From the rise of foodtech to the end of the commodities era; from the organic sector's boom to the Mediterranean diet's bust, these are the most read stories on FoodNavigator this year so far.
South Korea’s STX Corporation is launching a new brand – Méshil – in the French market. The brand’s founder, Donghyun Won, says they want to bring this traditional Korean plum-based beverage “to the world”.
The European Court of Justice advocate general has advised the ECJ that animals not stunned before slaughter in order to comply with religious rites for halal and kosher meat should be eligible to be labelled organic if they meet other standards of organic...
As US supplier MycoTechnology turns its attention to the European market, its CEO explains how fermented mushrooms can reduce sugar, block bitterness and improve the nutritional content of plant protein. “It’s really unlimited what we can do with our...
From calls for legislation on misleading food labels to new appointments at DG Sante, we round up the biggest news from Brussels affecting the food industry this month so far.
While people know jackfruit as a plant-based meat alternative, they are less familiar with it as a healthy snack. 'The dried fruit market is also not that interesting in the UK," says newcomer Jacked Foods. "We’ve created a quirky brand...
As it works to become “the world leader in the food transition”, French retail giant Carrefour is pushing its sustainability agenda through commitments to adopt more sustainable and transparent practices and establish a new cross-industry collaboration...
Using fresh avocados and banishing empty calories from sugar helped UK start-up Onist, founded by registered nutritionist-turned-food entrepreneur, create its healthy indulgent dessert.
From FODMAP-friendly konjac noodles and pasta, to convenient and premium organic vegan stews and drinks that promote gut health, FoodNavigator takes a look at some of the latest on-trend products being rolled out across Europe.
From ready-to-eat pouches of wheatberry & quinoa, spreadable skyr and gourmet instant desserts with cocoa and chia seeds, we take a loot at some of the recent new product launches that stand out.
UK firm Seaweed & Co's wild harvested knotted kelp (Ascophyllum) beats spirulina for iodine, potassium, calcium and magnesium, and can reduce salt in packaged foods or replace artificial smoke flavours, it says.
From algae-infused cooking oils to baobab herbal teas; cocktail-flavoured sweets and low-sugar yoghurts with no sweeteners, we take a look at some new product launches that stand out from the crowd.
Ethical start-up Aduna's range of herbal teas with baobab and moringa is aiming to take the superfoods to the mass market. "That's where the real impact is going to happen," the CEO tells us.
Campaign group the Organics Council has flagged the “potentially widespread contamination” of glyphosate in organic grain and cereal products but UK certification body the Soil Association played down the findings.
London start-up Kaakao managed to overcome texture and flavour challenges when sweetening its chocolate with dates instead of sugar but the regulatory challenge - the EU definition of chocolate - is proving to be more difficult.
Instead of shipping ingredients across the world, would it be more sustainable to grow them in Europe? From Dutch vanilla to French chia or Italian goji berries, FoodNavigator takes a look at some companies doing just that.
Using heirloom coloured rice, Lotus Foods' premium products pack a nutritional punch and are grown in a sustainable way that yields 'more crop per drop'. "I don’t know of any other farming system that does both environmental and social...
Far from being cocoa's poor cousin, carob powder is the ideal ingredient for healthy confectionery for kids, mimicking the "shine, snap and silky smooth texture" of milk chocolate without the stimulants caffeine and theobromine, says Supertreats...
After a week of debates on the country's Agriculture and Food Bill, French politicians have backed mandatory labelling for GM animal feed and pesticide use on fruit and vegetables but rejected measures to stop marketing unhealthy foods to children.
By Amarjit Sahota, president and founder of Ecovia Intelligence
Blockchain is taking off, with a growing number of food companies and retailers experimenting with this new technology. Consultancy Ecovia Intelligence sees blockchain bringing many sustainability benefits to the food industry.
After helping 2017's winners generate growth worth €10 million, PepsiCo's accelerator programme Nutrition Greenhouse is looking for 10 more start-ups for the 2018 round.
UK market leader in infant snacks, Organix 'savoury finger food for babies’ range is part of its junk-busting mission. "Some infant snack products contain more than 30 ingredients and that is not really necessary," says the managing director.
Many certification schemes are blocking true sustainability by watering down standards in order to get stakeholders on board and even providing 'green cover' for firms that are destroying the environment, according to a report.
The European Parliament has approved new rules that aim to provide consumers with “certainty” over the quality of organic products and support growing organic production in the bloc.
Regenerative agriculture is increasingly on the food sector agenda. The idea that food production can be used to sequester carbon as a means to tackle climate change is compelling. But will it catch on?
Since the horsemeat scandal of 2013 there has been a steady stream of food scares and scandals, which has played neatly into the hands of organic food. Sales were up more than 11% in Europe at the last count, but is the sector making the most of growing...
Tortilla wraps made with 50% seaweed will normalise sustainable eating thanks to their affordable price and ease of use, according to Dutch start-up Seamore.
New research showing organic farming more effectively restores soil carbon and reduces the cause of climate change compared to conventional techniques could sway more shoppers to buy organic – especially as conscious consumerism continues to rise.
The European Court of Auditors (ECA) is to carry out an audit of organic food in the EU in response to growing retail sales within the sector that leaves the industry open to fraudulent organic claims.
The organic sector accounts for almost 10% of Danish food sales and, with opportunity fuelling innovation, Denmark’s organic food makers believe they are uniquely poised for global success.
German legislators have detailed plans to develop an animal welfare label and promote organic agriculture as part of a deal that could enable the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) to head up a coalition government under Angela Merkel.
A study of more than 34,000 people has found that diets high in vegetables are better for the planet than animal-based ones but also flagged that organic production systems have “significant” environmental benefits for plant-based diets.
Free-from labelled foods seem healthier, with GM-free and palm oil-free labels having the strongest effect, according to a study of almost 2000 French, Swedish, British and Polish individuals.
As the UK organic sector hits a record value of £2.2 billion (€2.47bn), what's the secret to its success? Six trends are influencing our food choices today - and organic fits into all of them, says the Soil Association.
Opting for traditional or rare crop varieties, avoiding GM and sourcing ingredients from alternative cultivation regions are just some of the ways food manufacturers can help protect biodiversity, according to the European Business and Biodiversity Campaign...
Last year French President Emmanuel Macron said he wanted France to become a start-up nation. FoodNavigator headed to La French FoodTech's incubator in Lyon to meet some of the rising food stars of La French Tech.
The European Court of Justice Advocate General has issued an opinion that genetic engineering techniques such as CRISPR should be considered exempt from European regulations governing GMOs.
Austrian teenagers and young adults are “especially interested” in the origin of the food they consume and want organic production methods to be further adopted in the country, a new survey reveals.
Sustainable bank Triodos has stepped in to ensure the UK’s Organic Trade Board (OTB) can unlock over €10m in EU funding to promote the British organic industry.
Nearly half of all consumers class low-sugar or sugar-free products as “extremely” or “very” important when deciding what to eat or drink with similar results for products free from genetically modified (GMO) ingredients.
Social enterprise Divine Chocolate is pushing NPD innovation to capitalize on the growing higher cocoa trend evident in the popularity of its 85% chocolate bar.
The UK saw the first commercial crop of organic lentils going on sale last month, in news that highlights how far they’ve fallen in the pecking order of plant-based crops grown for food.
