Processing and Packaging

The FoodNavigator Podcast: What needs to be done to tackle plastic pollution in food and beverages?

20-Apr-2022 By Katy Askew

The FoodNavigator Podcast speaks to the Consumer Goods Forum about what the food and beverage industry is doing to tackle plastic pollution and work towards a future free from plastic waste.

‘It’s all about the whole cuts’: alt meat start-up reveals tech is key as it celebrates ‘largest ever’ fund raise

14-Apr-2022 By Oliver Morrison and Katy Askew

France-based Umiami tells FoodNavigator its proprietary high moisture extrusion process surpasses other commercially available technologies by producing thicker, whole cuts of substitute meat.

'Private labels are hiding in plain sight': but where are the growth areas to watch?

30-Mar-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Private labels are bouncing back after stalling during the pandemic when consumers sought sanctuary from the familiarity offered by the big-name brands.

Let there be light: Netherlands probes photonics for food security solution

28-Mar-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Precision technology, assisted by photonic technology, allows a faster, lighter, more durable, and much cheaper way of producing plants and animals believe Dutch growers.

Why high moisture extrusion could solve alt meat’s nutritional as well as structural challenges

24-Mar-2022 By Oliver Morrison

High moisture extrusion (HME) technology is currently all about improving the texture of meat analogues. But it may also be the key to improving the nutritional profile of plant-based meat and seafood.

Digitising the beef sector to reduce emissions

22-Mar-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Fintech app Breedr wants to ‘put data at the heart of farming’ to make the beef supply chain more efficient and improve farmers’ profits and environmental footprints.

Inside Hive: A deep-dive into Unilever's plant-based innovation drive

21-Mar-2022 By Katy Askew

“We want to outgrow the competition and we want to do it in ways that are better for people and the planet,” Unilever’s head of Food & Refreshment Hanneke Faber says. How does the company plan to do this? FoodNavigator goes inside Hive, Unilever’s...

AAK, Chr. Hansen, Givaudan and Ingredion co-create plant-based yoghurt base: ‘We identified a gap in terms of taste and texture’

18-Mar-2022 By Flora Southey

The first plant-based customer-ready product has been developed by four MISTA members from the ingredients sector. FoodNavigtor asks MISTA what makes its plant-based yoghurt base unique.

HPP milk concerns flagged as EFSA endorses high pressure processing for food products

11-Mar-2022 By Oliver Morrison

High-pressure processing (HPP) of food is effective at destroying harmful microorganisms and poses no more food safety concerns than other treatments. However, HPP is not as effective on milk and some ready-to-eat foods (RTE), according to an EFSA opinion.

Food giants form coalition to tackle flexible packaging pollution

01-Mar-2022 By Katy Askew

Five of Europe’s largest food manufacturers have formed the Flexible Packaging Initiative, a joint scheme to promote circularity in flexible packaging.

Plastic pollution ‘growing relentlessly’ as recycling falls short, OECD warns

22-Feb-2022 By Katy Askew

The world is producing twice the amount of plastic as it did two decades ago and most of it is ending up in landfill, incinerated or leaking into the environment, according to a new report from the OECD.

From predictive personalisation to green e-commerce… the trends shaping future tech strategies

21-Feb-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Food and beverage brands can’t ignore the transforming impact of digitalization but need to deftly calculate the risk reward ratio of future plans.

Frozen sector hopes to benefit as ‘economic storm clouds gather’

17-Feb-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Despite last year’s slowdown in sales compared to the barnstorming 2020, frozen has emerged from the pandemic in better shape than ambient and chilled food, with the overall value of the market up by 13.2% on pre-pandemic levels, reveals the latest Frozen...

Coca-Cola’s 25% reusable packaging goal: How will this be achieved?

15-Feb-2022 By Rachel Arthur

Coca-Cola has announced that at least 25% of its beverages sold globally across its portfolio will be sold in refillable or returnable packaging by 2030, scaling up initiatives such as its ‘universal bottle’.

Manufacturers explore ‘transformational opportunity’ of green hydrogen

11-Feb-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Quorn is the latest food company to unveil plans to look into the deployment of green hydrogen technology at its facilities in order to cut down on fossil fuel use and meet climate targets.

Ultra-processing foods for health and sustainability: ‘Whether you like it or not, processed food is here to stay’

08-Feb-2022 By Flora Southey

Processed and ultra-processed foods get a bad rap. But done the right way, food processing can offer sustainable nutrition to the masses, according to Wageningen University’s Ciarán Forde.

