The first wave of products containing a new natural sweetener from oats called OatSweet have hit shelves in the US, and the firm behind it is now in talks with leading food and beverage manufacturers about incorporating it into everything from ice cream...
More than 100 chefs have voiced their support for California GMO labeling initiative Proposition 37 via a ‘chef’s petition’ set up by Alice Waters, chef, author, and proprietor of Berkeley-based restaurant Chez Panisse.
If Californians approve controversial GMO labeling initiative Proposition 37 next month, could food industry opponents challenge it on First Amendment grounds?
Sentiment analysis tools that trawl though posts on blogs, facebook, Twitter and other online forums to help companies find out what consumers think about hot-button issues should be applied with more caution, according to one social media specialist.
Mythbusting was a key theme at the Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo (FNCE) in Philadelphia, with a parade of experts wheeled out to tackle misconceptions about everything from low calorie sweeteners and obesity, to kids' soda consumption,...
The official voter information guide on California’s Proposition 37 GMO labeling initiative inaccurately states that the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics “has concluded that biotech foods are safe”.
Prop 37 is likely to surpass Prop 65 as a source of consumer litigation in California if the controversial GMO labeling initiative gets the green light next month, predicts one San Francisco-based lawyer.
A French study on the effects of Monsanto’s genetically modified (GM) maize in rats has said little about the safety or otherwise of GM crops – but it has said plenty about how the media can be used to push an agenda.
The European Food Safety Authority says recent research linking Monsanto’s herbicide and genetically modified maize to an increased risk of cancer and premature death is of ‘insufficient scientific quality to be considered valid.’
The German food safety agency has found serious flaws in the experimental data presented in a recent study linking Monsanto’s GM maize and herbicide Roundup to cancer.
The serial entrepreneurs behind Terra Chips and Stonyfield Farms look set to achieve similar success with gourmet world cuisine brand Saffron Road - another niche brand that is rapidly moving into the mainstream, this time in the frozen food aisle.
PepsiCo has been targeted by the latest in a string of class action lawsuits alleging big brands are misleading consumers by labelling products as ‘all-natural’ when they contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
With the debate over Prop 37 heating up, a new class action lawsuit over ‘all-natural’ claims on products containing GMOs filed every week, and Monsanto in the firing line following a damaging study on GM maize, more and more manufacturers are exploring...
Friends of the Earth and the French Government have called for ‘immediate action’ against genetically modified crops as finer details of the widely reported Monsanto GM study are scrutinized among experts.
Long term exposure to even relatively low levels of Monsanto’s herbicide Roundup and a genetically modified resistant crop strain could result in a ‘greatly increased’ risk of tumors’ and premature death, according to new findings in rats.
The Natural Products Association (NPA) has come out against California’s Proposition 37 GMO labeling proposal, in part because it would prohibit members from marketing thousands of foods as ‘natural’ - even if they do not contain any genetically engineered...
It doesn’t matter whether you support Prop 37 or oppose it; whatever happens in November when Californians vote on whether or not to label GMOs, everyone loses.
If passed into law, California’s Prop 37 would not guarantee that unlabeled foods were free from GMOs, just that genetically modified organisms were not intentionally included – a provision designed to be ‘business friendly’, according to the organization...
Natural retailers have seen double-digit sales growth in every four-week period during 2012 as consumers continue to demand natural and organic foods, according to specialist market research organization SPINS.
A court in Brazil has ordered Nestlé to impose mandatory labelling for all its products in the country highlighting more than 1% genetically modified (GM) ingredients.
The food industry is digging deep to oppose California’s Proposition 37, which would mandate labeling of foods that contain ingredients derived from genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
Quorn is outpacing rivals and bringing new consumers into a frozen meat alternatives category that has lost some momentum in recent years, claims its US boss.
Milled grains and edible oils specialist Bunge is now walking the talk when it comes to collaboration with the launch of a new state-of-the-art culinary center at its Ingredient Innovation Center in Bradley, Illinois, says its North American boss.
With NGOs increasingly turning their attention to food production - and often doing a better job than the food industry of engaging with the media - the debate about issues from biotechnology to BPA will only become more polarized, one author has predicted.
The next generation of high oleic soybean oils will give the food industry a cost-effective and healthier alternative to partially hydrogenated vegetable oils (HVOs) with flavor and stability current alternatives cannot deliver, according to biotech giant...
Special edition: The New Product development process
Why is baby, toddler and kids’ food maker Plum Organics’ track record at producing sucessful new products better than average - in fact way better than average?
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.
With the row over Mayor Bloomberg’s soda ban intensifying, major investments in innovation from Tate & Lyle and BASF, business updates from Sara Lee and Kraft and the passing of the farm bill, June was an action-packed month in food and drink.
The American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates has called for mandatory pre-market safety testing of genetically engineered (GE) foods – but said there is currently no reason to label them.
Do consumers care whether the ingredients in their favorite foods are produced sustainably, and whether the people that produce them are treated fairly?
While ‘all-natural’ and ’no additives & preservatives’ were still among the most popular food and drink label claims in the US last year, the fastest growth was in economy, low/no/reduced allergen, high-protein and low/no/reduced saturated fat claims,...
Dispatches from the 6th Annual Food Technology & Innovation Forum, 2012, Chicago
If you didn’t make it to Chicago for the Food Technology and Innovation Forum last week – or were too busy speed-dating with suppliers in the exhibition hall to attend the conference - we’ve rounded up some of the best bits…
The Californian ‘Right to Know’ campaign in support of labeling foods and ingredients produced using genetic engineering looks set for inclusion in the state’s November ballot, after it attracted nearly a million signatures. If enacted, what would the...
What’s in a name? Everything, when it comes to ‘cleaning’ up ingredients declarations, says National Starch/Corn Products International, which has launched an online hub at cleanlabelinsights.com to collate the latest research and market data to help...
Star-K Kosher Certification has begun providing triple inspections to certify plants and products as non-GMO, organic and kosher, which it says can save companies time and money on individually conducted inspections.
Chef Eric Ripert added his voice to the million others supporting genetically modified ingredient labeling during his keynote speech at the Research Chefs Association conference on Friday, but said consumers need to increase their food budgets if they...
The threat of civil litigation is now so great that food manufacturers using any ingredients not found in ‘Grandma’s kitchen cupboard’ should think twice about making ‘all-natural’ claims on pack, according to one firm specializing in food label compliance.
A class action lawsuit filed in California this week argues that steviol glycosides should not be considered natural, owing to the "chemical processing" sometimes used to extract them from the stevia leaf.
Fifty-five members of Congress have written to FDA commissioner Margaret Hamburg in support of a petition urging the labeling of genetically engineered (GE) foods and food ingredients.
Hearts and minds need to be won in the battle to commercialise nanotechnology, if it is to avoid going the same way as GM food, according to a new study.
A petition calling for food manufacturers to state on labels whether their products contain genetically engineered ingredients has attracted more than 850,000 comments, claim organizers of the Just Label It campaign.
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.
Attempts to link ‘all-natural’ clean-labeling policies with the healthy eating agenda have been so successful that research now shows shoppers equate ‘healthy’ with ‘natural’ or ‘minimally processed’ foods.
Consumer groups have petitioned the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to alter the process by which it assesses the safety of AquaBounty’s fast-growing genetically engineered (GE) salmon.
Non-GMO Project Verified has become the fastest growing food eco-label in North America, as sales of certified products hit $1bn in 2011, according to findings unveiled at Organic Monitor’s Sustainable Foods Summit in San Francisco last month.