Fruit, vegetable, nut ingredients

Orkla and McDonald’s launch McVegan burger

15-Dec-2017 By Katy Askew

In an effort to meet growing demand for meat-free options in the foodservice sector, Nordic food group Orkla is teaming-up with McDonald’s to launch a vegan burger.

FoodDrinkEurope submits complaint about Italy’s country of origin labels

14-Dec-2017 By Katy Askew

FoodDrinkEurope, the trade body representing European food makers, has registered an official complaint with the European Commission over Italy’s new country of origin labelling regulations.

Firmenich’s flavor of the year for 2018 is... FIG: ‘It represents health and authenticity’

07-Dec-2017 By Elaine Watson

It has surged in popularity in recent years thanks to its complex flavor profile, health benefits, versatility in sweet and savory applications, and ‘artisanal’ culinary associations, says flavors giant Firmenich, which has selected fig as its flavor...

Cost of Christmas dinner down 3% in UK

07-Dec-2017 By Niamh Michail

Christmas dinner with all the trimmings will cost Brits 3% less this year as cheaper vegetables and salmon offset a 12% year-on-year rise in turkey, according to Mintec.

Salt of the Earth on expanding reformulation potential of umami

04-Dec-2017 By Katy Askew

Israel-based Salt of the Earth expanding distribution of its Mediterranean Umami flavouring, a product that the company says can help companies in their reformulation efforts by “heightening” taste perceptions of salt – and possibly even sugar.

Nuts for healthier hearts: Large study supports health benefits of nuts

28-Nov-2017 By Stephen Daniells

Regular consumption of walnuts, tree nuts, and peanuts (yes, we know it’s a legume and not a ‘nut’) can slash the risk of developing cardiovascular disease or coronary heart disease, says the largest study of its kind.

Glyphosate gets five-year respite as license renewed

28-Nov-2017 By Katy Askew

The appeal committee of EU governments has backed a European Commission proposal to renew the license of controversial weed killer glyphosate for five years.

Consumer understanding of genome editing ‘essential’ – BfR

16-Nov-2017 By Katy Askew

Educating consumers about the nature of emerging genome editing methodology and appropriate risk communication will be “essential” to developing a public discourse around this new technology, according to German research and scientific advisory body BfR.

FoodSolutionsTeam targets food waste with sustainable fibre

13-Nov-2017 By Katy Askew

FoodSolutionsTeam (FST) hopes its sustainable KaroPRO Carrot Fibre will help tackle waste in the food industry.

SVZ pledges 100% sustainable sourcing by 2030 in juice covenant

09-Nov-2017 By Rachel Arthur

Fruit and vegetable ingredients supplier SVZ has joined the Sustainable Juice Covenant, committing to 100% sustainable sourcing by 2030.

RSA Commission appointed to examine Brexit impact on food

06-Nov-2017 By Will Chu

The Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) has set up a Commission to deal with the aftermath of Brexit on food, farming and the countryside.

IFF boosts sustainability efforts with FReSH food waste commitment

03-Nov-2017 By Will Chu

The World Business Council on Sustainable Development (WBCSD) welcomes International Flavors & Fragrances to its food waste initiative that counts Nestlé, Kellogg, Danone and PepsiCo as members.

From fermented bubbles to crispy fruit: Texture will be 2018's top trend, says Mintel

31-Oct-2017 By Niamh Michail

Texture will be one of 2018's defining trends, especially textures from natural processing techniques such as fermentation and baking - and Europe is already leading the way for global launches, according to Mintel.

‘Floating food’ joins gels, foams and fogs as industry innovation at its best

23-Oct-2017 By Will Chu

‘Floating food’ that delivers more intense sweet, bitter and umami flavours via ultrasound could be the start of a culinary trend that sends combinations of food items directly to consumers’ taste buds.

Patented fresh flavour tech promises to revitalise stale ready meal category

20-Oct-2017 By Niamh Michail

Freeze-drying is great for locking in colour, nutrients and taste… but not the ‘fresh aroma’ profile of herbs, according to Givaudan, whose patented ‘top note’ flavours promise to revitalise the taste of processed ready meals.

Commercial nutrient extractors can lower spikes in blood glucose levels, study claims

13-Oct-2017 By Will Chu

Fruit juice preparation using a commercial nutrient extractor can decrease the spike in blood glucose levels that occurs after consumption of fruit, a Nature study concludes.

Which frying oil is best for more nutrients and less acrylamide?

