UK ag-tech startup Muddy Machines has secured €1.8 million in seed funding. The funds will help the company continue developing a robotic platform that is capable of deploying a variety of harvest tools in specialty field crops.
Companies are exploring the potential of genetic engineering to boost the nutritional content, productivity and climatic adaptability of so-called orphan crops in the continent.
FlexFarming aims to help localise food production and is tackling one of the biggest challenges facing the sector – energy use – ‘head on’. FoodNavigator caught up with CEO Ahmad Mohseni to find out how.
Coca-Cola Europacific Partners promises further transitions to 100% rPET in plastic bottles across its portfolio: but acknowledges its goals will require increasing collection rates and the supply of food grade rPET.
Children are more likely to prefer food they perceive as ‘natural’ over processed or lab-made alternatives, a new study from scientists in Scotland and the US has found.
Agri-food commodity prices have dipped, raising hopes that the input inflation spiral seen in 2022 was indeed transitory. However, analysts at Jeffries warn, it is too early to ‘break out the champagne’.
CSM Ingredients has unveiled a 'novel' approach to sustainability in its ‘Thrive for Impact’ plan. The overall aim is to be what CEO Aldo Uva describes as ‘net positive’. But what does this mean? We caught up with the chief executive to ask...
Diageo will invest €200m ($203m) in Ireland’s first purpose-built carbon neutral brewery on a greenfield site in Littleconnell, Newbridge, Co. Kildare: which will become the second largest brewing operation in the country after St. James’s Gate.
Unilever has introduced a project that it hopes will improve livelihoods and safety in the Indonesian coconut sector, while also securing future supplies of this versatile palm fruit. The European consumer goods giant is helping to introduce a specially...
The most comprehensive study of seafood fraud ever published underlines a requirement for a standardized and rigorous dataset through which food fraud can be scrutinized to ensure enforcement.
Ohly, the yeast-based extracts and flavours business owned by ABF Ingredients, is launching its first carbon-neutral ingredients alongside a commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2030. FoodNavigator hears more.
Milk Moovement is a software as a service (SaaS) company developing innovative digital solutions for the dairy supply chain. Its aim is to get the right milk, to the right place, at the right time. We caught up with CEO and Co-Founder Robert Forsythe...
A collaboration between biotech company Volta Greentech, supermarket chain Coop and food company Protos saw the world’s first methane-reduced beef hit the shelves in Sweden. How did it perform? FoodNavigator asks Fredrik Åkerman, CEO Volta Greentech.
Circular food solutions, upcycled ingredients and local production all offer the food and drink sector a solution to counter current global economic pressures and supply chain volatility.
A Danish-born entrepreneur is developing what she claims are the world’s first cell-based oysters to allow more people to experience the delicacy’s unique taste and health benefits.
Human insect consumption has received another boost as the lesser mealworm (Alphitobius diaperinus) becomes the fourth insect to receive a positive assessment by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for human consumption.
The European Union and New Zealand have inked a free trade agreement. With the deal being universally condemned by the dairy industries of both regions, we look at what concessions have been made and ask if anyone has come out on top.
Further doubts have been raised about whether Nutri-Score will be rolled out across the whole EU after the Italian Competition Authority ruled the front-of-pack label gives a false impression about the healthiness of a product, and may even prompt consumers...
Infarm officially opened one of Europe’s largest vertical farming facilities in the UK last week. The investment is part of the company’s vision to help cities and countries become more self-sufficient in food production.
The European Council has backed Commission proposals designed to combat deforestation linked to consumer goods sold in the region – but with some important carve-outs. As environmentalists accuse EU Environment Ministers of ‘significantly watering down’...
JBS has set targets to stamp out deforestation in its supply chain and move to net zero emissions by 2040. Former World Wildlife Fund (WWF) sustainability expert Maurício S. Bauer tells us why he has decided to transition from the NGO sector and join...
The G7 Leaders’ Communiqué might be high on rhetoric about Russia and the need for a green energy transition - but little was agreed to ease the pressure on food supply chains and avert a global food crisis, critics warn.
