From concern over ultra-processed foods, to developments in food tech and sustainable sourcing, the stories that got you talking on social media reflect some of the most significant trends in the food industry. Click through the slide deck to see what the top 10 stories that got you reading, sharing and talking on social networks in 2018 so far.
From concern over ultra-processed foods, to developments in food tech and sustainable sourcing, the stories that got you talking on social media reflect some of the most significant trends in the food industry. Click through the slide deck to see what the top 10 stories on social networks were in 2018 so far.
Concern over ultra-processed food in our diets continued to rise throughout 2018.
Palatable and attractive, with a long shelf-life and energy-dense nutritional profile, ultra-processed foods are designed to be eaten anywhere, any time. But these foods are also a significant contributor to the obesity epidemic.
There is a "significant" link between eating ultra-processed food and obesity levels in adults, researchers who studied data for 19 European countries found. Prevalence of obesity ranged from 7.1% in France and 8.2% in Italy, which also had the lowest levels of ultra-processed foods, to nearly one quarter (24.5%) in the UK, which also had the highest intake of ultra-processed foods.
The most commonly eaten ultra-processed foods were packaged bread, sweet baked goods, reconstituted meats and sugar-sweetened beverages.
“The findings reinforce the need for public policies and actions that promote consumption of unprocessed or minimally processed foods and make ultra-processed foods less available and affordable,” the report’s authors concluded.
Read more here: Ultra processed food is obesogenic and must be made less available and affordable
Again reflecting the high degree of interest in diet and health, news that the World Health Organization chief declared the Mediterranean diet ‘gone’ was another top performing story on social media in 2018.
The Mediterranean diet is frequently cited as one of the healthiest diets in the world thanks to a high proportion of fruit, vegetables, nuts, pulses and olive oil, and in 2013 it was added to UNESCO’s list of humanity’s intangible cultural heritage.
But, speaking at the European Congress on Obesity in Vienna, the Head WHO's European Office for the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) João Breda noted Greece, Italy, Spain and Cyprus have the highest levels of childhood obesity in Europe.
“The Mediterranean diet for the children in these countries is gone," he said. “There is no Mediterranean diet any more. Those who are close to the Mediterranean diet are the Swedish kids. The Mediterranean diet is gone and we need to recover it.”
Click here to read more: The Mediterranean diet is gone, says WHO chief
In this article, FoodNavigator looked at the five mega-trends that are set to influence the future of innovation in the food sector.
The top trend is the emergence start-ups and local players that are increasingly setting the pace of innovation. Big food companies are watching closely…
The rise of health conscious consumers looking for healthy indulgence, functionally beneficial ingredients and ‘food as medicine’ will also shape new product development.
Healthy reformulation to cut sugar, salt and fat as well as more investment in flexitarian, plant-based and meat reduced products will also continue.
Finally, the way we produce, process, buy and even eat food will be increasingly influenced by technology. From blockchain to artificial intelligence, e-commerce to satellite tracking of commodities, foodtech is here to stay, analysts predict.
Read more: 2018 and beyond: Five mega-trends set to shape the food industry
In his first international interview as Chr. Hansen chief executive, Mauricio Graber explained why he feels the company is uniquely positioned to capitalise on global mega trends shaping the food and beverage sectors.
“One of the things that is quite unique about Chr. Hansen and that really attracted me to join and lead the company is the positioning that it has. It is so aligned with the global megatrends of what the food beverage and health and nutrition industries require,” Graber told FoodNavigator.
According to the company, 82% of its products support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Its portfolio is positioned to help deliver a response to issues around food waste, health and nutrition and clean labels.
“When you hear us talk about what makes Chr. Hansen unique, it is really the combination of those things. Our purpose is about precisely that: microbial solutions and natural solutions,” Graber noted.
Read more here: Chr. Hansen CEO talks tapping food’s top five mega-trends
Interest in fat - the good, the bad and the ugly – continues to evolve.
People are increasingly coming to understand the difference between ‘good’ fats that offer benefits like weight and appetite management and so-called ‘bad’ fats that, well, make you fat.
In this story, we heard new research has found high fat breakfast can help burn fat at a higher rate for a 24-hour period.
The study examined whether the timing of macronutrient intake in humans affects daily fuel utilisation. The researchers aimed to examine the associations between fuel utilisation and metabolic indexes.
This is important because the ability to oxidize fat is associated with a lower risk of chronic metabolic disease. The impairment of fat oxidation is associated with weight gain and insulin resistance.
The macronutrient composition of breakfast affects substrate utilization throughout the day in older adults, the researchers concluded. The consumption of a high-fat, lower-carbohydrate breakfast may reduce the risk of metabolic disease, they added.
“The data from this investigation provide[s] evidence that a high-fat breakfast results in higher fat oxidation over the next 24 hours.
“When analysing the contribution of macro-nutrient composition to health outcomes, it is well recognised that high-carbohydrate diets have been associated with central obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemias, oxidative stress, and inflammation, factors associated with metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, and type two diabetes. The current research further reinforces the metabolic dysregulations caused by high-carbohydrate diets by demonstrating that consuming such diets for breakfast leads to decreased fat oxidation.”
