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.
Rising global demand for vegetable oils has accelerated deforestation, claims a report from the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) – but there are deforestation-free alternatives available for businesses.
UK scientists have developed a new strain of hemp plants with 'dramatically increased' contents of oleic acid, making it an attractive oil for industrial use.
Slow Food has urged the European Commission to take a more holistic view of food sustainability, saying that food waste must be seen as part of broader sustainability issues.
Hurdles in food safety, taste and consumer acceptance await on the London South Bank University’s quest to join two big food innovations: 3D printing and insect-based ingredients.
Two-thirds of all fish harvested for food is likely to come from fish farms by 2030, according to a report from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
Locusts, lentils, seaweed or “hybrid” meat? Researchers have found that consumers prefer the thought of non-specified meat substitute snacks over those containing insects or seaweed.
NGOs say human trafficking and child labor remain deep-seated problems of the cocoa industry as a Nestlé, ADM and Cargill court case stirs up old supply chain concerns.
An internal report on the World Bank’s multimillion dollar loan to a palm oil company embroiled in human rights allegations has concluded that the investment bank should have been more diligent in its assessments.
Europeans must reduce consumption of meat and dairy as part of a plan to cut agricultural land use by about a third, claims a UN report presented at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos on Friday.
Meat reduction – or ‘flexitarian’ eating – is on the rise. In this special edition article, FoodNavigator asks why are consumers reducing meat, and how prevalent is the trend?
In order to feed a growing global population that’s on track to reach 9 billion people by 2050, some scientists argue that people will have to adopt a predominantly plant-based diet to sustain both the environment and humans’ well-being. As part of FoodNavigator-USA's...
European public authorities will be able to preferentially choose Fair Trade products, after a majority of MEPs voted in favour of a new public procurement directive last week.
Mondelez International reached its 2015 goal of sourcing 100% RSPO-certified palm oil for all its purchases last year – two years ahead of schedule, the company has said.
Some people are repulsed by the idea of eating insects – but those aren’t the people to target when trying to introduce insect consumption to the mainstream, says edible insect expert Professor Arnold van Huis.
Lack of transparency in blended ingredients is harming trust in the food industry – but there is another way, says president and CEO of Premium Blendhub, Henrik Stamm Kristensen.
Increased demand for animal protein will push up meat prices – but not necessarily grain prices, claims a new report from UK think tank the Overseas Development Institute (ODI).
Promotion of an industrial policy to spur growth in the food and drink industry features on a wish list of priorities for the Greek presidency of the Council of the European Union, published by FoodDrinkEurope.
From the newest developments in sweeteners, fats and oils and flavours, to the latest trends in gluten-free formulation and plant-based diets, FoodNavigator's special editions calendar for 2014 spans the hottest topics for the European food and drink...
A sustainable cocoa supply chain is reliant on women, who provide a large portion of the labor and often invest earnings on items that benefit their community, says Mars Chocolate in a response to harsh criticism.
