Despite laws, technology and more information, food contamination and safety risks remain, prompting calls for an integrated and collaborative approach and strong, well-funded regulatory governance.
By René Floris, NIZO Food Research Division Manager
To successfully launch a plant-based product onto the market today, businesses have to go above and beyond in flavour to stand out. How can a new, more holistic flavour approach put an end to organoleptic compromise?
The Office for Health Improvements and Disparities (OHID) has published an open consultation on UK nutrition and health claims to seek views on proposed changes in relation to nutrition labelling, composition and standards (NLCS).
It is estimated that two-thirds of European countries now use whole-genome sequencing (WGS) in food safety programmes. But it is time the technique is used to bring greater health benefits to functional foods, Dr Thomas Gurry, co-founder and CEO of gut...
Tomorrow, 11 May, the Welsh Food Advisory Committee, which is part of the Food Standards Authority (FSA), will discuss the new Border Target Operating Model (BTOM), a government document which will determine food safety standards between the UK and the...
Experts are once again calling for a ban on nitrosamines after consumer exposure to the compounds that can form in food during its preparation and processing raised a health concern from the European Food Safety Authority.
The French dairy group was under investigation over a five-year-old case when babies were diagnosed with salmonellosis after consuming Lactalis products.
Fresh research out of Denmark has identified the presence of environmental contaminant PFAS in organic eggs sourced from chicken farms all over the country. The risk for children ‘is noticeable’, according to associate professor Kit Granby from the DTU...
A study has claimed to show that modern ‘green’ products recycled from human excreta are excellent – and importantly, safe – fertilizers to use on food crops.
Food safety, traceability and sustainability will be hot topics in 2023 as food and beverage manufacturers focus on investments that deliver returns in a down economy – and increased digitalisation will be an important tool to enable businesses to increase...
The European Union recently acted against two major cases of food fraud: food contact materials containing bamboo powder, and half a tonne of horse meat unfit for consumption.
The Brexit Freedoms Bill could open the door to a total reform of food standards and safety in the UK, but time is running out to do so, according to Food Standards Agency (FSA) chair Susan Jebb.
Roughly a third of the food produced globally each year is wasted. In Europe, the majority of waste occurs in the home. How can the food industry influence waste that occurs outside its direct sphere of control? FoodNavigator hears from Amy McDonnell,...
UK research sheds fresh light on the presence of organophosphate esters (OPEs) in food products. “This should be a wake-up call to industrial users of OPEs,” the researchers say.
The most comprehensive study of seafood fraud ever published underlines a requirement for a standardized and rigorous dataset through which food fraud can be scrutinized to ensure enforcement.
As the food industry champions full transparency and shifts to finding preventive measures against foodborne outbreaks, genomics testing provider Clear Labs is developing surveillance and diagnostics to progress accuracy and efficiency in today’s food...
Two food industry giants are facing major European product recalls. Nestlé’s Buitoni pizza brand has been linked to an E.coli outbreak in France while Ferrero has been forced to recall Kinder products across a number of markets due to Salmonella contamination....
Consumers tend to be more accepting of biocide labelling on dairy beverages if the term ‘environmentally friendly’ is also used on the packaging, according to researchers in China and New Zealand.
There are ‘exciting opportunities to feed the world’, according to the FAO of the United Nations, which highlights the potential of ‘new foods’ like jellyfish, edible insects and cellular meat. However, the organisation suggests, now is the time to start...
The food system is exposed to increased food safety risks from climate change – a danger regulators must be mindful of, UK Food Safety Agency Chair Professor Susan Jebb suggests. Authorities also need to help the sector mitigate the contribution it currently...
Seafood multinational giant Thai Union is using the principles of forensic science to prevent food fraud, leveraging on DNA technologies to provide traceability and authentication for its seafood products.
An everyday chemical has been found to be highly toxic. Contamination of waterways is responsible for what had been the unexplained mass deaths of Coho salmon. We take a look at 6-PPD quinone, what it means for the food system and why it is important...
