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The growth of US fast food chains in the UK market suggests policies to curb the proliferation of hot food takeaways need rebooting, says Nick Hughes. Last week health secretary Steve Barclay unveiled plans to fast-track “cutting-edge obesity treatments and technologies”. The government claims a new £20m fund could lead to promising medicines and digital…

Combining beef with vegetables and pulses can cut emissions and deliver on taste. What’s not to like, wonders David Burrows. Earlier this month I wrote this short news item about a study by the Stockholm Resilience Centre that looked under the bonnet of some of the sustainability claims made aboutby different food technologies, including blockchain, home delivery,…

Promises that exiting the EU would leave the UK better placed to protect the environment lie in tatters. By David Burrows. In a blog just before she became prime minister, Liz Truss claimed she was an environmentalist before it was fashionable. She joined her parents on “marches about saving our planet from CFCs and harm to…

Ministers must resist calls to pause important health and environmental regulations and reduce the cost burden on businesses in other ways, says Nick Hughes. The appointment of a new prime minister – and cabinet – brings a fresh opportunity for organisations to push their own particular agenda. Sure enough, no sooner had Liz Truss been…

Scotland’s single-use plastic bans come into force (for real) on Friday but the FPA has done little to help businesses prepare. By David Burrows. In June, regulations came into force in Scotland that restricted the manufacture and supply of plastic cutlery, plates and drinks stirrers, as well as food containers, cups and lids made of…

A paltry increase in school meal funding shows that ministers are out of touch with the pressures facing caterers, says Nick Hughes. From farms to food banks, supermarket aisles to restaurant kitchens, the rising cost of food and energy is being felt acutely across the country. Everywhere that is except in Westminster where it seems…

Brands have been drawn towards paper packaging, but is fibre’s free ride on the green wave coming to an end? David Burrows reports. The next five years will bring continued and significant substitution of plastic with fibre, in part due to environmental factors. That’s according to Neil Osment from NOA, a consultancy specialising in the…

A huge spike in commodity prices creates the perfect set of conditions for criminal activity in the food supply chain, says Nick Hughes. Next year will mark the tenth anniversary of the ‘horsegate’ scandal in which horsemeat was illegally substituted for beef in a range of retail and foodservice products. The scandal was front page…

The coffee sector is making more environmental claims than ever but brands need to tread very carefully, says David Burrows.  Why do food and drink brands greenwash? It is a question I’ve been mulling over recently after being invited on the Adventures in Coffee podcast to discuss this very hot topic.  Coffee as a sector…