Fruit flies have a set of neurones that fire only when they encounter real sugar – triggering the release of a hormone that is not released when they eat a non-calorific sweetener. And researchers suggest that humans possess the same ‘molecular machinery’.
Inaccurate home testing and self-diagnosis is leading to unnecessarily restrictive diets and malnutrition, says a report claiming to make sense of allergies.
The Mediterranean diet has been held up as a model of healthy eating around the world, but the region itself is seeing a shift away from traditional diets, threatening health and the environment, says the FAO.
The end of EU sugar beet quotas could worsen the obesity crisis and damage the livelihoods of sugar cane growers and producers – and as an ex-colonial power Britain has a moral responsibility to act, says a report by the Food Research Collaboration.
Eco-friendly, inexpensive and nutritious – Hinoman claims its high-tech agriculture platform will provide a year-round supply of a proprietary plant-based protein.
Wessanen has undergone a huge transformation over the past 15 years in its goal to become Europe’s largest healthy and sustainable food company – and has cut its revenue by 90% in the process.
The top causes of food waste in homes include buying too much, preparing in abundance, unwillingness to consume leftovers, and improper food storage, say researchers from the Cornell Food and Brand Lab.
Coca-Cola Enterprises is positioning itself as ‘part of the solution to obesity,’ as it pledges to reduce calories by 10% per litre across its beverage portfolio in the next five years.
Meat reduction and vegetarianism is a growing trend among German consumers – and one in five young people buys meat alternatives, according to new research from Mintel.
At a time when consumer demand for natural ingredients is growing rapidly, researchers suggest that that the use of enzyme technologies to produce the natural taste enhancer divanillin may hold promise.
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.
A proprietary carrier particle can reduce sugar content and calories by more than 50% – without a loss in sweetness or a rise in costs, says Israeli company DouxMatok.
Consumption of a sugar-sweetened drink on a daily basis may be associated with an increased risk of developing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), say researchers.
The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) will affect every European food company – for better or worse – according to a trade law expert at DWF LLP.
The word ‘sustainability’ has been abused – and we need to see beyond the buzzword to create truly sustainable development, says corporate sustainability director at Nutreco, José Villalon.
The UK's National Health Service (NHS) CEO says failing to reformulate products to reduce added sugars would be like slow food poisoning of the nation.
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.
By Annie-Rose Harrison-Dunn, reporting from Indonesia
Indonesia has ambitious plans to add value to its seaweed industry – but its success could depend on the outcome of an ongoing tug-of-war between industry and government.
Special edition: Innovations in better-for-you confectionery
When compared to the same amount of glucose, consuming fructose could cause ‘significant’ weight gain, physical inactivity, and body fat deposition, say researchers.
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.
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.
The private sector has a role to play in delivering the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, said Nestlé CEO Paul Bulcke at the EAT Stockholm Food Forum this morning.
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.
While swapping out calorific sugars for a zero-calorie sweetener may seem like a common sense public health policy, some recent reports have suggested that the reverse may be true. We take a look at the evidence and arguments for both sides of the story.
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.
Companies are getting better at incorporating sustainability into their marketing strategies – and that’s good for business, says Deloitte Finland’s sustainability manager Riikka Poukka.
MEPs passed a resolution last week demanding decisive action to stop the spread of the Xylella bacterium, which has already destroyed thousands of olive trees in Italy.
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.
Mandatory labelling for dairy could push up production costs by nearly 50% and limit consumer freedom of choice - the current status quo is the most suitable option, say two Commission reports that have been welcomed by the food industry.
Public health is being compromised as the European Commission bows to the pressure of lobbies and is divided by internal power struggles over toxic endocrine disrupting chemicals, claims a report.
The European Commission is calling its Better Regulation initiative 'radical and different' - but consumer groups say power is being handed over to big businesses and that consumers will suffer from weakened food policy.
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.
Designing low-fat foods requires thorough understanding of the many roles that fat plays in the way we experience foods, according to a paper published in Advances in Nutrition.
Just scaling up alone without fundamental changes to farming practices could decrease costs by 25-50%
While cost is a barrier – and regulatory issues need ironing out – mainstream food manufacturers “have been way more open to this [using edible insects in their products] than you would probably think”, says the founder of the world’s largest insect-based...
Researchers exploring the potential to create new food textures have suggested that egg protein hydrolysates could provide chefs and the food industry with solutions that aid the development of new products.
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has published guidance for food companies to ensure consumers are not misled by terms such as ‘natural’, ‘artisan’, ‘traditional’ and ‘farmhouse’.
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.
Educating secondary school students about low-calorie foods and drinks may have little effect on their vending machine purchases, according to a study from The Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO).
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.
![This is 'an optimal, precision-agriculture solution [which] produces a safe, nutritious vegetable protein source,' says Hinoman](/var/wrbm_gb_food_pharma/storage/images/_aliases/news_teaser_medium/3/8/9/0/820983-1-eng-GB/Novel-aquatic-plant-offers-sustainable-protein-potential.jpg)
