Bill Gates tackled global hunger in a live web debate on Friday (June 7), the eve of the Big IF London Hyde Park rally, part of the Enough Food For Everyone IF campaign against starvation.
Sales of green products and services increased right through the recent economic downturn, with sales of organic foods and beverages among the leading categories, a new report says.
Throwing away food is like stealing from the table of the poor and the hungry
Bumper corn and wheat crops are expected to help the price of commodities fall this year, increasing food affordability and security, says the latest scores from the Global Food Security Index (GFSI).
Changes to sugar policy in the United States enshrined in the 2008 farm bill have destabilized sugar prices and supplies, resulting in higher costs for consumers, manufacturers and now taxpayers, according to a new report from consultancy Agralytica.
Plum Organics co founder and CEO Neil Grimmer said the company will stay true to its mission within the Campbell fold, including maintaining its commitment to its values as a B Corporation.
Given the choice, most consumers say they prefer to get their nutrition from eating ‘real’ food - not popping pills - and ideally, foods ‘naturally’ rich in the desired nutrients.
Best Organics, a Boulder, CO-based company that offers organic food gift baskets, is the latest to take the plunge into B Corporation status. It solidified the company’s outward profile, but also brought some surprises through introspection.
The Kroger Co. has moved to lower its carbon footprint by using food processing waste and unsold food to generate biogas to power a distribution facility in Compton, CA.
Big interview: Cathy Enright, EVP, food & agriculture, Biotechnology Industry Organization
When it comes to winning hearts and minds about the merits of genetically engineered ingredients (and whether to alert consumers to their presence on food labels), it’s fair to say that the biotech industry has not done a great job.
Cocoa processing is increasingly moving to origin countries, particularly those in regions where chocolate consumption is rising such as Brazil and Indonesia, according to ADM Cocoa’s head of innovation.
Fair Trade USA claims that draft changes to its labeling policy allowing brands with 20% certified ingredients to carry its logo are justified in composite products like chocolate because components like sugar are mainly sourced domestically in the US...
Not-for-profit organization Fair World Project has criticized changes to Fair Trade USA's labeling policy, which allows chocolate to carry the seal when it contains a high percentage of other ingredients like sugar that are not fairly traded.
Some of the world’s biggest agriculture firms have united with food industry and scientific partners to form a steering committee, intended to share initiatives for achieving a sustainable global food and water supply chain.
One of the inventors of the B Corporation concept, Andrew Kassoy, said his goal was to find a way to harness the entrepreneurial spirit to solve social problems. Along the way, he discovered that a new corporate structure was needed to support that mission.
The US’s largest natural foods retail cooperative PCC Natural Markets claims it has become the first grocer in the nation to sell chocolate made only from ethically sourced cocoa.
Biotech firm Dynamic Food Ingredients (DFI) Corporation is a step closer to commercialising technology it claims could slash production costs for the bulk sweetener erythritol, opening up new opportunities for the food industry.
A new foundation has come together to help transfer technology from federal scientists into new food products and strategies that could help combat obesity and find sustainable ways to feed the world’s growing population.
Monsanto has joined forces with DSM to commercialize a genetically engineered soybean oil rich in the omega-3 fatty acid SDA (stearidonic acid) that can offer a more cost-effective means of adding omega-3s to foods without the flavor, stability and shelf-life...
Our approach to food is ripe for reinvention – and the food industry is just at the beginning of what it can achieve through innovation, according to Microsoft mogul and co-founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Bill Gates.
All confectionery categories will grow in Mexico over the next five years, but gum will grow the fastest and confectioners can capitalize with products enriched with vitamins and minerals, according to research from Canadean.
BioExx Specialty Proteins plans to close its Saskatoon canola protein plant but says it is in advanced negotiations with potential joint venture partners about employing the technology used there at a brand new facility in Europe.
Food safety, quality and financial issues are considered the top three risks to business for most food companies, but sustainable supply is emerging as a growing area of concern, according to a new survey from DNV Business Assurance.
Hershey has called attacks on its text messaging tips for farmers program CocoaLink “disingenuous” after a group of NGOs questioned the effectiveness of the project.
