COVID-19 has boosted interest in functional foods that deliver wellbeing benefits like immunity and stress management. But while the pandemic may have accelerated this trend, functional foods are no flash in the pan, experts insisted at FoodNavigator’s...
With industry feedback indicating that meat reduction and flexitarianism has slowed amid the ongoing pandemic, we talk to Eshchar Ben-Shitrit, CEO and Co-Founder of meat alternative innovators, Redefine Meat, on the landscape, present challenges and growth...
With growers reporting a shortage of workers, a new project hopes to accelerate a shift towards large-scale implementation of robotics and automation in European farming.
Global investment in alternative proteins was the highest ever in 2020 and three times the capital invested in 2019 – signalling growing momentum for sustainable alternatives.
The FMCG giant recently tasked start-ups to find solutions that promise to improve the taste, texture, sustainability and affordability of plant-based meat and dairy alternatives. The winner? A French company with a patented plant-based fat that closely...
The Swedish oat drink company is building its first UK factory, set to be completed in early 2023. The Vegan Society says the move illustrates the growing demand for products styled as eco-friendly. But others question whether cutting dairy really is...
Despite rapidly growing consumer demand, the quality of plant-based milk products very often underwhelms. The solution? More consistent testing at R&D stage.
Clinical data suggests that arabinoxylan – a fiber found in the cell walls of several plants – has a range of benefits from prebiotic effects to blood glucose control and immune health support. But no one has found a cost-effective way to isolate and...
‘Cell-cultured’ may be the best way to label seafood grown from animal cells in bioreactors, according to key stakeholders in the nascent industry, who have teamed up with the National Fisheries Institute to share their views with the FDA.
Consumer demand for functional products is rising. SōRSE Technology’s Director of Research and Analytics, Donna Wamsley, speaks to FoodNavigator about the ingredients that are poised to benefit.
The food industry has a ‘critical and urgent’ role to play to resolve the food waste crisis, according to Unilever’s president of foods and refreshment, Hanneke Faber.
Five years after the United Nations celebrated 2016 as the International Year of Pulses to raise awareness of legumes’ nutritional value and sustainability, SPINS data shows sales of dried beans are skyrocketing as consumers look for more nutrient-dense...
London-based start-up Hoxton Farms is cultivating animal fat for plant-based meat alternatives. What is the secret to the duo’s competitive edge? Computational biology, the founders tell FoodNavigator.
An Israeli start-up is leveraging culinary art and upcycling in an attempt to overhaul the perception of the run-of-the-mill and often unwholesome ready-to-cook food sector.
2020 was a breakout year for 'agrifoodtech' companies as the sector attracted over $26.1bn worldwide in investment, a 34.5% increase from 2019, according to global venture capital firm AgFunder's 2021 investment report.
Beyond Meat has secured a three-year supply agreement with McDonald’s for the fast-food restaurant’s McPlant burger. Market tests have already begun in Europe.
Current regulation prevents Swedish ice cream maker Nick’s from using the same ingredients on both sides of the pond. FoodNavigator catches up with founder Niclas Luthman to find out why he is set on using new innovation, when available in Europe.
Nestlé continues to lean into the direct-to-consumer (D2C) channel as part of its portfolio transformation strategy. This week, the Swiss food giant snapped up UK recipe kit company SimplyCook. With the changes ushered in by COVID expected to leave a...
The trend of consumers – rightly or wrongly – seeking to cut down their dairy consumption for environmental and ethical reasons is a growing one, and food and beverage manufacturers smell an opportunity.
Barry Callebaut has joined forces with Swiss chemistry start-up Bloom Biorenewables to investigate upcycling chocolate side streams. The first result: vanillin produced from hazelnut shells.
Researchers from the French National Institute for Research into Agriculture, Food and the Environment (INRAE) are hoping to buck the trend of falling white truffle production in Europe.
The launch of the first vertical farm project in Zürich promises to lay the groundwork for ‘large-scale industrial vertical farming in smart cities’ and ‘showcase the incredible benefits of a circular economy’.
Having closed a $29m Series A, the maker of 3D-printed alt meat is looking to expand its product line and rollout its beef alternatives into Israel, Germany and Switzerland, before moving into Asian and US markets.
A new not-for-profit accelerator supported by retail majors Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and Ocado has launched in the UK. Titled ‘ADD Psalt’, the programme aims to bring more diversity to the food and drink sector.
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.
The rapid expansion of online grocery shopping is set to continue post pandemic to become a driving force in consumer loyalty, according to Ocado CEO Mel Smith.
The dairy major is partnering with Big Idea Ventures (BIV) to accelerate projects in alternative proteins. BIV currently runs accelerator programmes in New York and Singapore but has revealed plans to launch a Paris edition later this year.
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...
First there was Perfect Day in the US, then Remilk in Israel, and now UK start-up Better Dairy is also vying for a piece of the precision fermentation pie. FoodNavigator catches up with CEO and co-founder Jevan Nagarajah to discuss Better Dairy’s plans...
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?
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...
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?