Beyond the bottle: Call for cartons to be added to deposit return scheme plans

07-Feb-2022 By Katy Askew

The UK Government is preparing to introduce a deposit return scheme, which it describes as a ‘key part’ of producer responsibility proposals that aim to boost the circular economy and recycling rates. According to packaging supplier Tetra Pak, this approach...

The sustainability trends to watch… and if they'll survive the cost of living crisis

19-Jan-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Increasing citizen awareness, investor pressure and government action around the health, environmental, social, and animal welfare impacts of our food systems, means that in 2022 the chorus to translate words into actions, to transform a food system many...

The pandemic has created demand for the 'rare and unfamiliar', says world ingredient supplier Red Rickshaw

18-Jan-2022 By Oliver Morrison

COVID-19 restrictions have made consumers feel more disconnected to the world than ever before, believes the CEO and founder of world ingredient supplier Red Rickshaw and world food meal kit FeastBox.

Silk lauded as future solution in food waste and preservation

05-Jan-2022 By Oliver Morrison

With concerns about food waste rising, researchers from Tufts University have hailed silk fibroin-based edible coatings as a potential solution.

Sustainable packaging a ‘growth opportunity’ for food and consumer goods industry says IGD

23-Dec-2021 By Oliver Morrison

Over 40% of consumers have already adopted reusable grocery packaging and are ‘thinking about’ using reusable packaging reveals new consumer research from the UK-based group which aims to give suppliers and retailers insight into consumer attitudes towards...

EFSA poised to slash daily exposure limits for bisphenol A as EU court confirms it as ‘substance of very high concern’

22-Dec-2021 By Oliver Morrison

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is to re-evaluate the risks of bisphenol A (BPA) in food as the Court of Justice of the EU confirms the chemical must be listed as a “substance of very high concern” for its hormone-disrupting properties on the...

Satellite data ‘key to accelerating carbon footprint transparency in food systems’

17-Dec-2021 By Oliver Morrison

A new monitoring platform claims it allows CPGs, retailers and farmers to track their land-based carbon footprint within supply chains and target ‘nature-based solutions at scale and speed’.

MOSHs or MOAHs in food: Calls for zero tolerance as ‘toxic’ mineral oils found in products across Europe... but are they harming consumers?

16-Dec-2021 By Oliver Morrison

Many food products sold in Europe including stock cubes, chocolate and spreads are contaminated with dangerous mineral oils, claims Foodwatch.

WWF tracker sees ‘problematic plastic’ halved but urgent action needed to fix a 'complex, broken system'

14-Dec-2021 By Katy Askew

A new report from World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has found that principal members in its ReSource: Plastic programme – including The Coca-Cola Co, McDonald’s, Keurig Dr Pepper, Procter & Gamble and Starbucks – cut their use of ‘problematic plastic’ by...

The biggest ingredient of future food: air?

08-Dec-2021 By Oliver Morrison

Rising commodity prices put an onus on food and beverage manufacturers to exploit the opportunities presented by air as an ingredient in products, believes ‘food futurologist’ Dr Morgaine Gaye.

Paper-based punnets deliver ‘breakthrough in packaging sustainability’ claims manufacturer

26-Nov-2021 By Oliver Morrison

Packaging manufacturer Westpak has unveiled a series of new punnets and tray designs which it claims deliver a manufacturing breakthrough in packaging sustainability and offer grocery retailers and their suppliers a set of commercially viable paper-based...

New EU rules for deforestation-free products: Companies will be ‘monitored and held accountable’

19-Nov-2021 By Katy Askew

The European Parliament has said companies supplying products that risk contributing to deforestation will be ‘monitored and held accountable’ through new due diligence regulations. But farming groups have raised concerns that the new regulation might...

JBS inks feed additive deal to cut cow methane emissions globally

08-Nov-2021 By Oliver Morrison

JBS, the world's second-largest food company and the largest meatpacking company, has signed a deal with Royal DSM with the goal of reducing enteric methane emissions from cattle on a global scale.

‘There are huge environmental wins here’: UK backs its drone strategy to tackle the impacts of climate change

05-Nov-2021 By Oliver Morrison

Drones will provide governments and industry with solutions to speed progress towards the COP26 goals, predicts Hannah Tew, Director of Air Mobility at Connected Places Catapult, which is responsible for the delivery of the UK government-backed Drone...

Will eco labelling truly help the food sector win consumer trust?

29-Oct-2021 By Oliver Morrison

Labels displaying a product’s environmental impact could be an important piece of the puzzle as the industry attempts to cut its environmental impact.

