Global food and farming is set for a ‘corporate tidal wave’, warns think tank IPES-Food and non-profit ETC Group, who believe a business-as-usual approach could accelerate environmental breakdown and jeopardize food security.
‘Don’t get stuck on the same channel’, advises Liz Richardson, managing director and partner at HeyHuman. Rather, the brand expert is encouraging FMCGs to ‘think forward’ and meet demand for changing consumer behaviours.
As 2021 rolls around, we’ll inevitably see growing numbers of businesses pledging to do good. But how do food brands communicate their sustainability credentials?
By QU Dongyu, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
From 2 to 4 November, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is convening its 32nd Session of the Regional Conference for Europe, virtually hosted by the Government of Uzbekistan, where FAO Members will have the opportunity...
Given that a ‘three-tier’ restriction system has recently been implemented across England, the likelihood of staple December activities seems rather slim. Everything from the crib service, Santa’s grotto, cracker-pulling wars - it’s all up in the air,...
Neuroscience can bolster a brand’s better features, strip out the bad ones, and ensure every facet of its intellectual property resonates with customers, says Liz Richardson, managing director and partner at HeyHuman and member of the FoodNavigator editorial...
You don’t need me to tell you that food is all about the senses. The visual cues, the olfactory notes, the actual taste - the best food can be a fully immersive experience.
How have FMCG brands pivoted in the face of coronavirus? What agile and adaptive strategies have they employed? In her monthly column, Liz Richardson, managing director and partner at Heyhuman and member of the FoodNavigator editorial advisory panel,...
How can food and drink brands reach consumers during the COVID-19 lockdown? Experiential brand activity will have to be taken directly to consumers in their homes, Liz Richardson, managing director and partner at HeyHuman, suggests.
Conventional food labels require consumers to interpret visible information. Could and should they be modified to help the visually impaired make more informed food choices?
Three advisory groups have warned the UK government that moving away from European food standards post-Brexit risks diminishing choice and value for consumers.
By Dr. Liz Specht, Associate Director of Science and Technology for The Good Food Institute
In the 1960s and '70s, a series of papers and books like Paul Ehrlich’s The Population Bomb promised that before the turn of the millennium, humanity would be devastated by cataclysmic famines, deadly food riots, and disastrous resource wars.
Millions of people around the developed world live in areas with severely limited access to affordable fresh food. So what are the fallouts of living in a ‘food desert’? And who ends up paying the ultimate price?
A group of US dietitians and physicians has blasted a report from doctors in Belgium which stated that raising children on a vegan diet was "unethical" and should be a criminal offence.
By Katia Merten Lentz, partner at Keller and Heckman
European regulators have agreed key changes to the food safety authorisation process in a bid to increase transparency and boost consumer trust. Katia Merten Lentz, partner at Keller and Heckman, discusses the impact these changes could have.
Unsustainably sourced palm oil deserves its bad name, and requires industry action. Should we eliminate all palm oil from the food supply chain? How can we change consumer perceptions of the commodity when responsibly produced? Nestlé, RSPO, CDP and S4RB...
By Bruce Friedrich, executive director of the Good Food Institute
Activists should take a pragmatic approach and be willing to work with 'big food' in order to support an increase in consumption of plant-based options, Good Food Institute (GFI) executive director Bruce Friedrich suggests.
Publication of the European Commission’s new bioeconomy strategy last October may have passed many in the food sector by. However, the agri-food chain lies at the heart of the concept.
‘Shrinkflation’ – cutting the size of a product without changing its price – was again in the news this week, following a report from the UK Office of National Statistics (ONS) highlighting the phenomenon.
Momentum is growing behind calls to impose fiscal sanctions on unhealthy foods. And while such stringent action is not on the immediate horizon that could change if the food industry fails to step up its efforts on reformulation.
Meat taxes are a controversial idea that get strong reactions on both sides of the debate. But, with pressure on global resources continuing to rise, it is a topic that is likely to remain on the agenda in the coming years. Here’s FoodNavigator’s guide...
The Swiss electorate has overwhelmingly rejected two proposals on ethical and sustainable food, with concerns over the impact on price, competitiveness and trade dominating the debate.
A new report from the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) shows that the progress on tackling hunger made over the last decade was wiped out this year. The global food sector must respond by stepping up its efforts to combat malnutrition and...
Food manufacturers are caught between sometimes contradictory consumer expectations around value and values. As people understand more about what goes into their food – driving demand for higher quality standards – they may also need to swallow higher...
CAOBISCO – which represents the Chocolate, Biscuits and Confectionery Industries in Europe – has rebuffed a study’s suggestion that placing a tax on sweets snacks could be an effective tool in fighting obesity.
Since the horsemeat scandal of 2013 there has been a steady stream of food scares and scandals, which has played neatly into the hands of organic food. Sales were up more than 11% in Europe at the last count, but is the sector making the most of growing...
You wouldn’t want to be Margrethe Vestager at the moment. In the next few days (perhaps as early as tomorrow), the European Commission’s competition chief will publish the conclusions of her investigation into the proposed €55 billion deal between German...
Rising obesity levels are one of the most significant public health issues facing the world today. As concern mounts, could we see further policy action from UK regulators?
Inaction is not an option for confectionery brands if they want to survive in an age of increased regulation on sugared products, writes Neil Davidson, managing director of brand agency HeyHuman.
The UK's childhood obesity strategy has been criticised again – this time in an analysis published in the British Medical Journal. Will all this flak put other EU countries off the idea?
Is food marketing awash with bad science? If so, who is to blame?
There was plenty of handwringing at the IFT show this year about the lack of scientific literacy characterizing the debate around food and farming, backed up by scores of press clippings about ‘franken-foods.’ But is the media solely to blame, and what’s...
Britain has voted to leave the European Union and Prime Minister David Cameron has resigned as a result. Across Europe and the UK, the food industry is coming to terms with the outcome.
The UK government should seriously consider taxing unhealthy foods and drinks to reduce their consumption, a paper from the Food Research Collaboration (FRC) has urged.
After a few years of negativity, the industry has a spring in its step again. But with renewed optimism comes the question of where the future successes lie.
FoodDrinkEurope has said legislators could have been more ambitious in their efforts to reduce food resources for fuel and welcomed a 7% cap on biofuels, but not all of its members agree.
Public health messages intended to tackle obesity should focus on unhealthy eating rather than physical activity, which does not promote weight loss, according to an editorial published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
An EU-wide revamp of on-pack nutrition information is a missed opportunity to make front of pack labelling compulsory, says the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC).
Business plays a crucial role in meeting sustainable development goals – but it should not lead the social agenda, according to Nestlé CEO Paul Bulcke, speaking at the World Economic Forum’s meeting in Davos.
