With the plant-based boom showing no signs of slowing, FoodNavigator profiles the technology, ingredients and culinary science powering innovation in meat and dairy alternatives.
Challenger cereal brand Crispy Fantasy hits all the right buzz words. It is high protein, plant based, clean label and gluten-free. But does it have what it takes to disrupt the European breakfast category? Founders Andrea Rodrik and Raphael Nahoum tell...
Givaudan has developed a patent-pending ‘synergistic combination’ of plant-based ingredients and natural flavourings that it says can be used as a nitrite replacement in meat.
Taste and nutrition company Kerry officially opened what it bills as ‘the largest and most advanced’ taste manufacturing facility on the African continent this week. FoodNavigator hears from Paul Hewitt, Vice President of Sub Saharan Africa, to learn...
Tate & Lyle is expanding in the plant-based protein arena with a deal to acquire chickpea protein and flour supplier Nutriati. The global ingredients company best known for sweeteners and texturisers tells FoodNavigator the deal will boost its portfolio...
IFF has launched SEAFLOUR, a hydrocolloid from red seaweed with particular potential in higher-protein plant-based milks made with pea or soy, enabling formulators to offer cleaner labels and shorten their ingredients lists.
An Israeli food tech company has developed a proprietary process leveraging spirulina to mimic ‘virtually any type of fish and animal tissue’. It’s first product: a ‘single-ingredient’ smoked salmon analogue. FoodNavigator catches up with co-founder and...
The ingredients supplier is investing €50m in the new facility to make protein concentrate, starch rich flour and hulls from faba beans – a crops that comes with ‘convincing sustainable credentials’, Beneo’s Christoph Boettger tells FoodNavigator.
Dutch food engineers at Vaess have developed an innovative biotech solution that can replace the controversial use of nitrites in meat products like bacon, while maintaining a stable pink appearance.
The Naturist is leveraging hemp to create what it describes as the ‘ultimate formula’ for its sustainable, protein-rich ‘vegan meat’, Crump. FoodNavigator caught up with innovators at the Estonian start-up to learn more about the benefits this ‘underrated...
Frozen food giant Nomad Foods has launched an Open Innovation Portal, inviting academics and SMEs to share ideas that could be scaled to ‘shape the future of food’.
France-based Umiami tells FoodNavigator its proprietary high moisture extrusion process surpasses other commercially available technologies by producing thicker, whole cuts of substitute meat.
The US-based company has built a proprietary fermentation platform which makes functional ingredients using mycelium, the fibrous root structure of mushrooms.
Spanish ingredient supplier Nektium is expanding its botanic ingredient portfolio into the food and beverage sector for the first time. FoodNavigator caught up with R&D experts at the company to learn more about the ‘exciting opportunity’ for botanicals...
Griffith Foods is focusing its product development might on the core pillars of nutrition and plant-based product development, with efforts informed by the ‘guiding star’ of sustainability. European President Wim van Roekel weighs in on the massive potential...
ADM has developed PearlEdge, a proprietary white colour solution that it says fills a ‘vital white space’ in the market. “We saw the need for plant-based white colorants that tick the boxes on brilliance, stability and uniformity,” Hélène Moeller, Vice...
What trends are hot in tea? FoodNavigator caught up with the Ecotone-owned Clipper Teas - a brand that has successfully been outgrowing the market - to learn what’s brewing in the category.
Three years since first debuting its ClearFlo modifying ingredient technology used to reduce sensory off notes of stevia, Cargill is debuting a single solution and combination of the two: EverSweet stevia + ClearFlo, giving food and beverage manufacturers...
“We want to outgrow the competition and we want to do it in ways that are better for people and the planet,” Unilever’s head of Food & Refreshment Hanneke Faber says. How does the company plan to do this? FoodNavigator goes inside Hive, Unilever’s...
Shiru - a startup producing proteins via microbial fermentation - has teamed up with texturizing ingredients specialist CP Kelco to explore label-friendly replacements for methylcellulose and other highly functional ingredients.
The first plant-based customer-ready product has been developed by four MISTA members from the ingredients sector. FoodNavigtor asks MISTA what makes its plant-based yoghurt base unique.
High-pressure processing (HPP) of food is effective at destroying harmful microorganisms and poses no more food safety concerns than other treatments. However, HPP is not as effective on milk and some ready-to-eat foods (RTE), according to an EFSA opinion.