09-Oct-2017 By Niamh Michail

Manufacturers prefer mono-unsaturated vegetable oils for frying potatoes – but which ones are best at preserving potato nutrients and keeping acrylamide to a minimum?

VERŪ’s ‘shock-freezing’ tech creates ice cream with ‘more taste, less calories’

06-Oct-2017 By Katy Askew

Germany company VERŪ has developed a patent protected “shock-freezing” production process that, it claims, enables it to produce ice creams that deliver “more taste” with fewer calories and no additives.

Palm oil boosts world food prices: FAO

06-Oct-2017 By Niamh Michail

World food prices rose slightly last month driven by higher vegetable oils prices, and palm oil in particular, according to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

Scale of strawberries and lettuce food waste reaches €33.8m annually, WRAP says

03-Oct-2017 By Will Chu

The scale of food waste from farm to fork is laid bare by environmental group Waste and Resources Action Programme, which also announces a series of projects bringing together growers, producers, and retailers.

Chr Hansen taps into billion dollar trends with fermented plant-based yoghurt cultures

28-Sep-2017 By Niamh Michail

Chr Hansen has developed cultures for lacto-fermented soy and coconut yoghurts with the taste, texture and healthiness of traditional dairy.  ‘It’s still niche but we want to be the first innovators here,” the firm says.

Meurens Natural opens €15m factory

27-Sep-2017 By Niamh Michail

Belgian cereal and fruit syrup manufacturer Meurens Natural has doubled its production capacity with a €15 million factory.

Not just a sweet leaf: Stevia extracts may help tackle obesity

26-Sep-2017 By Niamh Michail

Stevia’s health benefits go beyond sugar reduction – it could also be a natural alternative for treating metabolic disorders, such as obesity and type 2 diabetes, say researchers.

HiPP becomes first firm to reformulate over dual quality accusations

26-Sep-2017 By Niamh Michail

German baby food manufacturer HiPP is the first to reformulate one of its Croatian products after allegations of inferior quality compared to its German equivalent - and more could follow, it says.

Industry giants to harmonise global date labels in food waste fight

20-Sep-2017 By Niamh Michail

Some of the world’s biggest food companies will standardise their food date labels globally by 2020 in a bid to reduce food waste.

There's an untapped opportunity in organic kids' food, says Mintel

19-Sep-2017 By Niamh Michail

European parents are consistently willing to pay more for organic, says Mintel. Yet while organic claims are common on baby food, they are less used on food and drink aimed at kids. Are manufacturers missing a trick?

Gluten-free green banana flour high in RS2 could cut down waste

18-Sep-2017 By Gill Hyslop

US ingredient technology company, International Agriculture Group (IAG), has launched a clean label green banana flour that contains a high level of resistant starch to capitalize on the growing demand for the dietary fiber and perhaps cut down on banana...

Purple chocolate ups the possibilities for healthy indulgent foods: Herza

15-Sep-2017 By Niamh Michail

Purple chocolate, coloured with nutrient-packed fruit and vegetable powders, can make healthy foods such as muesli more appealing or give indulgent ice cream a healthy halo, says Herza Schokolade.

Benefits of high-fibre diet may depend on gut bacteria

13-Sep-2017 By Niamh Michail

A high-fibre Nordic diet may only be effective for losing weight if certain bacteria are present in the gut, say Danish researchers, but manufacturers should still add fibre to processed food thanks to its many other health benefits.

Plant-based power: Med-style diet effective in tackling acid reflux

11-Sep-2017 By Will Chu

A plant-based, Mediterranean-style diet may provide the same benefits in addressing the complications bought about by acid reflux, according to a US-based study. 

Aromatech develops natural mamey flavour

07-Sep-2017 By Niamh Michail

Flavour firm Aromatech has developed a natural mamey sapote flavour which will allow manufacturers to tap into the trend for exotic, tropical fruit.

Wessanen’s Whole Earth sees protein snack going mainstream

06-Sep-2017 By Katy Askew

Wessanen’s Whole Earth brand is extending its sports nutrition snack, Power Balls, beyond health channels and onto supermarket shelves as health-focused consumers become more “mainstream”.

Seeing red: Italy upsets manufacturers with origin labelling for tomatoes

06-Sep-2017 By Niamh Michail

Italy has announced plans to bring in mandatory origin labelling for tomato-based products, bypassing EU procedures and sparking fears for the unity of Europe's single market.

3D food printing: Precision and accuracy an obstacle to fulfilling potential

05-Sep-2017 By Will Chu

Printing precision and accuracy, process productivity and the production of colourful, multi-flavour, multi-structure products remain the biggest challenges to wider industry adoption of 3D food printing. 

