Redefine Meat ‘doubles’ UK foodservice sales
By
Nicholas Robinson
Alternative meat maker Redefine Meat has claimed a near 100% year-on-year foodservice sales boost in a challenging market.
Opinion
Vegetarian Butcher sale the start of Unilever’s brutal €1bn clear out – what’s next?
By
Nicholas Robinson
Unilever’s food brand shake-up will put the Vegetarian Butcher on the chopping block, raising questions about what brands could be next.
Cultivated meat must be in sync with religious, cultural beliefs for commercial success
By
Pearly Neo
The cultivated meat sector needs to be aligned with not only food safety regulations but also local religious and cultural beliefs in Asia if commercial success is to be achieved in the region.
Dsm-firmenich focuses on trio of business-driving investments
By
Augustus Bambridge-Sutton
Ingredients major dsm-firmenich will invest in a trio of areas to bolster business growth over the coming years.
Europe’s fast-food majors failing on poultry welfare progress
By
Nicholas Robinson
Fast-food giants across Europe are failing foul on poultry welfare measures, with few making recent progress and others moving backwards on previous gains, a damning new report criticises.
Top food tech trends for 2025 revealed
By
Augustus Bambridge-Sutton
Innovation in the food space has seen a boom in recent years. But this is just the beginning.
NPD Trend Tracker: From functional drinks to brand redesigns
By
Augustus Bambridge-Sutton
This week, two brands are revamping their identity. Plus, we have two functional drinks launches, and an old coffee brand venturing into the flavoured category.
Could keto diet improve autoimmune disease symptoms?
By
Donna Eastlake
The controversial keto diet is lauded by supporters and condemned by critics. So will research linking it to autoimmune benefits tip the scale in its favour? And what F&B NPD opportunities could that create?
Lidl bolsters British food investment to £21bn over five years
By
Nicholas Robinson
German discounter Lidl is boosting its spend on British produce over the next five years, exceeding its original target, to £21bn.
Insect protein buzz waning as patents slow
By
Nicholas Robinson
Insect protein’s predicted take off has been less than a flutter as market innovation stagnates, with worldwide patents sliding year-on-year again.
EUDR delay venom and outrage: the aftermath of the vote
By
Nicholas Robinson
EUDR’s 12-month delay has been met with condemnation from organisations across the world following yesterday's controversial vote.
Cultivated freshwater eel tech opens new opportunities in Japanese market
By
Nicholas Robinson
A cultivated seafood tech business has developed a system of cell cultivation to allow for commercial freshwater eel farming.
Meat and dairy reduction ‘vital’ to climate health – new report warns
By
Nicholas Robinson
The meat and plant-based industries have locked horns as a new report cites diet change as a key tool in the fight to control global warming and even reverse the climate crisis.
Cultivated meat and precision fermentation – will consumers eat it?
By
Augustus Bambridge-Sutton
Emerging meat alternatives – cultivated meat and precision fermentation-derived meat – need to present an appealing image to consumers if they are to succeed.
Beyond Meat grows through price hikes, but volumes struggle
By
Augustus Bambridge-Sutton
Beyond Meat has grown revenues, after several crunching years, but is the alt-meat major out of the woods?
Protein Vision 2024
5 must know plant-based meat trends
By
Nicholas Robinson
Meat alternatives are back in growth, with recent Europe-wide data showing the category has rinsed away its droop and is ticking up. But what at are the factors behind this early-stage turnaround?
Top tips to successfully market your brand
By
Donna Eastlake
Marketing can be complex, time consuming and costly. We run down the top tips and tricks to successfully market a food and drink brand on a tight budget.
Opinion
Is Trump stoking an EU/US trade war?
By
Nicholas Robinson
Will Trump’s rebooted presidency bring about a transatlantic trade war or is it all hot air? Fake news or not, the returning president has made worrying noises – from crippling tariffs to climate ignorance – that are sending markets in a spin.
UPF debate not black and white
By
Donna Eastlake
There's a lot more to the UPF debate than just 'good' foods and 'bad' foods. We dive into the great UPF debate to discover more.
What do South African consumers think of plant-based meat?
By
Augustus Bambridge-Sutton
South Africa has one of Africa’s largest plant-based meat markets. How do consumers view these meat-free alternatives?
Big Interview
A sensible rebel: Juicy Marbles' boss on breaking even, NPD and beyond
By
Nicholas Robinson
After raising “peanuts” to launch a plant-based meat business around Covid-19, Juicy Marbles is set to break even within its fourth year and is planning NPD along with another funding launch.
Deadly: New Bird Flu variant strength alarming industry
By
Donna Eastlake
Death rates of 100% are leaving farmers and manufacturers concerned about the new Bird Flu strain.
Erectile dysfunction and plant-based diets – a urological health revelation?
By
Augustus Bambridge-Sutton
The murky waters of urological health are rarely linked to or promoted within food and drink marketing. Could plant-based diets reduce the risk of common conditions such as erectile dysfunction?
By
Donna Eastlake
Consumer confidence is crashing as financial pressures fail to ease, but what does that mean for food and beverage?
How can alternative proteins and regenerative agriculture work together?
By
Augustus Bambridge-Sutton
Despite both being sustainability-focused, regenerative agriculture and protein diversification have not always got along. How can the two sectors work together?
