Fats & oils

THIS Isn't Chicken Thighs will be available later this month

News

A first for plant-based chicken thighs

By Bethan Grylls

THIS introduces plant-based chicken thigh alternative which it says is the first product of its kind to be distributed nationally.

Vegetable oil prices were down year-on-year across the board in 2024. Image: Getty, Yuji Kotani

Food Manufacture exclusive

Edible oils price index: Exclusive report

By Gwen Ridler

In this exclusive report for Food Manufacture, food commodity and price data analyst Mintec explores the shifts in oil prices and the drivers behind the changes.

Beef, carrots and salad crops among the foods that could see higher price tags attached. Credit: Getty/LauriPatterson

Short read

5 foods affected by supply shocks

By Bethan Grylls

While inflation may be easing, the supply chain remains sensitive to shocks, with several food commodities likely to see continued shortages and higher prices than the years before the permacrisis era.

Danone, Synergy Flavors and LoSalt speak to Food Manufacture about reformulation. Credit: Top - Danone/Bottom - Synergy Flavors

Feature

Food and drink reformulation: the story so far

By Bethan Grylls

Accelerated by the health-conscious consumer and new UK rules, food and drink producers have been working hard to reformulate their recipes. But what have been the obstacles in their way, is there any benefit to these tweaks, and will it help curb obesity?

Egg alternatives can be used in a range of patisserie products. Credit: Puratos UK

Opinion

Cracking the egg shortage crisis in bakery

By William Dodds

Lydia Baines, marketing manager for patisserie at Puratos UK, looks at how bakeries can adapt to egg shortages in the UK by using alternatives.

Pictured: professor Chris Chuck, technical lead at the tech firmand the University of Bath  Credit:Laurie Lapworth, University of Bath

News

Clean Food Group partnership to support factory creation

By Gwen Ridler

UK-based food tech business Clean Food Group (CFG) has partnered Latin American food giant Alianza Team to help support its continued development of sustainable oils and fats and the creation of a new factory.

How does a FOSFA arbitration work? Credit: Getty/PM Images

Legal Brief

Preparing for dispute - understanding FOSFA arbitrations

By Mikhail Vishnyakov, Emily Davies and Mark Tushingham

Much of the world’s oil, grains, seeds and fats are traded via FOSFA contracts, but against a backdrop of supply chain disruption and agricultural shortages, we may see a rise in disputes. Here, three legal experts outline the key features of FOSFA arbitrations...

Kerfoot Group begins transition to Oleon brand. Credit: Getty/Klaus Vedfelt

News

Kerfoot to merge with Oleon

By Bethan Grylls

The Kerfoot Group has announced it will begin transitioning to Oleon in a bid to strengthen its ‘natural’ oil offering.

Your plant-based product's success may rely on this one element. Credit: Getty/Rocky89

Feature

The role of fats in plant-based foods

By Bethan Grylls

The experts at Cargill and Planted explain the importance of fats in meat and how they're creating successful plant-based fats to mimic desirable characteristics.

How strong is your supply chain? Credit: Getty / The_Lycan

Long read

Creating safe and secure food supply chains

By Bethan Grylls

Bethan Grylls summarises the key takeaways from our series of fireside chats presented earlier this week, sponsored by RSSL, as five food and drink leaders lend their expertise on maintaining and working towards a more secure, safer food and drink system....

It's just over a year ago since Russia invaded Ukraine sending shockwaves across Europe. Credit: Getty / Toshe_O

Long read

War in Ukraine: what’s at stake for UK food producers?

By Elena Frandino

The Ukrainian conflict has amplified food supply chain pressures and critical raw material shortages. Once-reliable imports started fading, manufacturers had no choice but to rethink their business strategies to remain viable and sustainable, writes Elena...

Dimbleby: 'They have kicked stuff down the road to the Health Disparities white paper'

Government Food Strategy shows it's 'in pocket of food industry'

By Rod Addy

The Government Food Strategy has avoided backing 'bold, evidence-based recommendations' in Henry Dimbleby's National Food Strategy that would have significantly improved the UK food system – a 'shambolic' decision, pressure groups...

Johan Westman ceo: 'The war has also affected the global economy'

AAK to exit Russia permanently

By Michelle Perrett

AAK, the global fats and oils business, is the latest company to announce it is to exit from its operations and investments in Russia, following the Ukraine war.

There isn’t yet a trusted international certification scheme for sustainable soya

Digital feature: long read

Sustainable sourcing: the challenges

By Michelle Perrett

Food and drink processors are making constant progress in tackling the sustainability of the raw materials they use, from energy, gas, packaging, to ingredients such as soy and palm oil.

The conference will tackle fat, salt and sugar reduction as well as a host of other issues

Virtual Reformulation conference: one month to go

By Rod Addy

Some of the UK's foremost experts on food and drink reformulation will offer essential insight and guidance on vital topics at Food Manufacture's virtual conference Reformulation: What Next? from 29-30 March.

Plant-based burgers can maintain their juiciness through cooking with PrimeLock+

Givaudan launch looks to improve plant-based burger mouthfeel

By Gwen Ridler

In this exclusive podcast interview, Flavio Garofalo – Givaudan global category director – discussed the development of the ingredients manufacturer's newest product PrimeLock+ and its roles in the development of plant-based burgers and meat analogues....

Jope: 'We see a bright future ahead for both nutrition and ice cream inside Unilever'

Financial roundup

Unilever and Arla UK brace for commodity cost hit

By Rod Addy

Unilever expects its commodity costs to rise by £3bn in 2022, claiming the price of soybean oil doubled in 2021, while Arla has predicted cost inflation will cause 'a slowdown in branded growth'.

MJD aims to replace diesel with GD+ in all of its logistics and haulage operations

Coca-Cola project drives take-up of greener truck fuel

By Rod Addy

A Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) project urging third party partners to slash carbon footprints has led road haulier MJD to adopt Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) drop-in biofuel GD+ across its haulage operations.

Buttriss: 'The overall package of nutrients needs to be centre stage'

Nutrition opinion

Nutrition a vital consideration in food system transformation

By Judy Buttriss

Amid concerns about the urgency of tackling climate change and the environmental impact of food systems, the fundamental importance of food as a source of nutrition and a means to good health is sometimes overlooked.

Bakery & confectionery trends: good for shoppers and the planet

Digital feature: bakery & confectionery ingredients

Bakery & confectionery trends: good for shoppers and the planet

By Michelle Perrett

The advent of COVID-19 in the UK sparked a major shift in the outlook of consumers: home baking surged and issues such as health and sustainability assumed greater importance.

Buttriss: 'We need to change the way we produce and consume food'

Nutrition Opinion

National Food Strategy Part 2: positive but chances missed

By Judy Buttriss

Part 2 of Henry Dimbleby’s recommendations to Government for a National Food Strategy, published on 15 July are ambitious and positioned to address the major challenges facing the food system: climate change, biodiversity loss, land use, diet-related...

New rules of HFSS foods risk damaging the sports nutrition industry, claimed ESSNA

Sports nutrition at risk from HFSS guidelines

By Gwen Ridler

Poorly defined restrictions on products high in fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) in the Government’s obesity regulation efforts could risk damaging the sport nutrition industry, the European Specialist Sport Nutrition Alliance (ESSNA) claims.

Buttriss: 'New opportunities may emerge now the UK has left the EU'

Nutrition opinion

Omega 3 fatty acids from transgenic plants

By Judy Buttriss

Oily fish such as mackerel, sardines and salmon are our primary dietary source of the long chain omega 3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).