Food suppliers are reporting increased packaging, energy and ingredients costs amid a general fall in business confidence linked to Brexit uncertainty. The Food and Drink Federation’s (FDF) latest business confidence survey also revealed that over a third (38%) of food and drink manufacturers surveyed are facing rising costs as a result of stockpiling ahead of…

Businesses need to involve themselves more deeply in sustainable food and nutrition initiatives if the food system is to move onto a more sustainable path. This was one of the key conclusions of a new report by SustainAbility and WWF which mapped existing global initiatives addressing sustainable food systems and diets and identified opportunities and…

Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Nestlé were the most frequent companies identified in 239 litter clean-ups and brand audits spanning 42 countries and six continents, according to campaign group Break Free From Plastic. Teams audited over 187,000 pieces of plastic waste, identifying thousands of different brands. The worst offenders, in order of most frequent brands collected in…

Aldi customers care more about fair working conditions in the supply chain than those who shop at other major supermarkets. However, Aldi came bottom of an independent scorecard this year that assessed human rights policies in the food chain. The new YouGov poll, commissioned by Oxfam, showed that 87% of Aldi shoppers believe it is…

Supermarkets and fast-food outlets face restrictions on promoting ‘junk’ foods under new proposals put forward by the Scottish Government. Outlawing super-sizing and free refills of sugary soft drinks, clamping down on multi-buy promotions, and restricting junk food at checkouts are among actions being considered to improve Scotland’s health. Other restrictions on foods high in fat,…

Almost half of British consumers mistrust fanciful claims made about the benefits of food products, according to new analysis. Marketplace OnBuy.com analysed data from the NFU Mutual’s Food Fraud Report 2018 to find the food product features consumers trust the least. It found that “far-fetched claims about benefits” and foods with a “label text in…

Consumers are largely unaware of acrylamide and its potential effects, with only around one in five having heard of the contaminant. Acrylamide is generated when the sugar and amino acids in starchy foods transform during heating. The changes enhance the taste of the cooked food and will often give it a brownish colour. However, the…

A new People's Manifesto for Wildlife has put forward 200 proposals to revive the natural world and prevent an “ecological apocalypse”. The manifesto is the brainchild of naturalist and TV presenter Chris Packham and includes a number of measures to reduce the impact of the food chain on the natural environment. They include a focus…

Nearly half (48%) of British adults are less likely to buy meat if they cannot be sure it has been produced in the UK, while around two in five (42%) place the risk of food mislabelling among their top three concerns for imported food standards following Brexit. The survey commissioned by Oritain, a forensic traceability…

Low income families would need to spend almost half of their after-housing income on food in order to eat a healthy diet, new research has found. Analysis by the Food Foundation compared the estimated cost of Public Health England’s (PHE) Eatwell Guide with household income. It found that the bottom 20% of families would have…