Foodservice News and Information

Latest Foodservice News information for businesses, consumers, restaurants, school and hospital cafeterias, catering operations and food service industry providers.

The Friday Digest: Environment plan lacks teeth

<strong>The Friday Digest: Environment plan lacks teeth</strong>
The UK government has lofty ambitions for the environment – on paper at least. This week’s environmental improvement plan was described in Rishi Sunak’s foreword as “a blueprint not just to halt the decline of nature in our country but to reverse it”. Reaction to the plan – a legal requirement under the Environment Act 2021 – suggested…
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Food levy and eco-labels should feature among net-zero nudges

<strong>Food levy and eco-labels should feature among net-zero nudges</strong>
The UK government should introduce a supplier-facing carbon levy on food to incentivise more sustainable production methods and product innovation, according to behaviour change experts. Researchers from The Behavioural Insights Team (formerly the government’s ‘nudge’ unit) said such a levy should be based on the carbon intensity per portion of the food and should focus…
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Schools key to increasing fruit and veg consumption

<strong>Schools key to increasing fruit and veg consumption</strong>
Policy makers should promote fruit and vegetable consumption in schools by making it a requirement that two portions of vegetables are included in each meal. The call was made in new research into how UK policymakers can boost fruit and vegetable production and consumption. Researchers suggested that England’s school food standards should be strengthened to require that…
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Food and drink targeted in new greenwash offensive

Food and drink targeted in new greenwash offensive
Regulators have stepped up their war against greenwash by targeting environmental claims made for household essentials. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) will focus on claims made for everyday foods, drinks and toiletries amid concerns that shoppers are being misled. The latest move marks an expansion of the CMA’s work to ensure products and services…
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Scottish reuse trial sees disposables slashed

Scottish reuse trial sees disposables slashed
Hospitality businesses in Scotland are being urged to ditch single-use packaging after a pilot scheme saw a significant fall in the use of disposable items when reusable alternatives were made available. The 12-month long pilot run by Zero Waste Scotland (ZWS) saw common disposable items such as sauce sachets and takeaway cups replaced with reusable…
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Health & Nutrition Elite Honoured

Health & Nutrition Elite Honoured
Health and nutrition returned to the limelight today as the awards were presented for the 2023 Health & Vitality Honours.  After a pandemic induced hiatus of two years, Health & Vitality Honours returned to the industry awards scene to showcase best practice in the delivery of health and nutrition throughout the out of home food…
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Friday digest: Bans on plastic, bold food policies and energy firms behaving badly

Friday digest: Bans on plastic, bold food policies and energy firms behaving badly
This week's digest is overflowing with news on healthy diets, mandatory ecolabelling schemes, dairy stats and the concept of ‘peak meat’. But first: the (official) decision to ban a range of single-use plastic items – including plates, bowls and cutlery – has been making headlines all week. Small businesses, like fish and chip shops, could well struggle…
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Plastic bans announced for England

Plastic bans announced for England
The UK government has announced that it will ban a range of single-use plastic items later this year.  Plastic plates, trays, bowls, cutlery, balloon sticks, and certain types of polystyrene cups and food containers are all for the chop come October 1st, 2023. The market restrictions also include compostable, biobased and biodegradable plastics. However, they will not…
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Not all plant-based diets are healthy and sustainable

<strong>Not all plant-based diets are healthy and sustainable</strong>
Plant-based diets are not universally healthy and environmentally sustainable, according to a new study. Harvard researchers found significant differences in the health and environmental outcomes between different types of plant-based foods, writes Jack Thompson.  Healthy plant-based food is more sustainable, the experts discovered, in what they claim is one of the first studies to simultaneously analyse…
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