Six of the world’s largest food and agribusiness companies have developed a new method to tackle deforestation and grassland conversion for soy crops in Brazil’s biodiversity-rich Cerrado region, which neighbours the Amazon.
The five food firms chosen for the prestigious European Innovation Council Accelerator reveals a commitment to solutions attempting to improve the resilience and sustainability of the food system, but a seperate report demostrates how Europe's start-up...
The global food price crisis will be the hot topic of discussion at the G7-World Bank food crisis meeting today and G7 Leaders’ Summit this weekend. Will action be taken to avert imminent catastrophe?
From fermented dairy proteins to cellular agriculture and molecular farming, Spanish dairy major Pascual has its finger on the pulse when it comes to innovation in next generation dairy. But why should a traditional dairy processor invest in this space?
Ireland today unveiled a new €1.5bn Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme that it says is ‘user friendly for farmers’ and will deliver ‘broader environmental and biodiversity benefits’. But the country’s farming union was warned it seems ‘likely to be...
As consumer behaviour evolves, so too do brands working to align with these new demands. How are plant-based cheese and butter brands responding in order to appeal to increasingly health- and sustainability-focused shoppers? FoodNavigator investigates.
The effects of the Ukraine-Russia war are being felt across the entire food industry in Europe, including in the retail sector. From the surging costs of refrigeration to managing shortages on-shelf, how is food retail most impacted by the conflict?
Sustainable nutrition is key to the future of people and the planet. Providing it is an important opportunity for the food and beverage sector to engage with shoppers who are ever more focused on conscientious consumption, FoodNavigator hears.
Ukraine is producing enough crops, but Russia’s Black Sea blockade is severely limiting how much it can export, according to Ukraine’s Deputy Minister for Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture. Is there a workaround?
A food system that is resilient to shocks and can help bring solutions to the climate crisis requires should be diversified, localised and deliver a ‘fairer’ distribution of value across the food chain, speakers at the Rural Policy Group annual conference...
JBS is often accused of indirectly sourcing cattle from unscrupulous Brazilian farmers who have illegally started fires in order to clear large areas of land.
The closure of two of the UK’s largest fertilizer plants is ‘a massive blow’ to the already strained agriculture and food sectors in the country, FoodNavigator has been told.
As the food industry champions full transparency and shifts to finding preventive measures against foodborne outbreaks, genomics testing provider Clear Labs is developing surveillance and diagnostics to progress accuracy and efficiency in today’s food...
Have food products’ nutritional profiles been negatively impacted by the substitution of sunflower oil – currently in short supply – for coconut and palm oil?
The world’s largest private producer of soybeans has pledged to eliminate deforestation in its supply chain by 2025. FoodNavigator hears how Amaggi plans to achieve its goal, who should foot the bill for sustainability, and what role collaboration can...
Ambitious UK vertical farmer Jones Food Company claims its new research centre will help the country end its reliance on the import of soft fruits, herbs and cut flowers within the next decade.
Low supply and high demand for agricultural products has resulted in skyrocketing prices for inputs like grains and fertilisers. This could well continue ‘beyond 2023’, analysts at Barclays warn.
While ag-tech innovators are striving to power global food security improvements, international experts have warned their solutions could 'easily' fall victim to cyber attackers who want to disrupt food supplies.
Finnish dairy group Valio launched its sustainability bonus programme in 2018 with an ambition to improve animal welfare. With that goal achieved, the group is now expanding its ambition to include biodiversity and climate actions.
Swiss packaging group Tetra Pak has unveiled a set of research collaborations that it hopes will help accelerate innovation to address the challenges facing the global food system.
Firmenich and DSM have revealed plans to merge the two companies in a move that they believe will create an ‘unparalleled’ leader in nutrition, beauty and wellbeing.
Nestlé-owned mineral water brand Buxton has delivered on its 2019 commitment to switch to recycled PET plastic (rPET) in the UK. We caught up with Hayley Lloyd House, Nestlé Waters UK Head of Corporate of Affairs and Sustainability, to find out how this...