New Britain Palm Oil’s independent directors have urged shareholders to reject an unsolicited takeover bid from Kulim, which already owns a 50% stake in the company.
The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) is not in a position to monitor over 1,100 members from more than 60 countries, but it does take violations extremely seriously, its secretary general says.
Fairtrade International today works with more than 3,000 companies and represents a global network of farmers and workers in 70 countries – but scaling up to this level has been a long, difficult journey, says the organisation’s CEO Harriet Lamb.
The Rainforest Action Network (RAN) has accused Cargill of using child labour in its palm oil supply chain – and Cargill says it has registered its concern with supplier KLK.
By Darrel Webber, secretary general of Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil
Increasing global consumption of palm oil poses serious sustainability challenges and raises questions about leading consumer nations’ responsibility in managing the footprint of its global supply chain.
The vast majority of food manufacturers are open to a dialogue on how to get more from their ingredient supply chain, according to president of DSM Food Specialties Hans Christian Ambjerg.
Food sustainability may depend on changing the way we produce food, or our demand for different kinds of food, or how it is distributed – but we need to find ways to approach sustainability that address all these issues, according to a food climate expert.
As the pressure to source sustainable palm oil has intensified, several big names in the US from Kroger and Walmart to McDonald’s and Dunkin Donuts have said that by 2015, they will only use RSPO (Round Table for Sustainable Palm Oil) certified products.
Stevia supplier PureCircle has released sustainability goals for 2020 - but is sustainability really top-of-mind for stevia users? And why does the company define calorie reduction as part of sustainability? FoodNavigator speaks with PureCircle's...
On day two of the IFT show in Chicago, the FoodNavigator-USA team headed once more unto the breach (well, the show-floor) at McCormick Place to check out the latest developments in food and beverage development, labeling and regulation.
Much of the media debate about sustainable food sourcing concentrates on cocoa, palm oil and soy. But how sustainable are gums and hydrocolloids, which are used as gelling agents, thickeners and stabilizers in everything from ice cream to jam?
The good news: Around 15% of global palm oil produced in the past year was certified by the Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). The bad news: Only half of it earned a premium, which doesn’t sound like a great recipe for inspiring more producers...
Humanity faces major challenges in feeding the world – but we should not underestimate our capacity to innovate to deal with crises, according to keynote speaker at IFT 2013 Fareed Zakaria.
ASR Group-owned Tate & Lyle Sugars is considering legal action against The Guardian newspaper over a story published this week accusing the sugar giant of working with a Cambodian supplier that employed child labour among other human right abuses.
Five RSPO-certified palm oil producers accused of contributing to Indonesian forest fires have submitted digital images of their plantations in an effort to clear their names – and the RSPO has commended them for fast action.
Insects are being touted as one answer to an upcoming global protein gap – in Europe, there’s just the niggling ‘disgust factor’ to get over. But why scuttle before we can walk? Let’s talk options.
Interest in quinoa has surged among consumers in Europe and the United States – but the rapid increase in its popularity has also given rise to concerns about sustainable production.
Mondelez International says its first training center for coffee farmers to promote sustainability and entrepreneurship, in Vietnam, will help it meet a 100% sustainable sourcing goal in Western Europe.
A UK alliance of NGOs has launched a campaign to convince people to eat less, better quality meat and aims to link with similar networks across Europe.
The Archer Daniels Midland Company is in discussions to sell its cocoa processing operations. We find out how potential industry consolidation could affect the cocoa supply.
European institutions reached a deal on reforming the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) on Wednesday, including a compromise that will end sugar quotas by 2017.
The British dairy supply chain – comprising farmers, processors and retailers – is a “global leader” in terms of environmental sustainability, an industry-funded report has claimed.
Food industry representatives from across the European food supply chain have pledged to halve edible food waste in the EU by 2020, in a declaration signed in Brussels on Tuesday.
The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) has given five of its Indonesian members 48 hours to submit satellite images of their plantations, as evidence that they are not responsible for the forest fires that have engulfed several South East Asian...
Want to attract consumers to your sustainably produced products? Focus on taste, and make it personal, according to experts speaking at Organic Monitor’s Sustainable Foods Summit in Amsterdam earlier this month.
A new European palm oil supply agreement should make it easier for companies to source 100% segregated palm oil across the continent, say the companies behind the deal.
The food ingredients industry has an opportunity – and an obligation – to improve sustainability in the food supply chain, according to president of DSM Food Specialties Hans Christian Ambjerg.
Several studies have suggested that global food production needs to double by 2050 if we are to feed a growing population – but this will not be possible if current trends continue, according to new research.
A new Danish research project aims to promote the widespread adoption of insects in our diets by showing that bugs and grubs are not only good for you, but are also delicious.
Global certification association ISEAL Alliance has developed a set of principles for defining what makes an ecolabel, standard or certification credible.
Global stevia supplier PureCircle has introduced a range of sustainability targets for reducing carbon emissions and water use, as well as calories in global diets by 2020.
Blanket opposition to genetically modified crops is “a morally unacceptable position to take on the basis of unsubstantiated suspicions and fears”, according to the boss of Toronto-based firm Maple Leaf Foods.
Bumper corn and wheat crops are expected to help the price of commodities fall this year, increasing food affordability and security, says the latest scores from the Global Food Security Index (GFSI).
Rice quality issues contribute to $3.39bn a year at least in global costs to the food industry from rice waste, significantly boosting the importance of quality testing.
“The price of apparently cheap food is costing nothing less than the Earth.”
The Prince of Wales has called on Europe to ‘recalibrate and re-gear’ its food systems towards a local model of food production and distribution - while issuing a wide-ranging attack on current practices within the food industry.
Using palm oil certified as sustainable under the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) is no longer enough to ensure companies are acting responsibly, claims the WWF following the adoption of new RSPO standards.
The European Commission has urged increased global use of its PGI (protected geographical indication) system to increase trade in foods from African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) states, while encouraging sustainable production practices.
European fisheries ministers have agreed on an overhaul of the Common Fisheries Policy, with the hope that it will end decades of arguing over fishing quotas and help rebuild fish stocks.
Insects could play a vital role in food security in the coming decades – but disgust remains a barrier for consumers in many Western countries, according to a new report from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
Annual global greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture and livestock have increased 13% since 1990 as food production has increased - with the majority coming from livestock, according to a new report from the Worldwatch Institute.
Some of the world’s biggest agriculture firms have united with food industry and scientific partners to form a steering committee, intended to share initiatives for achieving a sustainable global food and water supply chain.
Researchers have produced starch from plants not usually used for food purposes, potentially opening up whole new sources for foods and packaging materials.
The complexity and variety of 'green' initiatives for products in the EU has prompted a new initiative to create a single market for eco-claims, says the European Commission (EC).
Nestlé has released a series of deforestation guides for commodity sourcing in partnership with Conservation International, to give a clearer idea of where deforestation is occurring globally.
Nestlé and UK supermarkets Sainsbury’s and the Cooperative Group have entered into a pilot project to improve the environmental performance of some of their products, say the project’s organisers at the Product Sustainability Forum (PSF).
An understanding of psychology could help persuade people to make more sustainable dietary choices – and even steer their preferences, according to Dr Andrew Bodey, analyst at sustainability consultancy Best Foot Forward.
Health, the environment and consumer choice are the three main issues facing today’s soft drinks industry, according to InnoBev Global Beverages Congress 2013 organizer Zenith International.