quincey – rather, he sees the strategy as clearing the way for the ‘next generation of innovation’.
The coffee sector can look to ‘forgotten’ wild coffee species to mitigate the global impact of climate change, according to research from CIRAD and the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew. And coffee giants such as Jacobs Douwe Egberts, Nespresso and Starbucks...
Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) is an internationally recognised method of identifying and managing food safety risk. In an area that is both strictly regulated and highly complex, setting up an HACCP system requires a ’great knowledge’...
Nestlé has outlined its ‘top priorities’ for Europe, Middle East, and North Africa (EMENA) to reach its net-zero climate goal. And the company is placing an emphasis on three ingredients: cocoa, coffee and milk.
UK biotech start-up CellulaREvolution hopes that a new funding round will help accelerate its vision to ‘revolutionise’ the cultured meat space. The company has developed technology that offers an important unlock for so-called ‘clean’ meat producers:...
German biotech LegenDairy is bringing together precision fermentation and the heritage of European cheese making to develop ‘stretchable, meltable and delicious’ cheese alternatives.
For plant-based producers to take a larger chunk out of the US$1.3trn meat market they will need to strengthen their appeal to flexitarian consumers. But how can this be achieved?
The UK Government is making its ‘biggest ever’ intervention to advance the sustainability of plastic packaging by opening its ‘largest scale’ grants to researchers and innovators across the country.
Israeli start-up Kinoko-Tech is tapping fermentation to produce new alternative protein products from fungal mycelium growing on legumes and grains. “We are not aiming to be meat analogues,” said co-founder and CEO Jasmin Ravid, who wants consumers to...
To celebrate its 20th anniversary, UK artisan chocolate brand Montezuma’s commissioned food anthropologist Caroline Hobkinson to predict food industry trends over the next two decades with a specific focus on chocolate.
Kellogg Company has launched the Innovation Challenge, a collaborative initiative with Future Food-Tech, designed to give new talent in the industry a chance to shine on the virtual stage.
Traditional dairy players are likely to face market disruption as plant-based products continue to improve and new technologies, like the fermentation of dairy proteins, gain traction. How should traditional players respond?
A new UK centre of excellence was opened this week by partners from the John Innes Centre and University of East Anglia (UEA) to develop projects that improve global food security.
By studying the interactions between plant-based proteins and biomolecules, food biotech POW! Foods is developing a line of vegan meat alternatives. Starting with chorizo, the start-up will be a ‘game-changer in the food industry’, says CEO and co-founder...
What’s the latest in new product development? Nestlé is rolling out recyclable paper packing for its Smarties brand worldwide, UCC Group is launching a new coffee brand into Europe, and Nestlé Cereals has announced plans to cut packaging from its core...
Keto has long been tipped as the next big diet trend. But, while it has found favour in the US, consumers this side of the pond have been slower on the uptake. Could 2021 be a breakthrough year for ketogenic food in Europe?
Customers expect companies to ‘act with purpose’ beyond the pandemic, according to market research company Euromonitor. How can food and beverage brands respond?
From protein sweeteners to lesser known steviol glycosides, we take a look at some of the latest developments in up-and-coming tech in beverage sugar reduction.
Finnish online food delivery platform Wolt has raised over $500m from global investors in news that illustrates continued growth in home delivery for food and drink products is set to be one of the biggest trends of this year.
SwissDeCode has closed its first venture round. The funds will be used to accelerate development of its technology for real-time certification of food authenticity and quality. We caught up with the start-up’s co-founders to learn about the company’s...
The dairy aisle is in a period of transformation, as an increasing number of animal-free alternatives compete for shelf space. If we were to fast forward a decade, what would it look like then? Tim Geistlinger, Chief Scientific Officer at animal-free...
The largest ever opinion poll on climate change has discovered almost two thirds of people around the world now view the issue as a ‘global emergency’. However, for most, switching to plant-based eating is not their desired answer.
Quantis is launching geoFootprint, a digital tool that the company describes as the ‘first’ to use satellite technology to map the environmental impact of food production on an interactive map. The innovation holds the key to ‘smarter, science-driven...
Whisk, an app that allows consumers to turn recipes into shopping lists, has added UK supermarket Sainsbury’s to its list of partner companies as retailers and CPGs seek to take full advantage of the growth in online shopping.
A new hazelnut and cocoa spread is hitting the market with a surprising primary ingredient: chickpeas! Elsewhere in new product development across the bloc, Swedish plant-based brand Oumph! has developed a vegan alternative to meatballs, and a gut-friendly...
The Swedish company, which makes milk from peas, has raised £4.8m from London-based VGC Partners to develop its products and expand in its core markets including the UK, US and Canada.
Spanish start-up Novameat has developed what it claims to be the biggest cell-based meat prototype in the world. FoodNavigator catches up with founder and CEO Giuseppe Scionti to talk R&D, investment, and collaborating with Michelin-starred Disfrutar.
Pasta giant Barilla has taken a majority stake in UK meal kit start-up Pasta Evangelists. The investment also marks the Italian firm’s foray into fresh pasta.
Unilever is trialling its first ‘nano factory’, which operates within a 40 foot sea container to deliver flexible production lines that can be moved all over the world. “This trial is assessing a de-centralised production model,” one of the engineers...
Fats and oils specialist Bunge Loders Croklaan (BLC) has unveiled a new premium lipid ingredient for baby formula which it claims allows manufacturers to get closer than ever before to the gold standard of mother’s milk.
Investors look likely to applaud Unilever’s commitment to ensuring all suppliers will pay the living wage in its supply chain. But the consumer goods giant risks potential challenges if costs are passed on to end consumers, says an analyst.
By René Floris, NIZO Food Research Division Manager
Welcome to the first edition of this new column from NIZO. Each month, René Floris, NIZO Food Research Division Manager and member of the FoodNavigator expert advisory panel, will examine some of the key challenges and issues facing the food industry...
The seismic events of 2020 have shaped consumer behaviours and expectations. The COVID-19 pandemic has reached every part of our lives – and the flavours we crave are no exception. Here’s our round-up of the flavour trends we can expect to tickle out...
COVID-19 has accelerated interest in the role that automation, robotics and data can play in food and agricultural production. We speak to industry leaders to learn about the latest developments.
Beneo predicts to see significant growth in the market for chicory root, sugar beet, wheat and rice starches as consumers in 2021 demand cleaner but also natural easily recognisable ‘cupboard ingredients’.
Olam Cocoa is launching a new premium cocoa business, Twenty Degrees. By giving remote cocoa producers market access the company will be able to offer ‘artisanal products with a unique flavour and story’, business head Leopold Palmer told FoodNavigator.
The company has identified ‘huge opportunities’ in side-stream valorization as it looks to make use of its expertise in extrusion technology to produce the ‘next generation’ of healthier and more sustainable meat substitutes.
