Fruit, vegetable, nut ingredients

Can sustainable foraging go mainstream?

By Niamh Michail

Commercial foraging is on the rise, influencing mainstream flavour trends and giving companies a sense of heritage, say market analysts - but is it as eco-friendly as it seems?

Frutarom buys Taura for US$70m

Frutarom buys Taura for US$70m

By Caroline SCOTT-THOMAS

Israeli ingredients firm Frutarom has acquired New Zealand-based fruit ingredients company Taura Natural Ingredients Holding Ltd for about US$70m, the company has said.

The proposal would make it easier to introduce new foods into Europe that have a safe history of consumption elsewhere

Council approves final compromise text on novel foods

By Caroline SCOTT-THOMAS

A European Council committee has rejected a proposal that would have allowed the European Parliament the right to veto novel foods approvals – saying this would contradict the law’s purpose to simplify authorisation.

Raw food on the rise

Raw food on the rise

By Caroline SCOTT-THOMAS

The trend toward raw foods is being driven by a growing group of consumers looking for ‘clean food’ – not just those who consider themselves raw foodists, says Teresa Havrlandova, founder of raw food firm Lifefood.

There are more undernourished people in the Asia-Pacific region than anywhere else in the world, with more than 490m people still suffering from chronic hunger

World hunger continues to fall

By Caroline SCOTT-THOMAS

The number of hungry people in the world has fallen again this year to 795 million – 10m fewer than last year and 216m fewer than in 1990-92 – according to FAO figures.

Soy is challenging for food companies to discuss without courting controversy, so many companies choose to deal quietly and directly with their suppliers

Major companies are driving soy sustainability, says RTRS

By Caroline SCOTT-THOMAS

Sustainability in the soy sector is being driven by food companies aiming to mitigate brand risk, according to Europe Outreach Manager for the Round Table on Responsible Soy (RTRS) Lieven Callewaert.

85% of fruit snack products analysed by Action on Sugar contained more sugar than Haribo Starmix sweets

Kids’ fruit snacks criticised for high sugar content

By Caroline SCOTT-THOMAS

Many fruit snacks aimed at children contain more sugar than confectionery – but could be misconstrued as ‘healthy’ because of their association with real fruit, according to pressure group Action on Sugar.

Plant-based alternatives to meat include soy, cheese, eggs, nuts, mushrooms and pulses with advances in food technology meaning taste and texture is almost on a par with real meat.

Flexitarians fuel innovation in vegetarian food

By Niamh Michail

Vegetarians are enjoying a wide range of packaged food– but it's their flexitarian friends who are fuelling innovation in the taste and texture of plant-based meat alternatives.

Taxation necessary to offset rising cost of a healthy diet

By Niamh Michail

The price of fruit and vegetables in the UK has tripled in the past 30 years, while the price of ice cream has halved – a pattern being repeated across the developing world which is fuelling the global obesity crisis.

EU regulatory deadlock welcomed by organic groups

By Niamh Michail

EU ministers have failed to reach an agreement on proposed changes to EU organic regulation, pushing back a vote until June – a standstill that is welcomed by organic farming associations.

The review looked at different ways of modifying initial food choices and found three key elements in each context: Make healthy foods convenient, attractive and normal.

Three ways to encourage healthy eating anywhere

By Niamh Michail

Yes we can: By making healthy food choices Convenient, Attractive and Normal companies and policy-makers can foster healthy eating habits in all contexts, say researchers.

Six in 10 non-organic shoppers see organic as overpriced, says Mintel

Investment to tackle organic ‘price barrier’

By Daisy Phillipson

Price is arguably the biggest barrier the organic market faces, says Mintel – but retailers are coming up with ways to make organic foods accessible to a wider audience.

Putin claims the EU's sanctions are

Russia likely to extend EU food import ban

By Caroline SCOTT-THOMAS

Russia is likely to extend its ban on EU food imports beyond the August 7 deadline, as the European Union looks set to continue its sanctions against Russian products.

CFIA said there was cross-reactivity of mahaleb with the almond allergen test kit

Cumin products were recalled due to almond contamination prompting allergy concerns

Mahaleb caused false positive results in nuts and spices testing

By Joseph James Whitworth

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has said initial results which prompted cumin products to be recalled for containing almond were wrong and positive readings were caused by mahaleb.

Many representations of GMOs, like this one, tap into intuitive ideas of unnaturalness - even though this is far from the reality of GM technology

Being anti-GMO may have ‘intuitive appeal’

By Caroline SCOTT-THOMAS

Rejection of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) may be intuitive for many people, claims a paper published in the journal Trends in Plant Science.

Organic NPD vital to survive mainstream 'healthification'

By Niamh Michail

The organic sector has cultivated a culture of ethical awareness among consumers that conventional manufacturers are now cashing in on – and new product development is vital for the sector to retain its value, say experts.

Organic breaks social class barriers

Organic breaks social class barriers

By Niamh Michail

With working class households making up nearly one third of sales, organic is no longer a middle-class preserve - and some say it is even fueling Britain's 'foodie' culture.

Food is expected to account for up to 55% of Russians' household spending by autumn

Russians increasingly affected by food sanctions

By Caroline SCOTT-THOMAS

More than a third of Russians (37%) have noticed that some of their favourite brands are missing from store shelves following food sanctions – compared to about a quarter (26%) six months ago, according to market research organisation Romir.

When companies try to be cool: A lesson in 'wackaging'

By Niamh Michail

Wackaging – using cute and quirky language on a product’s packaging – seems to be everywhere. But with consumers becoming increasingly cynical, should manufacturers stop trying to be cool?

Permira, the owner of the Birds Eye brand, will retain a 9% stake after the acquisition.

UK’s Birds Eye brand Iglo sold for €2.6bn

By Joyeeta Basu

Europe’s largest frozen foods business Iglo Group has been bought by a pair of US investors for €2.6bn, at 2.4 times return on the original investment made by parent company Permira.

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