With R&D departments at some food manufacturers pared down to the bone as bosses slash overheads to control costs, open innovation has moved from a hot topic on the conference circuit to a practical necessity, says Ingredion CEO Ilene Gordon.
A completely new source of the coveted long chain omega-3s EPA and DHA should be commercialized by the end of the decade thanks to a multi-million-dollar tie up between ingredient giants BASF and Cargill to produce the next generation of canola oils.
Interview: Samy Jandali, VP Nutrition & Health, North America, BASF
Chat to any major ingredients supplier at a trade show and you can expect to hear liberal use of buzzwords from ‘partnership’ and ‘collaboration’ to ‘open innovation’ says Samy Jandali.
Day two of the IFT annual meeting and expo in Las Vegas, and the FoodNavigator-USA team was still standing (just about), roaming the aisles in search of innovation, inspiration (and free snacks)...
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) reporting is increasing rapidly in the United States, and as more companies get on board, the most important food industry-specific issues are becoming better defined, according to a Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)...
Hershey plans to increase the amount of cocoa it sources from Mexico by initiating a $2.8m crop growing programme in partnership with Ecom Cocoa that it says will boost yields in Southern Mexico.
Fair Trade imports into the US grew 75% in 2011, as food manufacturers look to secure their supply chains through more direct contact with suppliers - and as they bet on growing demand from 'conscious consumers', says Fair Trade USA president...
More than 25,000 firms from small farms to PepsiCo and Kraft are now using an online platform for managing ethical supply chain data called Sedex (Supplier Ethical Data Exchange).
Do consumers care whether the ingredients in their favorite foods are produced sustainably, and whether the people that produce them are treated fairly?
Food companies’ demand for sustainably sourced ingredients is increasing rapidly – but supply of certified ingredients is not keeping up, according to ISEAL, the global association for sustainability standards.
Foods with ‘on-the-go’ claims represent a small - but rapidly growing - proportion of global new product launches, but firms that want to cash in need to think about health and quality as well as convenience, says Mintel.
Cacao pod husks – a major by-product of cocoa processing – could provide industry with a new, environmentally friendly source of pectin, say researchers.
Demand for cocoa is expected to climb 30% in the next 10 years creating a 25% shortage of current supply, according to North American cocoa processor and chocolate ingredients supplier Blommer Chocolate Company.
From stevia to monk fruit, oats, agave nectar and coconut palm sugar. In the second of our spring special editions, we look at what’s next for natural sweeteners.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has expanded its partnership with the World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) in a bid to boost cocoa production in developing countries and improve livelihoods for cocoa farmers.
The decision by retailers to remove finely textured beef (FTB) - aka ‘pink slime’ - from ground beef products was “disappointing but understandable given the immense volume of misinformation and hyperbole” surrounding the product, according to Cargill.
Plant protein specialist Burcon has failed to reach a deal to commercialize its ‘invisible’ pea protein isolate Peazazz before the exclusivity period with a potential partner lapsed.
The food industry could promote meat and dairy substitutes ‘like digital technology’ to tackle climate change, suggests former World Bank environmental adviser Robert Goodland.
Meat consumption would need to be reduced by 50% per person in order to meet nitrous oxide reduction targets set out in an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) draft report, according to a new study.
Success in the developing markets of Latin America, Africa and Asia combined with an ‘impressive’ innovative platform has secured strong Q1 results for Givaudan’s flavour business, according to one analyst.
The chief executive of BioExx - a Canadian firm trying to bring canola protein to the mass market - says he is convinced it can be even bigger than soy, despite the frustratingly slow pace of progress on the commercialization front.
Once the preserve of sweaty men pumping iron, protein has emerged from an image overhaul as the ingredient of choice for food developers targeting consumers of all ages and both genders keen to battle the bulge and stay strong, according to one trends...
A new method to extract compounds from 'low value' mustard seed waste could provide industry with a new source for natural food preservatives, according to a team of Canadian researchers.
There's a lot of gas about using natural and sustainable ingredients in foods, but is industry throwing one free and natural ingredient out of the window without considering its potential?
For the third year running, soy ingredients company Solae has been recognized by the Ethisphere Institute as one of the World’s Most Ethical (WME) companies, but it is still the only food ingredients company on the list.
Sustainability in food supply chains is likely to become crucial to the food industry as the global population expands – and it is also central for companies’ long term financial health, according to Stefano Crea, global director of food and beverage...
Using pea or bean flour instead of rice flour in gluten free products could significantly improve their nutritional profile, according to one expert on celiac disease.
Canadian plant protein specialist Burcon NutraScience says it remains confident of finding a new partner to commercialize its canola proteins after it emerged that ADM will not now be taking the proteins to market – after eight years of talks.
Tara gum and locust bean gum are being touted as credible guar gum replacers in light of the high prices and lack of supply for food grade guar, claims a hydrocolloid expert.
Processing has become a dirty word, but we are going to need more processing, not less, in order to feed a growing population, according to professor and head of food science at Penn State University John Floros.
The World’s first burger made entirely from laboratory grown test-tube meat could be ready 'by fall' say the team of Dutch researchers behind the project.
Ashland Specialty Ingredients has introduced two new cellulose gum products to provide alternatives to guar gum, for which the food industry has seen tight supply and higher prices since late 2010.
Waste from pineapple processing could provide a range of value added ingredients for the food industry, including a new source of the enzyme bromelain, say researchers.
Cargill’s reuse of methane, water-saving strategies from ConAgra and Coca-Cola, and Campbell Soup’s energy efficiency measures are among sustainability success stories highlighted in a new report from the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA).
"At least 12 major players in the food industry" are testing canola protein from BioExx, while a tie up with Century Foods to develop canola-protein-based sports products is also progressing well, claims the veggie protein specialist.
Proposed legislation to formalize an agreement over welfare conditions for egg laying hens been criticized by farmers for involving the politics of animal welfare, and an animal welfare organization for endorsing “abusive confinement systems”.
So, the US imports quite a lot of orange juice from Brazil. The fact that so many are surprised by that underlines (again) how poorly we understand our food supply.
Stabilized rice bran (SRB) specialist NutraCea has finally paid off all of its creditors 14 months after emerging from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
The discovery of a 'nourishing gene' that controls how nutrients are distributed in plants and crops could offer hope for improved crop yield and increased food production, say researchers.
Debate is heating up over how to calculate the proportion of greenhouse gas emissions from meat and dairy production, with ongoing disagreement among academics over varying study methodologies.
Forget goji berries and noni juice. Tart cherries, blueberries and other more familiar fruits are likely to trump their exotic cousins in 2012 as shoppers tire of Orac-tastic superfruits, according to trend watcher Hartman Group.
Health- and eco-conscious consumers are just as interested in the ingredients their foods do not contain as those that make it onto the ingredient list – but price remains a top priority, according to a new survey.
The responsible approach to considering whether genetically engineered (GE) salmon pose a risk to the environment is to assume that the fish will escape and disregard assurances from the company that they would not, said Senator Mark Begich at a committee...
The vast majority of Kraft Foods’ carbon emissions come from outside its manufacturing facilities, according to a survey mapping its environmental footprint, but the full picture may look quite different as full results are withheld.
Companies should be concerned about their environmental sustainability - but it has more to do with ensuring profitability than it does with saving the planet, according to president of Bluehorse Associates Sara Pax.