'Impure' proteins can match – or even outperform – pure protein functionality: Wageningen

05-Sep-2017 By Niamh Michail

Expensive and energy intensive methods to purify protein may not be necessary because 'impure' proteins can perform as well as, or even better than, pure ones for functionality, a two-year Wageningen-led project has found.

What next for coconut’s millennial appeal?

01-Sep-2017 By Katy Askew

The popularity of coconut-based products continues to rise thanks, in part, to their particular resonance with millennial consumers: What will the next big trend for coconut applications be?

Diet guidelines should push raw veg over cooked, say researchers

01-Sep-2017 By David Burrows

An apple a day keeps the doctor away, but the sweet spot for long-term health is “three to four portions” of fruit and veg a day, according to new research.

Flavour pairing with plant proteins: What’s best for your product?

01-Sep-2017 By Niamh Michail

Plant proteins such as hemp, brown rice and pea have complex taste profiles that work best with tailor-made flavours. But it's not always obvious that sulphur pairs well with strawberry...which is why it helps to have a flavourist on board to explain.

Lemon juice gel an ideal building block for 3D food printing, study finds

31-Aug-2017 By Will Chu

A new three-dimensional printing material based on lemon juice and potato starch has exhibited a consistency and flow, which could aid in creating nutritionally enhanced food material formulations.

Danish supplier serves up a healthy dose of hemp product innovation

31-Aug-2017 By Niamh Michail

Bored with the usual hemp launches - granola and cereal bars - one Danish supplier is helping manufacturers think outside the box. Hemp cheese, gin, salami and marzipan are just some of its latest creations.

Seaweed start-up dives for success as specialty ingredient

29-Aug-2017 By Niamh Michail

Seaweed start-up Dansk Tang, which uses divers to hand harvest its macroalgae from the North Sea, is making a splash in Denmark's specialty food retail space.

Danish juice firms create value-added bakery ingredients with fruit pulp waste

28-Aug-2017 By Niamh Michail

Leftover fruit pulp from the juice industry is being transformed into a value-added and healthy ingredient for cereals, baked snacks and chocolate.

Heard of tiger nuts? They're the next superfood ingredient for plant milks and gluten-free baking, says Nordic Chufa

28-Aug-2017 By Niamh Michail

Tiger nuts are the original ancient super food, packing a nutritional punch and ideal for plant-based milks and gluten-free baking. Danish company Nordic Chufa is on a mission to make them mainstream.

Innovation, health & home delivery: Drivers for organic food growth amongst consumers

18-Aug-2017 By Will Chu

Innovative products in the organic sector are continuing to contribute to its growth in 2017, as non-dairy milks, nutty butters and confectionery join traditional recipe snacks.

R&D

Potential cocoa substitute: Jackfruit seeds create chocolate aroma, say researchers

17-Aug-2017 By Oliver Nieburg

Jackfruit seeds are a waste product that can be fermented, roasted and converted to flour imparting a chocolate aroma, according to research.

Nanocoating spray shows promise in extending fruit shelf life

14-Aug-2017 By Will Chu

A plant-derived sprayable nanocoating could not only prolong the shelf life of fruits but also provide additional nutrients in a timesaving technique that allows the mass coating of perishable produce.

Brexit an opportunity to stamp ‘British-made’ on food, NFU insist

09-Aug-2017 By Will Chu

Policy-makers must take Brexit as an opportunity to enhance the UK’s ability to produce British food, according to the president of the National Farmers Union (NFU). 

New ‘traditional use’ system could be source of new 13.1 claims

Change to novel foods rules may open door for raft of new fruits … and health claims

07-Aug-2017 By Nathan Gray

Simplification and centralisation of the European novel foods process means applications based on traditional use will soon be allowed – Resulting in shorter and cheaper routes to market, and the potential for using new fruits and juices that could come...

Chinese supplier Layn to bring monk fruit to Europe

04-Aug-2017 By Niamh Michail

Chinese supplier Guilin Layn Natural Ingredients wants to be the first firm to sell monk fruit in Europe, and has submitted a request for a scientific opinion to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

'We’re at the start of an exciting transition towards a plant-based revolution,' says Reducetarian founder

03-Aug-2017 By Niamh Michail

'Reducetarian' eaters are bringing plant-based foods from the niche to the mainstream. But is industry doing enough to tap into this trend, and does it have an interest in doing so? We caught up with the president and founder of the Reducetarian...