At Food Ingredients Europe this year, the ‘Plant-based Innovation Award’ went to MirrorTissue, a plant-based ‘fatty lipid solution’. Here the producers discuss their triumph
Making simple substitutions by swapping animal-based products for plant-based alternatives and opting for lower-impact protein supports climate change efforts and personal health goals, a new study reveals.
As the World Health Organization (WHO) publishes its latest information on additives, the food industry details how insufficient quality data is the biggest threat to their growth and management.
From upcycling ‘spent hens’ into flavour enhancers to recreating breast milk in a lab, we round-up five of the most innovate start-ups we interviewed in 2023.
After decades of ‘very little’ innovation by heritage brands, is butter (and its plant-based counterparts) having a moment? FoodNavigator investigates.
Innovation director at Domino’s Pizza Group, Louise Pilkington, talks us through the process of rethinking pizzas, sides and desserts for today’s consumer.
Food tech company Nourish Ingredients launches its animal-free fat, Tastilux, calling it a “world-first” and “breakthrough” new product development designed to enhance global food security.
A report finds that plant-based burgers, meatballs and bacon alternatives are healthier than their meaty counterparts, but animal meat scores better for chicken chunks, chicken fillet, and schnitzel.
As part of Mars Inc.’s strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the confectionery major is optimising product recipes to include more environmentally friendly ingredients.
Can the complexities of breast milk be replicated by cows? France-based Nūmi doesn’t think so. The start-up is turning to cell culture to develop the ‘closest thing possible’ to breast milk.
The Sustainable Coconut Partnership, founded by FMCG and ingredients heavyweights, was set up to establish best practice, impact programmes, and harmonise industry requirements for coconut supply chain players. Now a revised charter is bringing an assurance...
The Aptamil owner has signed a letter of intent with Else Nutrition, a start-up making formula for babies and kids from almonds, buckwheat and tapioca.
The EU is funding a project aimed at promoting the Mediterranean diet as a route to a ‘healthy, active lifestyle.’ Coined MEDIET4ALL, the project will work with ten partners across eight countries, brings together expert knowledge from Europe and Africa...
The Future Ocean Foods association has several activities on the agenda, including improving the nutritional profile of alternative seafood, with a particular focus on protein and omegas.
Ferrero Group considers itself well prepared for the EU Deforestation Regulation, which will apply to its palm oil and cocoa supply chains. But potential challenges and unintended consequences could threaten its effectiveness, suggests Francesco Tramontin,...
Ivy Farm Technologies invites FoodNavigator to its pilot plant in Oxford, UK, to talk cultivated meat production, sustainability credentials, and plans for regulatory approval.
The environmental impact results from Unilever’s first set of regenerative agriculture projects in Spain, Italy, and the US have been dug up, with findings suggesting boons for food resilience and environmental sustainability.
The production of cultivated meat will need stable cell lines from multiple different species to be successful. It is produced from stem cells, which are highly flexible and can create yields with the potential to be far greater in volume than the meat...
By René Floris, NIZO Food Research Division Manager
To successfully launch a plant-based product onto the market today, businesses have to go above and beyond in flavour to stand out. How can a new, more holistic flavour approach put an end to organoleptic compromise?
While with any food, ‘taste is king,’ texture is also extremely important, especially in products aiming to mimic meat. For optimal texture, many manufacturers argue, animal fats, which contribute significantly to the texture of real meat, must be replicated...
In a move that has potentially far-reaching implications for the CBD industry in the UK, the Food Standards Agency has issued new precautionary advice, recommending healthy adults should limit their consumption of CBD from food to 10mg per day, down from...
Palm oil is often linked to deforestation. A recent study found that German consumers are far more comfortable with ‘free from’ palm oil claims on products than ‘sustainably produced’ claims. This, according to the study, belies the complexity of the...
The Mylkcubator programme has largely focused on next-gen dairy innovation to date. But for the incubator’s third edition, dairy-major Pascual wants to expand its focus to alt coffee, cocoa, salt, sugar and more.
