A dozen of the world's biggest confectioners have signed up to the World Cocoa Foundation’s CocoaAction - something the organisation says will join the dots of existing sustainability programmes.
Food prices were down for a second consecutive month in May following a ten-month high, according to the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
World Environment Day - June 5 2014 - Driving action on climate change
Food manufacturers don’t understand the urgency of sustainability and need to act faster, but also communicate actions better with consumers, says the president of global NGO Food Tank.
Rising incomes in developing countries puts an 84% drop in global malnutrition by 2050 in sight – but it won’t happen unless agricultural productivity continues to increase and climate change is factored in, say researchers.
DSM Nutritional Products has entered in to an exclusive worldwide partnership with Dutch firm Isobionics for the distribution of its valencene and nootkatone ingredients.
FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva has called on countries to put nutrition high on their national and international agendas, and to take a lead role in the upcoming Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2).
An international team of scientists have called for an 'evidence-driven debate' on the links between neonicotinoids and pollinator bee deaths, as they publish a 'restatement' of the scientific evidence.
Poor farm practices and a heavy reliance on wild fish for feed threatens long-term sustainability, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
Certifiers UTZ says a redraft of its code of conduct focuses on ‘prevention’ and monitoring of child labor on farms as well as including new measures around climate change.
Sustainable palm oil trader GreenPalm will use this year’s European Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) Summit as a platform to urge key players in the EU palm oil industry to galvanise shared knowledge and promote sustainable sourcing.
Ingredients giant DSM has unveiled a new toolbox for its protease enzymes that aims expand the use of the enzymes from niche market applications, and help manufacturers 'do more with protein.'
National governments and food producers right along the supply chain must step up collaboration on the issue of food waste, according to Ren Wang of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
Growing interest in the potential for insects as a source of healthy and sustainable protein was demonstrated again at Vitafoods Europe, where 4ento CEO Ana Day told us that insect consumption needs to become 'sexy'.
From infant formula, to additives, protein, medical foods and omega-3 issues, our team of expert journalists will be taking aim at the most important and topical issues for the global food and nutrition industry at the Vitafoods Live! debate theatre next...
Foods that are grown, produced, and traded internationally have a major impact on global water scarcity, according to new research suggesting water should be better considered in the food trading equation.
The food industry is facing a difficult challenge to produce enough food to feed the world’s growing population while limiting its impact on the environment, according to a new report.
By Han De Groot, executive director at UTZ Certified,
Chocolate could become a small and expensive niche product unless we all do more to help cocoa farmers escape poverty, writes UTZ Certified executive director Han De Groot.
Industry-sponsored academic research leads to innovative patents and licenses, and may not skew science towards inventions that are less accessible and less useful to others, according to a new analysis.
The UK government’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has granted permission for field trials of genetically modified (GM) camelina plants that accumulate omega-3s in their seeds.
The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is expanding its sustainability standard beyond wild-capture fish and invertebrate fisheries to include wild seaweed for the first time.
Elevated levels of carbon dioxide can block plants' absorption of nitrates, leading to foods and crops with a reduced nutritional quality, new field trials have found.
Pan-European research shows that while higher bee colony mortalities do exist in some parts of the EU due to cold winter weather, bees are neither disappearing, nor is colony collapse disorder taking place.
What is the future of food? Simple communication of complex advances will be crucial, as well as picking up the pace amid a global population boom to feed the world nutritiously and sustainably, according to FoodNavigator and NutraIngredients senior editors.
Private and public sectors actions must take ‘coordinated and forceful’ actions to help to reduce supply chain waste and change consumer behaviours, say FAO officials.
Few may go hungry but vitamin and mineral deficiencies and health problems like growth stunting in children are widespread among the 53 countries of Europe and central Asia, according to the FAO.
An Israeli company that has released a range of coffee alternatives made from roasted date kernel, says the waste material has potential as a sustainable food and drink ingredient stretching far beyond this initial creation.
Norwegian consumer goods giant Orkla, which also owns Indian brand MTR Foods, has committed to using palm oil from sustainable sources in a move which Greenpeace says should coax other food majors to do similar.
Snack makers should consider sourcing quinoa from India where the exotica strain is sweeter, higher in protein and sells at a stable, lower price, says the managing director of Ashtral Biotech.
Food and drink firms must be more proactive at assessing the sustainability of their products and ingredients, rather than reacting to market interest, according to Leatherhead Food Research expert Emma Gubisch.
Premier Foods has recommenced sourcing British wheat for its Hovis brand but cannot bring back its ‘100% British wheat’ pack claim due to continued uncertainty, it says.
The reasons why people choose plant-based foods have evolved and expanded, boosting their market acceptance, says strategic affairs director for the European Natural Soyfoods Association (ENSA), Koen Bouckaert.
NGO STOP THE TRAFFIK has accused Mondelēz International of lagging behind its rivals by attempting to self-regulate child trafficking in the cocoa sector.
By Han De Groot, executive director at UTZ Certified and Liza Murphy, senior relationships manager at UTZ certified.
Traceability is here to stay – and it is industry’s responsibility to put efficient and reliable traceability systems in place to provide real information for consumers.
Mars has committed to ending deforestation associated with its palm oil supply by the end of 2015, becoming the latest multinational to do so, alongside Unilever and Nestlé, among others.
Global per capita food supply has increased over the past 50 years – but it has become more similar among countries, increasing reliance worldwide on a narrow range of commodities.
Most of the world’s palm oil is set to be sustainably sourced, after Golden Agri-Resources (GAR) became the latest major supplier to commit to forest conservation last week, says Catapult, an organisation working to end deforestation-linked commodities...
The Committee of European Sugar Users (CIUS) has called on EU member states and the Commission to take adequate measures to avoid sugar shortages and guarantee a sufficient stock level at the end of this business year.
By Winnie Byanyima, executive director, Oxfam International
Food and drink companies can have a big influence over sustainability and ethical issues in their supply chains - and have the power to change them rapidly. One year on from Oxfam's first Behind the Brands sustainability scorecard, nine of the ten...
While the debate about deforestation due to palm oil rumbles on, new research has suggested that the release of methane from palm oil processing wastewater may also be a significant concern.
Food manufacturers have made significant progress in reducing the amount of waste they send to landfill, according to the results of a survey from UK trade body, the Food and Drink Federation (FDF).
Leading food and drink makers including Nestlé, Unilever and Coca-Cola have made good progress in the year since Oxfam released its first Behind the Brands sustainability scorecard – and only one company made no progress, according to the NGO.
Palm oil supplier IOI Loders Croklaan surpassed its goal to increase volumes of certified sustainable palm oil to 30% of total European sales last year – and has certified all its plantations to Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) standards.
Businesses must commit to building, supporting and operating agriculture systems that provide enough food and proper nutrition for every person on the planet, according to a UN Global Compact review.
The Kellogg Company has pledged to source fully traceable palm oil by the end of next year, a move that has been welcomed by NGOs that have been fighting for the cereal giant to change its policies for months.
There is a good chance that consumption of insects can be introduced to the food habits of Western European populations, according to new research that found Belgian consumers were 'ready to buy and cook' insects.