Natural colour maker Phytolon is collaborating with Ginkgo Bioworks to take its biological production to the ‘next level’. FoodNavigator asks Phytolon co-founder and CEO Halim Jubran how its novel production technology works.
A sector once plagued by ‘suspicion’ and ‘failed doping tests’ is turning the tide on non-compliance thanks to voluntary third-party certification programmes.
Processed and ultra-processed foods get a bad rap. But done the right way, food processing can offer sustainable nutrition to the masses, according to Wageningen University’s Ciarán Forde.
Obesity in children and youths is a major health challenge around the world. In Germany alone, according to the Robert Koch Institute, one in six children is overweight or obese.
ABF Ingredients has acquired life science company Fytexia Group. FoodNavigator hears from ABFI chief executive Fabienne Saadane-Oaks about how the move will accelerate the group’s presence in the active nutrition space.
A new study suggests that adding fibre to everyday foods – including baked foods, dairy products, soups, smoothies and dressings – would allow 50% more UK adults to reach their recommended daily consumption of fibre. This could in turn lower the risk...
The EU ban on titanium dioxide has created harmonisation across the bloc for food and supplements, but the colour is still legal in the UK as well as in medicine products, plus there is the challenge of reformulation.
Developed European markets aren't always known for their exciting growth profiles. But Kerry Group European head Thomas Hahlin Ahlinder sees some important opportunities for the ingredient supplier in the region. FoodNavigator hears more.
A bill to introduce a ‘progressive prohibition’ on the use of nitrates in meat production continued to make its way through the French legislative system today (26 January). But the development faced criticism from both sides of the debate, with health...
The COVID-19 global pandemic had a drastic and sudden impact on how people shop and eat. As we move to a new normal where – the hope is – we are able to shift gears and learn to ‘live with COVID’, how will people’s attitudes to food continue to evolve?
Synergy Flavours has unveiled new extracts and flavour solutions for the “booming” low and no alcohol category. The range includes bitters, fermented notes, gin, pink gin, aperitif and rum flavours, alongside extracts that deliver warmth, such as scotch...
From advances in fermentation capabilities to developments in our understanding of diet and health or the rapid evolution in digital technologies, Cargill’s R&D chief Florian Schattenmann talks FoodNavigator through the trends and tech he believes...
Titanium dioxide (E171) - a popular additive that confers a bright white shade to frosting and cake decorations - has been banned as a food additive in the EU, with a six-month phasing out period coming into force this month (January 2022) after which...
Sugar is an important ingredient in confectionery, not only for its taste but also because it contributes to texture, bulk, mouthfeel, aroma, colour, and a number of other attributes that make up chocolate and candy.
Results of a Spanish study appear to corroborate a link between artificial sweeteners and impaired metabolism and oxidative stress, which can exacerbate cognitive decline (CD).
A Wageningen University spin-off is developing a plant-based fat ingredient from European-grown sunflower seeds, designed to boost alt dairy’s nutritional and sustainability profile, as well as mouthfeel.
A new report from World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has found that principal members in its ReSource: Plastic programme – including The Coca-Cola Co, McDonald’s, Keurig Dr Pepper, Procter & Gamble and Starbucks – cut their use of ‘problematic plastic’ by...
The wording of approved EU health claims is prescriptive and precise. The intention of the regulation is to protect consumers from unfounded or overblown statements. But it is also to inform. Are health claims doing their job?
Cargill claims to be the ‘first’ global edible oil supplier to commit to World Health Organization recommendations on trans-fatty acids across its entire fats and oils portfolio, including in countries where there is no legislative requirement to do so....
Most consumers are not interested in mimicking, ingredients supplier IFF says. People instead want more novel experiences from the meat alternatives category.
Food tech company Next Gen Foods has set its sights on rapid international growth. As the company enters Europe, CEO and co-founder Andre Menezes tells FoodNavigator that the group’s ambition isn’t just to become a leading plant-based brand globally....
A pan-European study shows ‘booming’ interest in plant-based products. But barriers to consumption remain with improved health and taste alongside availability and affordability coming out as flexitarian consumers’ top asks.
EFSA has opened a public dialog on front-of-pack nutritional labelling and health claims as it works to finalise the scientific advice that will help decision makers develop an EU-wide scheme.
