New UNESDA president Dominique Reiniche, also president of Coca-Cola Europe, warns that opponents ‘trying to put chains on our freedom to innovate’ risk stifling the development of the European soft drinks industry.
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.
Salt content in foods should be clearly labelled to help consumers to choose low-salt options – but food makers should continue to embrace a ‘stealth health’ approach, according to international programme lead for World Action on Salt and Health (WASH)...
Special edition: Sodium reduction - The road ahead
Cost and the lack of a ‘silver bullet’ are still cited as an issue for reduced-sodium food, with savory products in general struggling with the challenge, but plenty of application-specific solutions abound, say industry players.
The chocolate industry in Switzerland has reported a value sales decline in 2012 as the strong Swiss franc harmed exports and warm weather damaged consumer sentiment at home, according to trade association Chocosuisse.
It doesn’t matter if you have the best intentions in the world if your customers think your intentions are rotten - and more and more often, consumers are saying they view Big Food in the same way as Big Tobacco.
Special edition: Sodium reduction - The road ahead
Food manufacturers have spent a small fortune reformulating everything from bread to soup to reduce sodium in recent years, but new data suggests that US intakes have nevertheless continued to rise steadily.
DISPATCHES FROM THE 2013 INNOBEV GLOBAL BEVERAGES CONGRESS, WARSAW, POLAND
Unilever has described tea as the ‘hottest beverage’ in the global drinks landscape, and one with unlimited opportunities as a natural product with scientifically proven health and wellness benefits.
Pharmaceuticals supplier, Aspen, has entered into an agreement with Nestlé to acquire the licences to sell the firm’s recently-purchased Pfizer infant nutrition brand portfolio in Australia and several Southern African countries.
UK retailers have been misled about tight supply of non-genetically modified (GM) feed, which led them to reverse requirements for GM-free poultry feed, according to the Brazilian Association of Non-GMO Grain Producers (Abrange).
German consumers’ are willing to pay more for bright red coloured ground beef even when told it results from treatment with carbon monoxide in modified atmosphere packaging (CO-MAP), according to a study.
The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) has agreed to an external review in response to the adulteration of processed beef products with horse and pig meat and DNA.
Advertising sodium reduction claims on food labels may increase a consumer’s purchasing intentions, says a new study from Canada that contradicts the industry strategy of ‘stealth’ sodium reduction.
Making quick business decisions is crucial in the UK bread market because it is a highly competitive space, says the sales director of Allied Bakeries.
The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) is considering commissioning an external review of its response to the horse meat crisis at a board meeting today (Wednesday).
The German confectionery Association (BDSI) has denied media rumors that allege unused chocolate bunnies are melted down and remade as chocolate Santas.
The relatively flat UK sweetener market grew 7% last year boosted by EU approval of stevia extracts in late 2011, says Cargill, the supplier of Truvia-brand stevia-based sweeteners.
The Flemish Professional Association of Food Experts and Dieticians (VBVD) has apologised after launching an advertising campaign touting sugar as ‘part of a healthy diet’ – in a spot sponsored by Coca-Cola.
Nearly a third of consumers feel misled by own-label brands – including food and drink products – which ape the packaging of leading brands, warns a survey by consumer watchdog Which?
The European meat supply chain still contains “shocking blind spots”, said a supply chain management firm, after the Dutch authorities revealed 50,000t of meat supplied by two Dutch meat traders may have contained horsemeat.
Chr. Hansen is still positive about probiotics – including in Europe – despite disappointing results in another two clinical trials, according to Chr. Hansen’s chief financial officer (CFO) Klaus Pedersen.
Sales of organic food have slowed in recent years but some are managing to break into the mainstream, bring them a much wider base of consumers – so what are they doing differently from most?
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).
Mondelez has reported growth through innovation in the atypical French market that favors premium and dark chocolate more than most places in the world.
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.
The UK could soon become a net importer of wheat for the first time in a decade, but The Federation of Bakers has said that there may be enough of the commodity on the global market to satisfy industry needs.
French dairy giant Danone has called on British retailers to limit the sale of infant formula to two units per customer, in an attempt to curb “unofficial exports” of Western-manufactured milk powder to China.
Our approach to food is ripe for reinvention – and the food industry is just at the beginning of what it can achieve through innovation, according to Microsoft mogul and co-founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Bill Gates.
Asia’s Muslim-majority countries should see Western nations as a viable and potentially lucrative market for their halal products, according to a leading food marketing consultant.
Naturex has introduced a range of 100% fruit and vegetable powders produced through a low-temperature spray drying process that better preserves flavour, colour and nutrition.
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.
Lactic acid and lactates specialist Galactic has expanded its range of ingredients for food preservation with an eye on companies looking for innovative natural ways to improve food security, the company has said.
The Christian Post has explored the basis for claims made in an edgy French infographic that 94% of people globally recognize the name Coca-Cola but only 56% the cross representing Christianity.
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.
The Belgian confectionery association Choprabisco is considering applying for protected geographical indication for Belgian chocolate to protect authentic producers from imitations.
A Rainforest Foundation ethical food product guide based on companies’ palm oil use unjustly discourages the use of palm oil even if it is sustainably sourced, claims the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO).
The Coca-Cola Company claims to have published the ‘world’s first tastable print ad’ with Middle Eastern print adverts made out of rice paper and infused with the taste of Fanta.
There are tremendous opportunities for Hispanic snacks that target non-Hispanic consumers, but products must be spicy and authentic, according to a marketing expert.
US Greek yogurt giant Chobani has been issued with a permanent injunction by the UK High Court that prevents its use of the term ‘Greek yogurt’ to market its yogurt range in England and Wales.
Following a highly successful inaugural summit last week, organisers William Reed Business Media have confirmed that Food Vision will become an annual event, returning to Cannes, France, in March 2014.
