Behind the Headlines

  • Get real about the race to net zero

    Get real about the race to net zero

    In the rush to make a public net zero commitment some companies are failing to question the intrinsic sustainability of their business models, argues Nick Hughes. Has your business set a net zero target for carbon emissions? If the answer… Read More

  • Meat bites back

    Meat bites back

    Regenuary is a provocative alternative to Veganuary. But can it encourage a more nuanced debate about ‘better’ meat? David Burrows reports. In the past couple of years Veganuary has hogged the headlines as Brits promise to give up meat and… Read More

  • Are new calorie targets an empty threat?

    Are new calorie targets an empty threat?

    PHE has published demanding new guidelines for calorie reduction, but with the body due to be axed and targets still voluntary will businesses take them seriously? Nick Hughes reports. In March 2018, PHE published a paper which challenged all sectors… Read More

  • Is Wrap’s new meat initiative a wasted opportunity?

    Is Wrap’s new meat initiative a wasted opportunity?

    A new food industry coalition aims to reduce meat waste and achieve net zero emissions. But a lack of foodservice representation and no focus on consumption risk diminishing its impact, says Nick Hughes. Read More

  • Will extreme weather leave the Out of Home sector high and dry?

    Will extreme weather leave the Out of Home sector high and dry?

    A record breaking dry spell poses a threat to both food production and pricing at a time when the foodservice industry is suffering the effects of Covid-19, writes Nick Hughes. Bad news comes in threes, or so the saying goes.… Read More

  • Covid-19: Year dot for CSR

    Covid-19: Year dot for CSR

    The way in which businesses respond to the crisis will provide a baseline against which all future claims of corporate responsibility will be judged, argues Nick Hughes. Corporate social responsibility has always been a difficult discipline to assess. Almost every… Read More

  • Unpacking the problem with life cycle analyses

    Unpacking the problem with life cycle analyses

    Companies are desperate to understand which packaging materials have the lowest environmental impact, but are life cycle analyses being manipulated and misused to present skewed results? By David Burrows Huhtamaki’s new life cycle analysis (LCA) research comparing different types of… Read More

  • Greenwash: the dirty word is back

    Greenwash: the dirty word is back

    In the post-Blue Planet era of anti-plastic sentiment, dubious claims regarding biodegradability and sustainability are on the rise, finds David Burrows. But are companies being crafty or just confused? Last year, Ancol Pet Products ran the following claim on its… Read More

  • GLASS HALF FULL: meals matched and ingredients tracked

    GLASS HALF FULL: meals matched and ingredients tracked

    Our latest roundup of worthy initiatives features two smaller players with a big appetite for making a difference. Transparency tracker. The threat to food safety posed by Brexit is well known to policy makers who are busy scrambling to plug… Read More

  • Plastics package: polls apart and stirring trouble

    Plastics package: polls apart and stirring trouble

    UKHospitality seeks a delay on stirrers ban, recycling rates are on the up – and our inbox is swamped by surveys. By David Burrows. Here at the Package we have been considering a ban – a ban on consumer polls… Read More