Kern Tec, which makes dairy alternative ingredients from stone fruit seeds, has closed a €12m Series A funding round. Co-founder Luca Fichtinger tells FoodNavigator the investment will help the team ‘double down’ efforts on NPD.
Ivy Farm Technologies sounded the warning it will look to open its first production facility in another country, likely the US, if the Food Standards Authority drags its feet on giving regulatory approval to this fledgling industry.
The breakfast brand’s commitment to clean label – or as clean label as functionality allows – will see it through the current plant-based ‘shakedown’, co-founder and brand director Camilla Barnard tells FoodNavigator.
Regulatory bottlenecks are threatening to hinder CBD innovation on both sides of the Atlantic, the former professional road racing cyclist Floyd Landis tells FoodNavigator.
Unilever-owned The Vegetarian Butcher has partnered with döner producer The Düzgün Group to reinvent the traditional döner kebab with plant-based ingredients.
New research out of Spain shows that when pregnant mice were fed emulsifiers, metabolic impairments, cognition deficits and anxiety-like traits were observed in their offspring. “Our data call for nutritional advice during gestation,” note the study authors.
New research into milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) suggests early exposure to these nutritional components contribute to the long-term structure and function of the brain.
In findings that suggest that people should pursue a balanced long-term diet rather than heavily restricting their carbohydrate or fat intake, researchers in Japan found that a low carbohydrate intake in men and a high carbohydrate intake in women are...
Plant-based meat maker Juicy Marbles is preparing to launch an early prototype of its ‘edible vegan bones’, made predominantly from plant protein, in EU, UK, and US markets.
UK-based bio-tech business Clean Food Group has announced a further £2.3 million in funding to accelerate the commercialisation of its sustainable oils and fats technology
One of the barriers to consumer acceptance of plant-based proteins is often considered to be texture – a dry, non-juicy texture that doesn’t accurately replicate the succulent nature of meat. A new study has found that plant proteins can be given more...
Faced with a global market slowdown, plant-based meat players are looking is renew demand and encourage repeat purchases of their vegan beef, pork, and seafood alternatives. Pulling levers from taste to texture and nutrition, how can plant-based meat...
Just 12% of the milk alternatives studied had a comparable or greater amount of nutrients calcium, vitamin D, and protein, compared to that found in cow’s milk.
Redefine Meat is accelerating its UK distribution to meet demand with eight wholesaler partners. Its UK wholesalers now span national and regional brands including Albion Fine Foods, Braehead Foods, Brakes, Classic Fine Foods, Elite Fine Foods, Food Republic,...
In the UK, government scientists have pointed to ‘uncertainties’ surrounding the quality of evidence linking consumption of ultra-processed foods with adverse health outcomes.
Plans by the UK government to ban buy-one-get-one-free (BOGOF) deals on foods high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) has been pushed back to 2025. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stressed the importance of consumer choice during a time of rising food prices. But...
Finnish start-up Solar Foods is marketing its novel microbial protein Solein for the first time. In partnership with Singapore-based restaurant Fico, the duo has developed a dessert made with ingredients ‘derived out of thin air’.
Despite some recent changes in attitude, obesity, many would argue, still exists in much of the public mind as a personal flaw, a choice. However, some science suggests that the causes are far more physiological in nature than this idea suggests. At the...
WNWN Food Labs is rethinking chocolate, without cocoa. FoodNavigator visits the start-up’s R&D lab to see how its dark and ‘milk’ chocolate alternatives are made.
Some products, such as croissants, need a bit of butter to get their unique texture. Israeli startup Gaven Technologies hopes to provide a vegan replacement of butter and other animal fats in bakery products, with its new plant-based fat FaTRIX.
The company says its plant-based butter is already as good as its conventional counterpart, and plans to close any taste and texture gaps in dairy-free creams and cheeses within the next three years.
