Processing and Packaging

Top food tech trends for 2025 revealed

19-Nov-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Innovation in the food space has seen a boom in recent years. But this is just the beginning.

NPD Trend Tracker: From functional drinks to brand redesigns

18-Nov-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

This week, two brands are revamping their identity. Plus, we have two functional drinks launches, and an old coffee brand venturing into the flavoured category.

Lidl bolsters British food investment to £21bn over five years

15-Nov-2024 By Nicholas Robinson

German discounter Lidl is boosting its spend on British produce over the next five years, exceeding its original target, to £21bn.

RSPO standards updated: What are the changes and do they align with EUDR?

13-Nov-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

The RSPO’s standards on sustainable palm oil certification have been approved. Do they align with Europe’s upcoming regulation?

Cultivated meat and precision fermentation – will consumers eat it?

12-Nov-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Emerging meat alternatives – cultivated meat and precision fermentation-derived meat – need to present an appealing image to consumers if they are to succeed.

Beyond Meat grows through price hikes, but volumes struggle

11-Nov-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Beyond Meat has grown revenues, after several crunching years, but is the alt-meat major out of the woods?

Why understanding allergens should be top priority for F&B manufacturers

08-Nov-2024 By Donna Eastlake

Undeclared allergens in food and beverage products can be deadly. So why are allergen-related recalls still happening? What is industry doing to prevent them? And what NPD opportunities are being missed?

UPF debate not black and white

06-Nov-2024 By Donna Eastlake

There's a lot more to the UPF debate than just 'good' foods and 'bad' foods. We dive into the great UPF debate to discover more.

GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic set to shake the global food industry

31-Oct-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Originally intended as a treatment for diabetes, GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic could be set to turn the food and drink industry upside down.

How Mérieux NutriSciences is busting food safety threats

29-Oct-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Food safety is constantly changing. Following its recent acquisition of Bureau Veritas’ food safety business, Mérieux NutriSciences aims to address the risks to product food safety.

When is iron most bioavailable?

16-Oct-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

When it comes to essential nutrients, its vital to understand when they are at their most bioavailable. Iron is no exception.

Start-up fights iron deficiency through precision fermentation

16-Oct-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

A biotech start-up is producing iron compounds, through precision fermentation, that are more bioavailable than much naturally occurring iron in plants.

Future Food-Tech 2024

How two start-ups are improving food safety and quality with innovation

15-Oct-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Food safety and quality are two sides of the same coin. But how is the process of making food not only safe but beneficial for the consumer being made more efficient?

UPF linked to type 2 diabetes - what does this mean for industry?

09-Oct-2024 By Donna Eastlake

New research has linked ultra-processed foods to type 2 diabetes. How will this latest blow impact the food and beverage industry and is reformulation the only solution?

EUDR: Inside the guidance

07-Oct-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

On the day the EUDR was delayed, the EC released guidance, aiming to clarify some of the key elements of the regulation.

NPD Trend Tracker: From alcoholic advent calendars to protein ball multipacks

07-Oct-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

This week, classic brand Innocent Drinks redesigns its packaging, the Protein Ball Co. releases its products in multipack form, and the Craft Gin Club releases a range of advent calendars for Christmas. Plus, Sauce Shop fuses east and west with its new...

Future Food-Tech 2024

Three hot start-ups designing and creating sector-challenging proteins

04-Oct-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

There are myriad ways to design and create proteins. We spoke to some of the key players in this varied space.

How Diageo is cutting Scope 3 emissions through packaging

03-Oct-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Diageo is aiming to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions through changes and reductions in packaging.

Mondelēz International snaps up stake in 'healthier' doughnut brand

01-Oct-2024 By Nicholas Robinson

Mondelēz International has backed a fresh doughnut and pastry business that boasts custom-designed and patented air frying technology that significantly reduces sugar, fat and calories.

Why did the food industry oppose ‘not for EU’ labelling in GB?

01-Oct-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Plans to extend the ‘not for EU’ labelling across the whole of Great Britain have been dropped after opposition from the food industry.

EUDR: Are Unilever, Nestlé, Mars, Mondelēz & Danone ready?

30-Sep-2024 By Nicholas Robinson

As the clock ticks down three months to go until EUDR, FoodNavigator reviews how ready food and drink giants like Unilever, Mondelēz International and Danone are for the industry-shaking regulation.

Behind the boom: Trends driving Europe’s future ingredients market

27-Sep-2024 By Nicholas Robinson

A booming food ingredients market is feeding sector growth, with segments like carotenoids and botanicals ready for the biggest sales upticks. So, what is the current and future state of Europe’s food ingredients market?

How the sting of climate change is hurting food commodity prices

27-Sep-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Unpredictable weather patterns – sometimes too dry, sometimes too wet – are collaborating with heat and crop pests to limit yields of key commodities. Can these conditions be mitigated?

Big names tie-up to propel cultivated meat sales

26-Sep-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Two giants have agreed a partnership with the aim of rocketing cultivated meat production and sales.

