Europe risks becoming a “museum of 20th century technology” unless EU rules on genetically modified (GM) crops are relaxed, government ministers have warned EU officials.
Scientific progress towards boosting food production, while minimising environmental impacts will be “doomed to failure” in the UK unless food manufacturers and retailers support primary producers with realistic prices, warns the editor of a new report,...
Developing modern technologies and the genetic modification (GM) of crops and animals are the top two of eight research priorities identified by a group of primary producers bidding to influence the government’s agri-technology strategy, due to be launched...
The government’s new chief scientific advisor, Sir Mark Walport, has stirred up the genetic modification (GM) debate by setting out his pro-GM view on the food supply chain.
Tesco is “misleading” consumers over its scrapping of a pledge to only rear poultry on soya feed that’s free of genetic modification (GM), say campaigners.
Food sustainability should begin at home a top scientist is to tell the Institute of Food Science & Technology (IFST) Spring Conference in Norwich next week.
British farmers are facing “a perfect storm” of low cereal yields and high feed costs, which could affect food manufacturing, warns the National Farmers Union (NFU).
A simple “eat less meat” message won’t wash with consumers or producers, so sustainability campaigners need to convince people to eat “better meat” as well, in order to improve the environment and public health.
It will take a food security crisis to make European consumers recognise the need for genetically modified (GM) food, warns a senior US government adviser.
The food supply chain must stop “chasing price” to avoid crises such as the horsemeat scandal and to make it fit for purpose as the global population booms, according to a new report.
Nick von Westenholtz has been appointed as the new chief executive of the Crop Protection Association (CPA) and will take up the role towards the end of January.
Manufacturers should invest in the development of 'cultured meat' as traditional animal husbandry can't meet growing global demand, says Compassion in World Farming.
Retail giant Sainsbury is to put the Red Tractor logo – formerly used for meat, poultry, dairy and fresh products – on the scrapheap, attributing the decision to what it termed “consumer confusion”.
A new collaboration between Scotbeef, Scotch Premier and Mathers will see the creation of a multimillion-pound meat processing facility aimed at safeguarding and developing the industry.
Shadow environment minister Mary Creagh has warned of the dangers of economic turmoil accompanying a break-up of the euro, which she said would dash any hopes of securing more sustainable food supplies.
We've got to produce more for less, while reducing the horrendous levels of waste along the food supply chain. Ahead of this month's Rio+20 Earth Summit, Britain's food and drink manufacturers are keen to show they are playing their part...
Environmental pressure group WWF has slammed the government for its “woefully inadequate” record in helping meat processors cut meat waste and consumers eat less meat and fewer livestock products.
The EU could lose out as the power in global agricultural production increasingly shifts east, according to a new report from the SAC’s (Scottish Agricultural Centre's) Rural Policy Centre. In the second of our two-part series, we examine the growing...
The balance of power in global food production is shifting away from national governments to multi-national firms and from western economies to emerging nations, warns a new report from SAC’s Rural Policy Centre. In the first of a two-part series, we...
European food industry body FoodDrinkEurope has joined farmers and environmentalists in a chorus of disapproval following the publication of the Commission’s plans to reform the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
Falling demand for organic products means that the government should pay less attention to lobby groups from the organic sector, claims the Crop Protection Association (CPA).
A food industry expert says that Sir David King's views on genetically modified foodstuffs are unethical and uninformed, after the government’s former chief scientific advisor told an audience that EU barriers to the technology are starving the world’s...
Food manufacturers can expect commodity prices to fall in coming months, but in the longer-term the cost of cereals and meats is likely to remain volatile.
Leading scientists and industry bosses have called for more public investment in agricultural, biotechnological and food research to enable the UK to address the huge challenges facing the world.
Global food industry giants grappled with the grim realities of food security at a meeting in Brussels last month, building on the UK government's Foresight report: The Future of Food and Farming (2011).
The Foresight report, Global Food and Farming Futures, is expected to shape the agenda. It looks to 2050 and takes a global view of the food system, considering demand, production and supply, as well as broader environmental issues.
Waves of activity involving the food industry, researchers and politicians will follow the government's Foresight Global Food and Farming Futures report, published last month.
Unilever boss Paul Polman used his time on the podium at last night's City Food Lecture in London to unveil a radical new manifesto to improve food security and launch a blistering attack on “well-meaning but ill-conceived” policies on biofuels.
The Foresight Committee’s global food security report will call for greater investment and research into technology supporting farming and global measurement of climate change influences and effects, among other themes.
Unilever has announced bold plans to halve the environmental footprint of its products and source 100% of its agricultural raw materials sustainably over the next decade.
Growing demand for meat with a clear provenance was one driver behind a multi-million pound investment programme by Vion to expand its processing operations in Scotland and create 250 new jobs.
A sensible balance between UK biofuels and food production is impossible without comprehensive data capture and land use management and proper government incentives.
As the issues surrounding food security and depleted fish stocks loom high on the political agenda, processors and retailers have been responding by...
