The Swedish National Food Agency (NFA) has begun an investigation into levels of nutrients and potentially undesirable substances present in common foods on the Swedish market.
Sugar binders in oat bars can be removed completely if certain process adjustments are made to leverage beta-glucan as the binding agent, says the bakery science manager at Campden BRI.
When compared to the same amount of glucose, consuming fructose could cause ‘significant’ weight gain, physical inactivity, and body fat deposition, say researchers.
A European push toward segregated certified sustainable palm oil may inadvertently exclude smaller producers from the supply chain, says GreenPalm manager Bob Norman.
The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) has urged the European commissioner for health and food safety to practice caution when making ‘adjustments’ to health claim and botanical rules.
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.
Research suggests boys eat more fast food and are more susceptible to junk food marketing than girls, prompting renewed calls for limits on advertising to children.
Snack makers are gearing up for renewed nutrition focus in the EU when the Netherlands takes presidency of the Council in 2016, says the director-general of the European Snacks Association (ESA).
To sell insects to Western consumers, food manufacturers must create products that align ethical motivations with sensory expectations – meaning cricket-flour cookies will fare better than chocolate-coated crickets.
It’s not just the high fat, salt or sugar content of processed foods that is driving obesity and diet-related illnesses – the lack of food diversity is killing our gut flora, claims one researcher.
The Nut Association has filed a paper to Public Health England in the UK calling for nuts to be included in the country’s five-a-day fruit and vegetable recommendations.
More than 2 billion tons of coffee by-products that are currently thrown away could have applications in the food and nutrition sector, say researchers.
The German confectionery industry has slammed plans for a 19% tax proposal on sugar aimed at reducing obesity - but the social democrat party denies that such a 'sin tax' is on the cards.
Big differences in the calorie content for one food type distorts expectations of satiety and energy content leading to overeating - a feature of Western diets that is fuelling the obesity crisis, say researchers.
A pioneering salt reduction scheme was derailed by the UK government leading to 6000 preventable deaths, says Consensus Action on Salt and Health (CASH).
A Spanish consumer rights group has launched a naming and shaming Twitter campaign after it found one third of consumers surveyed has bought the wrong product due to confusing food labels.
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?
Food and human nutrition expert: 'We can learn from the US and Denmark'
Front-of-pack labelling can be useful but health policy-makers are naïve if they think that this alone will result in healthier food choices, say researchers - environment, motivation and psychology must be actively influenced too.
France may be notorious for its leisurely lunch breaks but less structured ways of eating are taking root, with a third of consumers saying they often eat on the run, according to an Ipsos poll.
The European Commission will consider action on industrially produced trans fats in foods following a high-level debate, said a spokesperson at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).
The combined use of TV brand placements with advertising could increase the effect on children's brand awareness and behaviour towards junk food, a new study has said.
A gluten-free diet is the only possible treatment for those with coeliac disease – so whose responsibility is it to increase affordability, availability and awareness? FoodNavigator asked experts for their views.
Industry should be more pro-active in encouraging consumers to seek a diagnosis of coeliac disease before switching to a gluten-free diet, says Euromonitor contributing analyst Simone Baroke.
Taste is much more complex than the experience of basic flavours on the tongue – it also encompasses our other senses to a larger degree than most people realise, according to Professor Charles Spence.
Some of the best and brightest innovation in the food and drink industry comes from start-ups – so how do they approach NPD? And what can companies of all sizes learn from their approach?
Smaller plates may not encourage overweight teenage girls to reduce portion sizes because they may be less attentive to visual cues, according to a study.
There is little evidence to prove natural sweetener xylitol prevents tooth decay in children and adults despite an EFSA-backed health claim, says a Cochrane review.
A novel cooking and cooling process for rice could help slash the number of calories absorbed by the body by more than half by increasing levels of resistant starch, say researchers.
Manufacturers need to be innovative and clever if costs to reformulate food products are to be kept low, says Cindy Beeren at Leatherhead Food Research.
Adding an exotic ‘superfood’ ingredient gives fresh appeal to a well-established product – and manufacturers don’t have to look far for the latest one as analysts say that post-recession consumers want local, simple ingredients.
As sugar has become one of the most maligned ingredients within food, Euromonitor International research analyst Jack Skelly says the future may prove trickyfor manufacturers.