The industry has pledged $10m in new funds since 2010 to eliminate the worst forms of child labor, but a newly released report says the job is far from over.
The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) has welcomed the decision of the world’s biggest sovereign wealth fund to pull investment from certain palm oil companies – but has disagreed with its divestment from firms that are on the path to RSPO certification.
As moves to secure GMO labeling continue to gain momentum at a state level, Whole Foods Market has “put a stake in the ground” and made a commitment to label all products containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in its US and Canadian stores by...
Oxfam has called on the three biggest chocolate manufacturers to conduct independent audits on conditions for women on cocoa farms supplying their factories after finding evidence of unequal pay, discrimination and hunger.
Big interview: Ingrid Hirstin Lazcano, CEO, Andean Dream
A technical paper produced by NASA in 1993 observes: "While no single food can supply all the essential life sustaining nutrients, quinoa comes as close as any other in the plant or animal kingdom.”
Oxfam will step up its campaign to improve the treatment of people and resources that form part of the supply chain of the world’s biggest food conglomerates, after it cast industry responses to its damning Behind the Brands report as ‘bland’ and ‘complacent’.
Back in the 6th century BC, Pythagoras was doing his bit to promote a vegetarian diet (‘what wickedness to swallow flesh into our own flesh…’). These days Paul McCartney is flying the flag. But is a plant-based diet really better for us and the planet?...
Dispatches from the 6th International Congress on Vegetarian Nutrition
If the evidence that plant-based diets are better for human health is compelling, the evidence that they are better for the planet is indisputable, delegates at the 6th International Congress on Vegetarian Nutrition were told.
Unilever and Nestlé say Oxfam missed an opportunity for a wider and more comprehensive debate about food ethics after the NGO published a damning report on the supply chains of the world’s biggest food firms this week.
Associated British Foods – worst-in-class in an Oxfam report critical of 10 food giants for essentially operating under a corporate social responsibility (CSR) “veil of secrecy” – has hit back, slamming the report ‘s findings as “ridiculous”.
Dispatches from the 6th International Congress on Vegetarian Nutrition
People following an energy unrestricted plant-based diet supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil or nuts can reduce their risk of a major cardiovascular event by 30% compared with people following a purely low-fat diet, according to a “landmark” new...
Dispatches from the 6th International Congress on Vegetarian Nutrition
People on a plant-based diet are consistently slimmer and healthier than meat eaters, with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes, according to research unveiled at the 6th International Congress on Vegetarian Nutrition (ICVN).
Focusing on eating ‘better’ meat could attract broader acceptance than a simple ‘eat less meat’ message and benefit the environment, people’s health and animal welfare, according to a new report from WWF-UK and the Food Ethics Council.
Herbal Papaya, a company founded on the health benefits of the fruit, will launch a complete line of food, beverage and supplement products at the Expo West trade show in March. A key part of the company’s message is that all of its products are non...
Fresh juices and foods subjected to high pressure processing (HPP); protein - especially at breakfast; cage-free hen eggs; premium private label; fermented foods; culinary botanicals; and edible packaging could all be hot trends this year, predicts trend...
A longstanding diagnostic tool called Lifecycle Assessment (LCA) is increasingly being used to look at the sustainability bona fides of food products, according to a leading third-party certifier. Using the tool can help quantify all of the inputs that...
Sales of natural products featuring third party certifications surged in 2012, according to new data from SPINS, with non-GMO project verified products leading the charge (+18%), followed by Fair Trade USA (+17%), Certified Gluten Free (+17%), and Certified...
Barry Callebaut has announced that it is switching to Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) certified palm oil for compounds and filling at most plants.
Special edition: Protein-rich foods… the next generation
Protein has never been hotter - at least that’s what the market researchers tell us - and vegetarian proteins in particular are top of the pops right now.
The chocolate industry is behind in tackling some cocoa supply issues and must work more closely to avert shortages, according to Mars’ head of sustainability.
Increased use of phosphorus in food products since the 1960s is now putting pressure on the sustainable supply of the essential mineral, warn researchers.
A proliferation of eco-labels could have adverse consequences, as food manufacturers question the value of certification schemes in light of a fragmented market and multiple fees, according to Organic Monitor.