How to find ingredient and packaging suppliers

25-Sep-2024 By Donna Eastlake

Ingredients and packaging materials will form the very foundation of your brand, so getting them right is essential. Here’s how to find the right suppliers and build successful relationships.

Is cultivated meat cost reduction possible? The industry speaks

24-Sep-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

A recent study suggested that radical cost reduction in cultivated meat production is possible. Ivy Farm, Aleph Farms and Vital Meat speak on the potential of this.

Governments urged to push reusable packaging policies

18-Sep-2024 By Nicholas Robinson

Local governments are being pressed to push reusable packaging mandates on food and drink businesses across European towns and cities.

Big Interview

‘I do see an investor appetite to improve’: World Fund's principal on what investors are looking for in fermentation

17-Sep-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Fermentation is one of the main methods for producing alternative proteins. How does it look to investors?

How climate change is impacting food commodities

13-Sep-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

How is the food and beverage industry responding to the need to make its supply chains more sustainable? Find out at Climate Smart Food 2024.

Why is Danone removing Nutri-Score?

13-Sep-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

After a change in Nutri-Score’s algorithm, Danone has announced it will remove the front-of-pack labelling from some of its products. Why?

Consumer pressure for certification is driving regulation change

12-Sep-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Certifications and regulations put pressure on industry to conform to certain standards. But why do they occur in the first place? Consumer demand may be the key.

Europe’s largest food upcycling plant opened for spent grains

12-Sep-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

A new plant is upcycling spent grains for a whole range of uses.

Will coffee prices ever come down?

11-Sep-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Over the past year, global coffee prices have been on the rise. When will they start to fall?

Capturing ammonia: Materials to catch this crucial chemical

10-Sep-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Ammonia is crucial in many parts of the food industry, including food safety and the production of fertilisers. A new study looks at different ways to capture it.

Which cheeses still use animal rennet?

09-Sep-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Animal rennet is still prevalent in many of Europe’s cheeses, despite a shift towards vegetarian rennet. Geographical indicators are a key reason why.

F&B opportunity: Boosting protein intake earlier for elderly

09-Sep-2024 By Nicholas Robinson

Additional protein intake for older people should begin much earlier than most consumers think, providing food and drink manufacturers with a new market to profit from.

Unpacking sweet proteins

29-Aug-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Sweet proteins can provide benefits that other sweeteners can’t, and without some of the drawbacks they provide. But how can they be produced?

UK government announced £15m funding for alternative protein hub

28-Aug-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

The UK’s new National Alternative Protein Innovation Hub (NAPIC) aims to commercialise alternative proteins.

Halal food and drink manufacture ripe for profit growth

28-Aug-2024 By Nicholas Robinson

Halal food and drink sales in Europe are open for significant growth as Muslim – and other – consumer bases grow and demand more new and exciting permissible products from the industry.

How generative AI could boost plant-based protein functionality

27-Aug-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Functionality is a key element of producing plant-based products. Generative AI, one start-up suggests, could boost research into protein functionality.

Sweeteners and their function in food and drink manufacture

26-Aug-2024 By Nicholas Robinson

The use of sweeteners to reduce calorie content in food and drink is sometimes controversial, but vital to F&B manufacture. What sweeteners are used and what do they do?

The ultra-processed Superloaf that claims to be 'healthy'

20-Aug-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Can an ultra-processed product be healthy? One company believes so, and aims to prove it with a new product.

‘We're going to work with meat companies, not compete with them’: Meatable on how cultivated meat can help farmers

19-Aug-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Cultivated meat has traditionally been posited as an alternative to traditional animal agriculture. Now, Meatable suggests that it could help farmers, not hurt them.

Do film tie-ins boost sales?

16-Aug-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Many film studios use tie-ins with food and beverage brands to market their motion pictures. But does this drive sales for the food and beverage products themselves?

Are phthalates linked to reduced fertility?

15-Aug-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Phthalates are highly useful chemical compounds often used to soften plastic to make it more flexible. They have also been linked to a range of negative health effects.

PDO-protected cheeses rampant with diverse bacteria

13-Aug-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

PDO-protected cheeses are legislated to have unique geographical origins. This may impact the diversity of their microbiotas.

Can front-of-pack labelling improve consumer perceptions of products in plastic packaging?

12-Aug-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

When a healthy product is encased in plastic packaging, this can negatively affect consumer perceptions of the product. Can front-of-pack labelling mitigate this?

NPD Trend Tracker: From Belizean rum to drought-resistent beer

12-Aug-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

This week, we have a range of beverages, from beer using drought-resistant 'fonio grain', energy drinks made by Estonia's oldest brewery, and rum developed from raw materials on Belizean farms.

How to produce a clean-label beverage with a long shelf life

07-Aug-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Without artificial additives, ensuring that products have a long shelf-life is more challenging.

Finally, an approval application for cultivated meat submitted in the EU

01-Aug-2024 By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

French start-up Gourmey has submitted a novel food application to the EU for cultivated foie gras. This is the EU’s first cultivated meat application.