Ag tech experts call for solutions to bring down prohibitive upfront costs

28-Oct-2021 By Oliver Morrison

The ag tech revolution is real and a host of solutions are becoming available that promise to help food manufacturers deliver more sustainable products. But there’s a catch: who pays?

Data overload? TrusTrace 'one-stop-shop' addresses traceability challenges

15-Oct-2021 By Katy Askew

Traceability data is notoriously complex and difficult to handle. Start-up TrusTrace says its 'unique' approach leaves it positioned to become the ‘mission-critical’ operating platform for food brands solving sustainability and transparency...

Coca Cola talks deposit recycling schemes and plastic quality: ‘We need a step-change for packaging collection’

30-Sep-2021 By Flora Southey

On its path to achieving zero waste and net zero GHG emissions, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners is advocating for deposit recycling schemes across Great Britain. Julian Hunt, VP of Communications & Public Affairs tells FoodNavigator this would help...

Behind the tech evian says 'decouples PET from fossil fuels' and 'keeps plastic out of nature'

24-Sep-2021 By Katy Askew

Danone’s water brand evian has launched a new prototype bottle that leverages what it describes as a ‘revolutionary' new process developed by clean tech company Loop Industries. The business says the bottle marks a ‘significant milestone’ towards...

Japanese knotweed may lower cancer risk of processed meat, find researchers

24-Sep-2021 By Flora Southey

Replacing carcinogenic compound nitrite in processed meat with an extract taken from Japanese knotweed could reduce cancer risk, according to an EU co-funded research project.

What do consumers think about food additives? Survey

22-Sep-2021 By Flora Southey

Results of a new survey in Germany suggest many consumers are concerned about possible health effects associated with food additives, while at the same time expressing a lack of knowledge about such ingredients.

DouxMatok inks first commercial partnership outside of Israel for Incredo Sugar

14-Sep-2021 By Flora Southey

DouxMatok has partnered with Italian ingredients company Hi-Food to commercialise its sugar-reduction offering Incredo Sugar. FoodNavigator hears from the start-up’s CEO and CTO to learn more about its B2B strategy.

Food companies ‘behind the curve’ on plastic pollution, campaigners claim

10-Sep-2021 By Oliver Morrison

Major food manufacturing and grocery retail companies that turn a blind eye to the risks related to plastic pollution could face legal action, warns environmental law charity Client Earth.

‘Each of us has a role’: How can consumers support a food system fix?

07-Sep-2021 By Katy Askew

What we eat is contributing to some of the greatest challenges facing the world, from climate change to global health crises. Can a shift in consumption also be part of the solution?

Carbon neutral coke? GHG emissions cut and carbon offset at Coca-Cola sites in Spain and Sweden

01-Sep-2021 By Flora Southey

Coca-Cola Europacific Partners has certified its first manufacturing sites as carbon neutral in Europe.

'We know the market is there, parents need convenience products': Brands spot gap in market for 3+ age group

26-Aug-2021 By Oliver Morrison

Food companies are attempting to capitalise on shifting trends in the toddler food category.

‘The sector is behind over a quarter of total emissions’: Global investor group steps up pressure on industry over climate goals

24-Aug-2021 By Oliver Morrison

The Climate Action 100+ coalition says food and beverage companies are ‘not on track’ for an 85% cut in emissions by 2050.

HelloFresh results illustrate meal-kit sector’s still-huge room for growth

11-Aug-2021 By Oliver Morrison

Equity analysts remain bullish on the meal-kit deliver sector after HelloFresh posted another a strong set of results.

We’ve reached ‘peak COVID-related demand’, says frozen giant Nomad

06-Aug-2021 By Oliver Morrison

The company’s sales dipped in the second quarter, but it expects ‘exciting growth opportunities’ ahead thanks to an ambitious M&A strategy, while the frozen aisle still represents ‘white space growth opportunity’.

Carbon labels for food businesses and restaurants launched in ‘world first’

05-Aug-2021 By Oliver Morrison

A company claims it is the first to make eco-labels widely available to all food businesses.

‘It cannot really be used with a clear conscience:’ Chocolate brand Fairafric on its decision to ditch aluminium foil for wood pulp alternative

04-Aug-2021 By Oliver Morrison

The company has switched to a compostable film made of wood pulp.

Best-in-glass: How Glebe Farm oat drink achieves a lower carbon footprint than Oatly

29-Jul-2021 By Flora Southey

From cradle to distribution, Glebe Farm’s oat drink produces less CO₂e per litre than any other oat drink reporting its carbon footprint in the UK, including Oatly. FoodNavigator speaks to Glebe Farm to find out how.