Inside Food: Issue 23

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In this issue of Inside Food, we profile technological food processing equipment, find out more about protein and learn more about the organic uprising.

We also ask what is behind the increase of product recalls, as well as discovering whether the declining bee population could be replaced with robots.

Finally, we analyse date labels on packaging, look at insects as a source of sustainable food production and speak to small farmers about cocoa crops and production.

In this issue 

New Transformation

New technologies such as high pressure processing, high voltage protein treatment and ohmic heating are opening doors within industry collaborations. However in terms of sustainability, nutritional value and bioavailability, what are the advantages of these transformation processes and what have recent results in innovation taught us about obtaining more active compounds?

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Special Focus: Protein

Responding to growing demand for swapping traditional protein for alternative ingredients means that the industry is investing in new product development. Consumers are aware of the importance of protein and are keen on finding alternative protein types to traditional meat and dairy sources. We find out more about the key drivers in the protein industry.

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Organic Uprising

The organic market continues to grow, up 6.3% in the 52 weeks to August which is expected to exceed £2.2 billion in sales by year end – it’s highest yet. The top three sales categories are fresh produce, dairy and grocery which have driven the growth. Grocery alone added an enormous 39% increase in sales over the last four years. We find out what is behind the product growth and whether the same trend could be seen in other categories.

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Bring it Back

As of May 2017 recalls of poultry were at their highest level in over a decade in the UK, with 9 out of 10 recalled poultry meat being contaminated with potentially deadly bacteria. Aside from poultry, chocolate and eggs have also seen recent product recalls over salmonella and plastic contamination. We ask what is behind the high level of recalls and what the industry is doing about it.

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Bees Vs Robots

70% of crops need pollination; however the bee population is drastically decreasing due to pesticides, disease and habitat loss. The staggering decline of bees has worrying implications for humans as we would lose 1/3 of nutritious food. Now robotic bees have been suggested as a solution to the problem. We find out more about the proposed solution.

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Date Labels

Durability labels on food serve two main purposes – the ‘best before’ date indicates that consumers can use the food after the date however it may be of lower quality whilst the ‘use by’ date is stated on perishable foods where consumers risk food poisoning if it is consumed after the date stated. Now the industry has vowed to streamline the labels to avoid any confusion in an attempt to reduce food waste. We find out more about the changes and what consumers can expect to see in the future.

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Ingredients Focus: Insects

The UK government’s waste agency has said that alternative protein sources will be needed for humans and livestock to reduce land and energy use. Entomophagy (the consumption of insects) is one of the suggested ways of feeding the growing population with the most commonly eaten bugs being beetles, caterpillars, bees, wasps and ants.

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Coffee and Cocoa Crops

Economic pressures in the developing countries where coffee and cocoa crops are grown mean constant compromises by the small farmers involved.  ‘Pop up’ gold mines and other industries lead to pollution affecting agriculture; large areas of rainforest are destroyed for cash crops; areas of cultivation are abandoned when prices drop.

Read more. 

Next issue preview 

In the next issue of Inside Food, we find out how millenials are driving the worldwide shift away from the meat sector, learn more gluten-free snacks as well as plant-based desserts.

We also ask what new initiatives the industry has taken in the battle against food waste, shine the spotlight on avocados and ask whether on-pack contents contain enough information for consumers.

Finally we discover how science and technology is shaping agriculture and explore how seasonal packaging is utilising personalisation techniques.

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