Protein Vision 2024
Protein Vision 2024: Big name speakers announced
By
Nicholas Robinson
Quorn, Redefine Meat, THIS, La Vie and Rude Health are among the high-profile brands providing their valuable market intelligence at this year’s Protein Vision digital event.
By
Donna Eastlake
The ageing population is growing fast, leading to a flurry of NPD, as F&B brands innovate to cater to this growing consumer group.
How to identify and engage with your target market
By
Donna Eastlake
Creating and building brand awareness, with potential customers, is essential to success. Here’s how to recognise and connect with your target market.
The US spent €1.5bn more on EU food imports and here’s why
By
Nicholas Robinson
The US has bolstered agri-food imports, making it the largest value increase of all nations buying in EU produce. China, however, reduced value imports more than any other nation.
Start-up pitch
How Roslin Technologies is making cultivated meat affordable
By
Donna Eastlake
The cultivated meat market is growing, but price remains a major barrier to success. Roslin Technologies believes it has the answer, with its animal stem cell solution.
NOVA reform: The flawed UPF classification system requires change
By
Donna Eastlake
Some nutritious foods under the current NOVA system could be demonised alongside unhealthy variants. Industry's calling for reform, but what would the next generation look like?
Could governments introduce rationing?
By
Donna Eastlake
Rationing could be a reality as populations grow and climate change bites. But would consumers support it and what would it mean for food manufacturers?
EUDR delay: The winners and losers
By
Augustus Bambridge-Sutton
The proposed EUDR delay could be a relief for many if approved, but its mooting has also been controversial. Who are the winners and losers of the delay?
By
Donna Eastlake
Diet is a leading cause of type 2 diabetes. Is intermittent fasting the solution? And what can the food and beverage industry do to engage with it?
Redefine Meat plots NPD as plant-based market 'regains sales'
By
Nicholas Robinson
Plant-based meat alternative heavyweight Redefine Meat has plotted a series of new launches and retail listings as the market rebounds following a recent tumble and stagnation.
Replacing oils and fats with water: Deep-tech start-up secures €4.2m
By
Nicholas Robinson
Healthier food-tech business MicroLub, which uses tech to replace fats and oils with water – while claiming sensory retention – has closed a €4.2 seed investment round to commercialise.
Lidl invests in own-label plant-based, targeting 25% category sales
By
Nicholas Robinson
European discounter major Lidl is betting big on plant-based following booming sales, introducing a raft of new listings under a new own-label range.
Private label grows again – why brands should be worried
By
Donna Eastlake
Private label FMCG is growing again and taking territory from big brands. But this wasn’t always the case. So, how is the category winning the battle for consumer attention?
EUDR extension greenlit by European Council as 200 NGOs call for go-ahead
By
Nicholas Robinson
The European Council has greenlit the Commission’s proposals to delay EUDR by 12 months, despite protests from hundreds of environmental and other groups calling for its immediate implementation.
Nestlé cuts profit predictions amid weak market and board reshuffle
By
Nicholas Robinson
Nestlé is making senior leadership and operational changes as the global food behemoth trims its full-year sales forecast again due to a weak market.
EUDR and getting it right: Four lessons from the RSPO
By
Nicholas Robinson
Broad unpreparedness led the world to rebel against EUDR’s enforcement. Now the clock could be reset for another 12 months, what can the global supply chain do to reach compliance?
By
Donna Eastlake
Consumer demand for ‘gut-friendly’ foods and beverages is growing fast, and industry is innovating just as quickly to meet it. So, what’s next for this seemingly unstoppable trend?
When is iron most bioavailable?
By
Augustus Bambridge-Sutton
When it comes to essential nutrients, its vital to understand when they are at their most bioavailable. Iron is no exception.
Start-up fights iron deficiency through precision fermentation
By
Augustus Bambridge-Sutton
A biotech start-up is producing iron compounds, through precision fermentation, that are more bioavailable than much naturally occurring iron in plants.
Future Food-Tech 2024
How two start-ups are improving food safety and quality with innovation
By
Augustus Bambridge-Sutton
Food safety and quality are two sides of the same coin. But how is the process of making food not only safe but beneficial for the consumer being made more efficient?
Why shoppers are turning towards costly organic food and drink
By
Nicholas Robinson
More consumers are buying pricier organic food and drink, despite continuing cost-of-living pressures, with sales expected to rocket as governments push to make organic farming central to future sustainability strategies.
By
Donna Eastlake
Brands are reformulating to improve nutritional value and reduce or remove ‘unhealthy’ ingredient levels. But this is not always a vote winner with customers. Why?
Future Food-Tech 2024
Heura sets sights beyond meat with ‘six more patents’ incoming
By
Nicholas Robinson
Heura Foods is flexing its business muscles and seeking to bolster its portfolio by expanding beyond meat alternatives into other markets, with collaboration a key tactic in its arsenal.
UPF linked to type 2 diabetes - what does this mean for industry?
By
Donna Eastlake
New research has linked ultra-processed foods to type 2 diabetes. How will this latest blow impact the food and beverage industry and is reformulation the only solution?
UK Government to create regulatory sandbox for cultivated meat
By
Augustus Bambridge-Sutton
With £1.6m funding, the new regulatory sandbox aims to streamline the novel food application process of cultivated meat in the UK.