Ethical label proliferation and competition cause concern

03-Dec-2010 - Ethical labels and schemes may become too closely associated with big brands that use them and discourage competitors from adopting them too, participants in a Two Tomorrows roundtable heard.

Policymakers critical for sustainable consumption, roundtable finds

29-Nov-2010 - Political leadership is crucial to encouraging more sustainable food consumption, attendees at a Kellogg’s Breakfast Club meeting heard this month, with industry and civil society playing important roles too.

Kievit seeks certification for palm oil-based spray dried emulsions

22-Nov-2010 - FrieslandCampina Kievit will soon be able to guarantee the sustainability of ingredients containing palm oil in accordance with RSPO standards, as it is seeking certification in response to customer request and consumers demands.

Dispatches from the CIAA Congress

Partnerships and science are key to food for the future

22-Nov-2010 - The EU food sector can remain competitive and tackle challenges that lay ahead by forging strong partnerships, looking outside its own borders, and putting scientific advances to the best use, an expert panel on the future of food concluded.

Biodiversity award winners show food industry what’s possible

18-Nov-2010 - Unilever and Coop Switzlerland’s efforts to promote conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity serve as positive examples and can help push biodiversity up the agenda of the food industry, says the Union for Ethical Biotrade following the first Biodiversity Awards for the food industry.

Logo for sustainable palm oil launched by RSPO

09-Nov-2010 - The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) has launched a logo that can be displayed on product packaging to inform consumers that the palm oil within has been sourced following RSPO rules.

Dutch palm oil to be RSPO only by 2015

05-Nov-2010 - All palm oil used in The Netherlands will be certified by the RSPO by 2015, as all the suppliers and buyers in the Dutch market have signed a manifesto and pledged to work towards this goal.

‘Double pyramid’ shows healthy eating-environment link-up

13-Oct-2010 - The most environmentally-friendly foods are also those which are healthiest for humans, concludes a new study from a food and nutrition think tank that proposes a ‘double-pyramid’ of nutrition and environmental impact.

Dispatches from EFFA conference

Sustainability will be a prerequisite for flavour industry, EFFA president

12-Oct-2010 - The development of better extraction methods and control over growing fruit will enable the flavour sector to meet increasing demand for naturally sourced flavours, despite pressures of natural resources, says EFFA president.

UN says it expects EU Parliament committee to adopt aquaculture guidelines as ‘formality’

07-Oct-2010 - The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) says it believes approval of its recently drawn up aquaculture guidelines by an EU Parliament committee in January 2011 will be a “formality”.

Danisco brands xylitol as study claims low-carbon benefits for firm's production method

04-Oct-2010 - Danisco says a new independent life cycle assessment (LCA) shows that a ‘unique’ hydrolysis method for its newly branded version of the low-calorie sweetener xylitol can yield environmental impact savings of up to 99 per cent.

Simplicity and consistency urged for ethical food labels

01-Oct-2010 - Existing ethical and environmental food labels are poorly understood by consumers, and even those seeking them out struggle to understand them, consumer group Which? has found.

Berry by-products may provide ‘rich source’ of natural colour

16-Sep-2010 - Fruits from the Basella alba L. plant could provide the food industry with a new source of natural red pigments, according to new research.

Fairtrade growth brings benefits to 1.2 milion producers and workers

30-Aug-2010 - Around 1.2 million farmers and workers around the world are estimated to have benefited from Fairtrade certification and labelling schemes in 2009, says FLO, with coffee still the largest category.

Cargill recognised for food security efforts

18-Aug-2010 - Cargill’s global food safety activities have landed it recognition by the International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUoFST), which will next week present the firm with a new award in the field.

Pectin coats could provide eco-friendly oils

12-Aug-2010 - A new study has suggested that a cross-linked a pectin coat could improve the stability of natural oil bodies, making their potential for industrial use more viable.

Entries sought for new biodiversity award scheme

10-Aug-2010 - The organisers of the new Biodiversity Awards to be given at the HIE trade show in Madrid later this year are now seeking entries from companies with conservation-related initiatives or programmes linked to a product or supply chain.

Survey shows confusion between organic food and low-fat

10-Aug-2010 - A UK consumer study has uncovered serious misunderstandings about what ‘organic’ food is, with one in four people admitting confusion and one in five believing organic food is lower in fat.

TNO to explore meat alternatives and oils from algae

04-Aug-2010 - TNO has teamed up with industrial algae producer Ingrepro Renewables for a two year research project investigating the extraction of proteins, healthy oils, and possible carbohydrates from algae.

Ethics group challenges business and government to make food fairer

23-Jul-2010 - The Food Ethics Council (FEC) has published a set of recommendations to improve social justice, after its year-long Food and Fairness Inquiry. The next step involves spreading the word stimulating debate with business and government policy-makers.

Guiding principles launched to assess food’s environmental impact

13-Jul-2010 - The Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) Round Table has formally adopted ten guiding principles to give a coherent way for assessing and communicating the environmental performance of food and drink products.

Fewer UK shoppers act on sustainability concerns, says Nielsen

05-Jul-2010 - Sustainability has become a mainstream concern for UK consumers but does not necessarily translate into altered shopping behaviours, according to a new survey from The Nielsen Company.

Roundtable signs off responsible soy standards

11-Jun-2010 - New voluntary standards for the responsible production of soy have been agreed by the industry roundtable, and the first certified material from South America is expected to be in the market in 2011.

Soy growth boosted by societal change towards sustainability

11-Jun-2010 - Food companies and consumers have moved from talking about sustainability to taking action in the last 18 months, says Solae – and the societal change that is taking place will help propel more growth in the soy sector.