Is Plant Protein Better for You and the Planet?

“Picture protein: it’s easy to bring up a mental image of a rare, juicy steak or a plate piled high with crispy bacon. More and more though, there might be tofu, beans or quinoa on that plate. This changing picture reflects an evolution in how we understand nutrition, but also the conflicting messaging of the

Increasing the shelf-life with innovative MOF packaging

“Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) are hybrid materials with high porosity and tunable physical and chemical properties. Due to their properties, MOFs are utilized for different purposes in the food industry. Moreover, these materials display good biocompatibility and have not shown adverse reactions during testing. The incorporation of MOFs into packaging materials can provide antimicrobial properties. For

Top 10 Food Trends of 2021

“In 2020, new food and drink line extensions plummeted by 29% versus the prior three-year average in multi-outlet retailers and convenience stores, per an innovation report from IRI. (Multi-outlet retailers include grocery, drug, mass merchandisers, Walmart, club, military, and dollar stores.) The number of truly new brand introductions in 2020 was only slightly lower than

“A greener future for the dairy industry” -UV tech for safe and sustainable pastuerisation

Danish food tech start-up Lyras has developed a pasteurisation technology that it says has a lower environmental impact than traditional pastuerisation while also cutting food waste and delivering on safety and nutrition. The innovative technology is based on ultraviolet light, which it uses to remove bacteria in products like milk without heat treatment. “We have

Natural sticker to make fruit last longer, in an effort to reduce food waste

In the US, over half of fresh fruit and vegetables go to waste. But a new invention claims to extend the shelf life of fresh fruit. A simple sticker can add an extra 14 days of freshness, says StixFresh. Using natural plant compounds, the sticker creates a protective layer, slowing the ripening process. The company

Soft plastic food wrapper made with recycled content

“The prototype KitKat wrapper, which represents Australia’s opportunity to close the loop on recycling soft plastics, has been created by a coalition of companies with a shared vision. Alongside Licella, these companies include iQ Renew, Nestlé, refiner Viva Energy Australia, polymer manufacturer LyondellBasell, REDcycle, Taghleef Industries, Amcor and CurbCycle. Each company brought their individual expertise,

Plastics, pollution, food safety and waste

“The responsibility lies on the food sector and society to take up a joined-up approach to issues surrounding plastics, pollution, food safety and waste as they are interconnected. According to research from Leatherhead, single-use plastic is arousing consumers’ concerns over ocean pollution and use of fossil fuels. This is fueling real change in consumer behavior.

Food Out of Thin Air: A Novel Approach to Alternative Protein

It may sound like a silly magic trick, but in today’s rapidly evolving food industry, few things seem impossible.  Startups, such as Air Protein in Berkeley, California and Solar Foods based in Finland, are demonstrating that it may be possible to reduce greenhouse gases and drastically lower the environmental footprint of protein production by generating

Future Foods: Can we farm meat in plants?

What is PMF? PMF is the incorporation of new genes into plants, permanently or transiently, to produce proteins and essentially making them biodegradable single-use bioreactors. So why use plants instead of giant stainless-steel bioreactors? Well, plants have quite a few advantages. They are inherently safe because no human pathogens grow in plants. There is no

Towards a future with bioplastics

“Rompa first talks about the growing popularity of these materials, despite the fact that their price tend to be higher and supply is insufficient to meet demand. At the moment, bioplastics make up circa 1% of the total plastic market, but this percentage is expected to grow quickly. The paper then goes back to the