How packaging influences shopper’s perception of health

Website Link (Article by Nikki Hancocks) New research provides insights into which elements of packaging have the biggest impact on the consumer’s perception of product healthiness, and how the demographics of the consumer will impact these perceptions. Packaging plays a key role in impulse purchases and a key issue for companies developing functional foods is to

How to avoid the greenwashing trap

Website Link (Article by Oliver Morrison) New reviews on misleading claims in early 2022 will pressure companies to provide concrete evidence of their sustainability credentials in an increasingly green-focused and consumer-led market. What does this new regulation mean for brands? Caroline Greenwell, Partner at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm, weighs in. With more shoppers

Consumers demand more choice and innovation in low and no alcohol drinks

Website Link (Article by Rachel Arthur) Despite the growth of the low and no alcohol category, only a third of consumers say they are satisfied with current products on the market, according to a new survey. So what can be done to improve them? Research carried out by flavour and fragrance company Givaudan across 6,000

Collection – the foundation for flexible packaging’s circular economy

Website Link (Article by Packagingeurope) Collecting flexible packaging is key for a circular economy because it sources the feedstock for future sustainable products and CEFLEX, an industry-led project, thinks minor adjustments to Europe’s existing waste systems can help send more of these soft plastics where they need to go. Around 26 million tonnes of plastic waste are

Trending plant proteins

Website Link (Article by Jeff Gelski) Surging, emerging and flourishing all could describe the plant protein category. Pea protein continues to increase in popularity and may keep surging for the rest of this decade. Other protein sources, like lupin bean, are emerging, and plant protein sales in general are flourishing. Selecting the appropriate protein source

The five post-pandemic consumer trends that are impacting the bakery space

Website Link (Article by Gill Hyslop) COVID-10 has changed the way the world works and in particular, brought forth a seismic change in consumer habits and preferences. This, says Puratos, has implications for all players in the bakery, patisserie and chocolate sectors. Drawing on insights from the company’s Taste Tomorrow platform – which monitors advanced

Can some sugars actually be healthy? FDA asks, industry responds

Website Link (Article by Ingredientsnetwork) In 2019, the Food and Drug Authority (FDA) allowed allulose to be exempt from the added and total sugar labelling requirement thanks to the way it is metabolised in the body. Could other non-traditional sugars be eligible for such an exemption? The 2019 announcement marked the first time the FDA

GMO Controversy and Its Lessons for the Cell-Cultured Meat Industry

Website Link (Article by Camille Bond) The introduction of GMO crops in the 1990s was a moment of opportunity for international agriculture—yet communications with consumers went wrong. GMO crops have been called frankenfoods, mutants, and carcinogens. According to the Pew Research Center, roughly half of U.S. adults believe that GMO foods are less healthy than GMO-free foods.

Designing cleaner meat alternatives

Website Link (Article by Jeff Gelski) The plant-based meat alternative category gushes with sales. Demand for products perceived as clean label remains a steady and strong stream. For the two trends to converge, food companies may seek to eliminate certain chemical-sounding ingredients like methylcellulose and whittle down the ingredient list by finding ways to avoid

World’s first waxed vegan cheese wheels launch in Netherlands

Website Link (Article by Ingredientsnetwork) A Netherlands-based cheesemaker called Max&Bien debuted the world’s first vegan cheese wheel coated in paraffin wax to emulate traditional-style Dutch cheeses. This vegan cheese comes in 1.2-kilogram wheels for cheese and delicatessen stores as well as 150-gram mini-wheels. The cheese itself is made from fermented wheat and comes in three