Unilever has named Royal FrieslandCampina boss Hein Schumacher as its new CEO. Could this mean that a spin-off of the group’s food businesses could be back on the menu? Or does Schumacher’s strong grounding in food and nutrition suggest the internal impetus...
Ingredion’s carbon reduction targets include a 25% cut in absolute GHG emissions by 2030. But progress isn’t always a linear journey and ‘trade-offs’ must sometimes be made as the food industry grapples with complex – and even competing – challenges,...
Although households on lower incomes are spending more on unhealthy food and drink than affluent households, healthier challenger brands have the potential to win over these consumers, FoodNavigator hears.
We catch up with SVZ's Johan Cerstiaens to find out more about the potential use of fruit and vegetable ingredients as sugar substitute in dairy. "What if by reducing sugar content, manufacturers could add value to their products?”
In Israel, Vgarden Ltd. has developed what it claims is ‘game-changing’ vegan tinned tuna. Omer Eliav, chief of R&D and Vgarden co-founder runs us though the most challenging aspects of replicating the kitchen staple, fish-free.
From Ukraine to neighbouring Romania and north-eastern Lithuania, interest in alternative proteins is on the up. Meet three new start-ups developing animal-free whole cuts, mycoprotein ingredients, and plant-based sashimi.
A Ukraine-based yeast maker has defied the challenges of war and launched a biotech arm producing a range of yeast-based solutions for the food industry.
Why does bovine milk dominate the infant formula category, when plant-based is booming in adult nutrition? FoodNavigator speaks with lawyer Jessica Burt from Mills & Reeve, as well as brands Aptamil and Sprout Organic to discuss the plant-based potential...
Natural colours have undergone a significant makeover. Once seen as too expensive, unstable and unable to deliver vibrancy, these challenges have been overcome by an industry working to deliver on consumer demand for cleaner labels with zero compromise....
The German ingredients supplier is investing in UK-based Clean Food Group (CFG) – a start-up developing a bio-equivalent cultivated alternative to palm oil – via its investment arm, Doehler Ventures.
The ingredients majors have combined expertise and technologies to develop their ‘vegurt’ offerings. FoodNavigator asks Chr. Hansen and CP Kelco about the challenges they’ve overcome to create ambient, plant-based yoghurt alternatives.
How does the sustainability performance of plant-based alternatives stack up against conventional meat and dairy? Is the category worthy of its ‘sustainability halo’? FoodNavigator investigates.
OCEANIUM has developed a high-fibre seaweed-based one-for-one methylcellulose replacement for plant-based meat which can be used in other products applications including gluten-free breads and beverages. Farmed seaweed also boasts numerous environmental,...
Unilever has said it is exploring making ‘cow-free’ ice cream and is hoping to soon launch a product made with dairy proteins made via precision fermentation, but admitted there’s a danger they will be ultimately be rejected by shoppers if they are perceived...
New research suggests passion fruit peel offers ‘significant potential’ to preserve fresh fruit and fresh cuts in an edible coating thanks to high levels of antioxidants and polyphenols. This could help reduce food waste and decrease our reliance on plastic...
Tate & Lyle has expanded its sweeteners toolbox with ERYTESSE erythritol, which provides 70% of the sweetness of sucrose, a similar temporal profile, and zero calories.
Spain's Bio2Coat is hoping to solve the twin problems of food waste and plastic waste coming from packaging materials with a 100% natural, edible coating that extends shelf-life of fruits and vegetables and a 100% natural, edible packaging material...
For food to be ‘natural’, do consumers need to know where it came from? Can it be ‘natural’ if it was grown in a lab? And is defining ‘natural’ even important, anyway?
A French start-up has unveiled a urine-based fertilizer to limit the use of chemical ones and make use of valuable nutrients lost when we flush. Toopi Organics claims the solution has many environmental benefits and is cheaper for farmers.
A range of flavours free from citrus-derived molecules, fractions and oils, has been developed by IFF to overcome challenges in the citrus supply chain.
Food and beverage manufacturers are looking for ingredients that can tap into demand from end consumers for natural solutions associated with mental wellbeing benefits, FoodNavigator hears.
By René Floris, Food Research Division Manager at NIZO
Meeting consumer expectations for alt meat is a complex mission. How can ingredients and processes help take plant-based protein products to the next level?
Nutritional labelling and government-backed dietary guidelines are designed to deliver the greatest good, to the greatest number of people. But this nutritional advice and information is often based on flawed or incomplete data. Scientists at Aberystwyth...
The Danish ingredients supplier is celebrating a ‘solid’ financial performance for 2021/22, despite a ‘volatile’ macroeconomic and geopolitical climate. We ask CFO Lise Mortensen how the Ukraine-Russia conflict is impacting business.
Givaudan has developed a ‘radical approach’ that it says can assist efforts to reduce the amount of sugar in products: ‘holistic profiling’. FoodNavigator hears more about how this new technique represents a departure from conventional approaches to cutting...
The partnership will see The Kraft Heinz Company team up with agri-food tech accelerator StartLife to help meet consumer expectations across its portfolio, Miriam Ueberall, VP R&D International, Kraft Heinz, tells FoodNavigator.
Vegetarian diets are often characterised as healthy options delivering higher nutritional quality. But the surge seen in recent years of plant-based analogue products that many classify as ultra-processed has placed this reputation under pressure. Are...
CSM Ingredients has entered into a strategic partnership with Allozymes, a Singapore-based start-up that leverages proprietary tech to develop novel enzymes, FoodNavigator can reveal. In this global exclusive, we catch up with CSM CEO Aldo Uva to learn...
Food technology company Aliga Microalgae progresses its plans to scale the microalgae ingredient, chlorella, as an alternative protein after buying an existing production facility in Holland.
As calls to lower sugar levels in food and beverages louden, formulators and brands centre their efforts on improving taste, testing and technology in sugar-reduced products.
AINIA, the Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology, and Productos Lácteos Romar embark on a new project to turn citrus, watermelon and kaki waste into functional food items.
Nestlé Cereals has conducted research into consumer attitudes to nutritional labelling in the UK. The results are in. “Our research shows many consumers do not understand how to interpret the nutritional labelling information,” FoodNavigator hears.
Mycoprotein supplier ENOUGH is opening its flagship production facility in a move the company says will deliver ‘game-changing’ additional production capacity in the animal-free protein market.
From pea protein substitutes to whole cut meat alternatives and pet food, the versatility of mycelium is helping to attract a growing number of start-ups to the space. How are entrepreneurs innovating to bring this sustainable ‘root-like’ structure to...
Italian researchers are urging front-of-pack labelling systems to take into account processing methods as well as nutritional composition after their work linked ultra-processed food with an increased mortality risk.
Allulose, a novel rare sugar, is currently making its way through the Novel Foods process to gain regulatory approval in Europe. Does it have the characteristics that European shoppers are looking for in sweeteners?
Scientists have identified the key chemicals found in vanilla bean extract and combined this with sensory data to understand what consumers want from vanilla flavours.
Supporting gut bacteria and bowel health may not be the most appealing claims to market on-pack, but ingredients experts say consumer perceptions can be changed – if they haven't already.
Most of us know that dietary fibre is good for us – and still the majority of people don’t eat enough. What implications does this have for our microbiomes? And how does this relate to issues like cardiovascular disease, digestive disorders and colon...
German start-up Bioweg claims its bio-based hydrocolloid made from bacterial cellulose can improve taste, texture, and appearance of plant-based meat and dairy alternatives.
