Next Green Thing

Covid-19 shock should provide crop protection stimulus

Covid-19 shock should provide crop protection stimulus
Plant pathogens are spreading thanks to climate change and globalisation. The threats to food security need to be taken seriously, says David Burrows. “As humans we are transfixed by diseases like malaria, HIV and TB, but we don’t think about diseases to crops. It’s about time we did.” That was from an interview I did…
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Bioplastics at a crossroads

Bioplastics at a crossroads
Questions surrounding the taxation and regulation – as well as the very definition – of bioplastics have to be resolved before we can know what the future holds for a still nascent sector, writes Nick Hughes. Amid the ongoing assault on the plastics industry, its bio-based cousin is booming. Data from trade body European Bioplastics…
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The Next Green Thing: Seaweed

The Next Green Thing: Seaweed
Did you know that feeding seaweed to cattle and sheep can significantly cut the emissions of the greenhouse gas methane – a by-product of the animals’ burping? Nick Hughes explains… Hang on a minute, I’ve been ordering crispy seaweed for years in my Chinese takeaway…..Actually, you’ve probably been eating deep-fried spring greens, although in any…
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Climate protests should act as a wake-up call

Climate protests should act as a wake-up call
Businesses planning to keep their heads down in the hope that calls for change fizzle out are likely to be disappointed, argues Nick Hughes. What should businesses make of the Extinction Rebellion climate protests that have brought paralysis to parts of Central London over the Easter period? At a practical level, many food businesses located…
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Winnow uses machine learning in new waste device

Winnow uses machine learning in new waste device
Winnow is using AI technology found in driverless cars to help chefs cut food waste and save money. The waste solutions provider this week launched Winnow Vision, a device that features an inbuilt camera that helps it learn to distinguish different foods. Winnow has been working on the new technology since 2017 and tested it…
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FOOTPRINT TRENDS: a foodservice review for the new year

FOOTPRINT TRENDS: a foodservice review for the new year
In the first of Footprint’s ‘Trends 2019’ series, Nick Hughes rounds up the year just gone and forecasts the key issues of 2019.   Looking back on 2018 The biggest issue was … Plastic. From the day in December 2017 when the episode of “Blue Planet” aired showing the blight on our oceans caused by…
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Will Pret ruling change the natural order?

Will Pret ruling change the natural order?
A ruling against Pret A Manger for using the word natural in its marketing could open the floodgates to similar complaints. By Nick Hughes. What exactly do we mean by “natural” food? The question has been at the centre of an intriguing dispute between Pret A Manger and the Real Bread Campaign which culminated recently…
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The big lab meat experiment

The big lab meat experiment
Polls suggest the UK public aren’t ready for so-called ‘clean meat’ – but change may be on the way. By David Burrows. Consumer polls must always be taken with a pinch of salt (especially those that quiz a small number of people online and are dreamed up by public relations firms), but this one caught my…
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Three disruptors to keep an eye on in 2018

Three disruptors to keep an eye on in 2018
We look at the start-ups with radical solutions for the big environmental challenges ahead. By Nick Hughes. Here at Footprint, we talk a lot about the environmental challenges facing the food industry. But with every challenge comes an opportunity for an enterprising business to create a solution. From a supplier of edible packaging to a…
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Give peas a chance

Give peas a chance
The Food Foundation’s new campaign could finally be the spur to get Britain eating more veg, writes Nick Hughes. It’s not often that the entire food sector unites around a single ambition. So hats off to the Food Foundation, whose Peas Please campaign has inspired businesses, government, civil society and public sector bodies to pull…
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