Governments and businesses are being challenged to step up action on food waste in order to meet the challenge of halving food loss and waste by 2030. A new report by the World Resources Institute (WRI) identifies the “massive” scale of the challenge to meet the SDG target with nearly a third of all food…

Foodservice businesses in Scotland could soon have to show calorie contents on their menus as the government’s advisors announced a raft of measures to make food eaten out of home (OOH) healthier. The recommendations – put forward in a public meeting of the Food Standards Scotland (FSS) board last week and backed by science and…

Greggs is planning to release vegan versions of many of its best-selling items, according to CEO Roger Whiteside. The innovation team at the high street chain are “plugging away” to come up with the new lines, said Whiteside in an interview with LBC. "If we can succeed in doing that and produce something that tastes…

British food, water and air quality standards are all under threat as vital inspections plummet and laws are no longer enforced, according to new research. Unchecked, a project of The Ecology Trust, found significant declines in the budgets and staff of enforcement agencies overseeing vital areas of public policy – including environmental protection, health and…

School meal nutrition standards could be revised or dropped in the event of a no-deal Brexit, according to the BBC. Internal local council planning documents seen by the broadcaster show use of fresh produce could fall and special dietary requirements might be “difficult to meet”. Some also mention the use of food banks. “Some councils…

There are currently 7,022 independent cafés operating in the UK, with an estimated value of £2.4bn. By 2024, the number of outlets could be in excess of 8,000, according to new data compiled by Allegra. UK independents currently serve more than 10.5 million cups of coffee each week. But with branded chains often competing on…

A new workplace cup recycling service is promising to turn millions of paper cups into high end fibre goods such as packaging for perfumes and colognes. Coffee and vending machine supplier Selecta UK has partnered with waste contractor Veolia to introduce its SelectaGreen Cup Recycling Service at locations including train stations, schools and hospitals. Customers…

Millions of miniature plastic toiletries will be removed from Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza hotels as part of a commitment by owner InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) to tackle plastic waste. The company has announced its entire hotel estate of almost 843,000 guest rooms will switch to bulk-size bathroom amenities such as refillable ceramic dispensers. IHG…

An alliance made up of environmental and legal NGOs and journalist bodies is calling on the government to drop a so-called “secrecy provision” included in its Environment Bill. The group consisting of over 30 organisations wrote in an open letter to new environment secretary Theresa Villiers that restrictions on the requirement for a new Office…

The government is being urged to impose a tax on processed foods containing excessive calories to help tackle obesity. The campaign group Action on Sugar and Action on Salt said a calorie levy on all energy dense processed foods that meet an agreed criteria would help encourage product reformulation and reduce fat, saturated fat and…