For more details, read the full story here: High fat breakfast boosts fat burning
Technological developments in food stand poised to change the food system and the way consumers interact with brands. In this deep-dive article FoodNavigator revealed what trends top investors in the space betting on.
With venture capitalist investment fuelling expansion of the food tech sector and supporting a quicker pace of innovation, investment in food is shaping the development of the industry.
Trends key to shaping these investment decisions include:
- #1: Big brands under pressure
- #2: ‘You have to get share of heart’
- #3: Appealing to millennials and gen z
- #4: Digital revolution
- #5 Trust and transparency
- #6: Food science: clean meat & personalisation
- #7: A ‘protectable moat’
To read FoodNavitator’s insight in full, click here: Shaping the future of food: 7 trends food investors are betting big on
Proponents of blockchain say it can make our food system more sustainable from farm to fork. But when Bitcoin alone is said to use more energy than Ireland annually, is there a fundamental chink in its armour?
Writing in The Conversation, professor of philosophy Fabrice Flipo and economist Michel Berne, both at Télécom School de Management, accuse the digital tech world of “[living] under the illusion that it is intangible”.
On the other hand, blockchain entrepreneurs suggest these criticisms are an oversimplification. Peter Fedchenkov, the CEO and founder of INS Ecosystem, a blockchain-powered e-commerce platform that connects farmers and manufacturers to consumers removing the need for retailers, told us: “It’s important to realise that […] not all blockchains are the same.”
FoodNavigator drilled down into the argument to understand the benefits and pitfalls of the growing use of blockchain in the food sector.
For the full story click here: Can blockchain make our food system more sustainable?
Sustainability continues to be top of mind for many – so when a Greenpeace investigation suggested that New Zealand dairy giant Fonterra’s key supplier of palm kernel extract has links to a huge expanse of deforestation in Indonesia it caught your attention on social media.
The clearing of tropical rainforest for palm plantations has been linked to climate change and the loss of habitat for endangered animals like the orangutan.
Fonterra imports PKE, a product made by the palm oil industry for supplementary feed. According to Greenpeace, New Zealand is the world’s largest user, bringing in a quarter of the global supply.
Two years ago, Fonterra agreed to adopt an industry standard to ensure its use of PKE wasn’t leading to deforestation. Greenpeace, however, alleges the dairy cooperative’s main supplier of PKE, Wilmar International Limited, has links to the mass destruction of rainforest in Papua, Indonesia.
Responding to these concerns, Fonterra defended its green credentials and highlighted its membership of organisations like the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil and The Forrest Trust. “We are evaluating the performance of our palm products supply chain and compliance with our standard,” the company added.
Read the full story here: Greenpeace links Fonterra to Indonesian deforestation
Vegetarian and vegan options are becoming ever more common place – and sparking an increasing level of debate. It should be little surprise then that plant-based innovation gets tongues wagging on social media, with users particularly excited by the news that Dutch food group Vivera has developed what it claims to be the ‘world first’ plant based steak.
The steak is made with wheat and soy protein.
Commercial director Gert Jan Gombert commented: “So far, nobody else has been able to replicate beef steak and so it’s very important to be the first.
“Steak is the holy grail of plant-based proteins and we worked against the clock to get this to market. It is ground-breaking in terms of animal welfare and sustainability in getting more meat eaters buying plant proteins.”
Vevira has a portfolio of over 40 products that are sold in 25,000 supermarkets across 23 European countries, with around 40% of the manufacturer’s business coming from private label manufacturing.
Read the story in full here: Dutch Vivera claims 'world first' with plant-based steak
It's a bold statement but chief procurement and sustainability officer at Mars Barry Parkin has declared the era of commodities to be over.
Supply chains are under greater scrutiny than ever before, forcing companies to examine their sourcing strategies and the broader social and environmental impact that this has. This situation is putting strain on the traditional linear supply chain model, Parkin said.
“Extended supply chains are broken," he told us back in June. "Companies need to take responsibility for what is going on in their value chains. Farmers are not doing well. The environment is not being protected. The only way we can solve all of that is if we chance sourcing strategies. The answers will often sit with procurement: what materials we are buying, where we are buying them and how we are buying them. That is a crucial part of the whole sustainability journey.”
Read the full interview here: Why Mars thinks the commodities era is over
Again, engagement on sustainability was evident when Unilever became the first consumer goods company to publicly disclose all the suppliers and mills it buys palm oil from, both directly and indirectly.
The company uses palm oil in many of its goods, from snacks, soups, soap and toothpaste, working with around 1,400 mills and 300 direct suppliers to buy its palm oil.
Mapping these suppliers has highlighted both the progress made and the “serious environmental and social issues prevalent in the industry”, it said, and by having a better idea of where its palm oil comes from, it will be able to proactively identify problems and address them both quickly and effectively.
For the full list of suppliers, read the original article here: Unilever publicly discloses palm oil supply chain: ‘You can’t outsource your responsibilities,’ says Polman