The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has set out plans to allow edible insects to remain on the market while they go through the novel foods authorisation process to assess their safety.  The plans, detailed in a public consultation, represent a “major milestone”, according to sector representatives.  The proposals would allow edible insects to remain on sale…

Campaigners are calling for a new approach to how animals are fed after a new report claimed that 40% of the UK’s most productive agricultural land is used to grow food for farm animals instead of people. WWF called for a rethink of what it called an “inherently inefficient” approach to feeding farm animals, which…

Five of the world’s biggest food and drink companies are being urged to tackle their impact on plastic pollution by switching from single-use to refillable and reusable packaging. The call came from a coalition of over 400 global organisations, including Greenpeace, the Women’s Institute and the Muslim Council of Britain, to mark World Refill Day…

The UK government has been urged to ban all unnecessary uses of so-called ‘forever chemicals’ amid warnings over their impact on health and the environment. In a letter to Defra ministers, a group of 30 civil society organisations said the entire group of per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS), which are widely used in food packaging, posed…

As many as 60% of small- and medium-sized hospitality businesses (SMEs) are failing to use a recycling service despite a large majority saying sustainability is important to them. Research from waste management company Biffa found that cost and a lack of space in which to keep bins were the two most common reasons given for…

Companies pioneering new approaches in fish feed and carbon footprinting are among those that will receive £150,000 in funding to scale up their innovations. This week Tesco and WWF announced the five start-ups that have won funding under their new Innovation Connections accelerator programme. The winners will have the chance to test and scale their…

Condiment king Heinz reckons a new paper bottle for its sauces can help it meet its net-zero targets. The carbon footprint of the packaging is “materially less than glass and plastic on a bottle-by-bottle basis” the company said in a statement. What that means isn’t quite clear (standard industry practice is to make such claims in…

Restrictions on multibuy deals and advertising of foods high in fat, salt or sugar (HFSS) are to be delayed for a year, the government has confirmed. Ministers blamed the “unprecedented global economic situation”.  Shelving the plans would give industry more time to prepare and allow the government to review and monitor the impact of the…

Pioneering start-ups in areas such as insect feed and low-carbon fertilisers are to receive funding from Tesco to fast-track sustainability innovations in the food supply chain. The supermarket giant has launched a new accelerator programme in partnership with WWF which pairs innovative start-ups with long-standing Tesco suppliers like Hilton and Muller to help scale up…

More than four in 10 (41%) consumers are unsure of what constitutes a sustainable diet, but 49% use social media to seek out answers and would happily change what they eat based on what they find. The research, commissioned by dairy company Arla, highlighted the pressure people feel when making decisions about what to eat…