The ability to check the microbial decomposition of food or to detect pollutants in it via smartphone alone could become reality thanks to a mini spectrometer being tested in Germany.
A traditional Vietnamese meat snack could hold the key to developing a safe and natural food preservative, addressing the twin global problems of food waste and food-borne illnesses, scientists claim.
Food safety is a business-critical issue. People worry about food safety and security as much as global warming, pollution and poverty, research from confectionery giant Mars reveals. FoodNavigator hears from Dr Guangtao Zhang, director of the Mars Global...
The plant-based meat and dairy market is booming globally. But, as consumer concern over safety increases, experts from Kerry Taste and Nutrition stress that there is a need to develop food safety strategies that build consumer trust in the sector.
For today’s increasingly health-conscious consumers, what goes into the food they buy is more important than ever, driving the demand for shorter, more natural and less tongue-twisting ingredient lists. In turn, new and fresh grain-based snack and bakery...
By René Floris, NIZO Food Research Division Manager
In this series of articles, NIZO Food Research Division Manager and FoodNavigator advisory panel member René Floris discusses some of the big issues in today’s food industry. This month, he continues his exploration of the protein transition by looking...
Danish food tech start-up Lyras has developed a pasteurisation technology that it says has a lower environmental impact than traditional pasteurisation while also cutting food waste and delivering on safety and nutrition.
Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) is an internationally recognised method of identifying and managing food safety risk. In an area that is both strictly regulated and highly complex, setting up an HACCP system requires a ’great knowledge’...
SwissDeCode has closed its first venture round. The funds will be used to accelerate development of its technology for real-time certification of food authenticity and quality. We caught up with the start-up’s co-founders to learn about the company’s...
The European Commission has initiated a process to update EU laws governing chemicals in food contact materials (FCM). “The EU’s FCM laws are outdated and ineffective in protecting people and the environment,” according to one lobby group.
The food sector – and society more generally – needs to take a joined-up approach to issues around plastics, pollution, food safety and waste, Dow Packaging and Specialty’s Sustainability Director Jeff Wooster tells FoodNavigator. “These issues are interconnected;...
A Swedish start-up has developed food labelling technology that offers real-time monitoring of food quality to help reduce waste and alert consumers of spoiled food.
Hyperspectral imaging may not sound the sexiest of subjects. But this rapidly emerging technology is promising to help the food industry gain ground in a host of areas, from quality assurance, pathogen detection and farm management.
Thousands of tons of wasted food could be saved every year due to a new monitoring system in development that pinpoints the expiration of perishable produce, even after a ‘use-by’ date has expired.
A fresh study looking at the authenticity of popular herb sage finds that more than a quarter of products sampled in the UK are adulterated. The results, the researchers say, emphasise that global herb supply chains are susceptible to food fraud.
Three fifths of consumers across the globe are worried about the safety of the food they eat, research from charity Lloyd’s Register Foundation suggests.
Climate change is putting food safety at risk and action is needed to prepare the food system for the challenges ahead, according to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). FoodNavigator speaks to the FAO’s Vittorio Fattori, Food Safety and...
Technological advances are transforming the food sector – and nowhere is this more evident than in the field of food safety. FoodNavigator caught up with Alex Bromage, Food Safety and Quality Director at Tetra Pak, to find out what innovations he is getting...
Biosecurity and food safety company Kersia has acquired UK-based Holchem from Ecolab in a deal that will see it become Europe’s second largest food safety company.
Cranswick has revealed that three of its staff have lost their lives to COVID-19 and the company is providing full support to their families and other staff directly affected by the coronavirus.
Welsh Lamb shelf-life has been ‘significantly extended’ on average, boosting long-term competitiveness, Hybu Cig Cymru (HCC) – Meat Promotion Wales has announced.
African Swine Fever (ASF) is a devastating disease occurring for the first time in certain eastern areas of the European Union (EU), according to EFSA (European Food Safety Authority).