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Baysanto merger threatens the future of sustainable farming
Bayer’s $62.5 billion purchase of Monsanto would create a corporate giant endangering organic and independent farmers. By Honor Eldridge. On March 21st, Bayer won approval for its $62.5 billion (£44 billion) purchase of Monsanto. The EU competition commissioner, Margrethe Vestager,…
Playing poker with calories
The food industry has much to gain by embracing the government’s latest calorie challenge. But reticence will inevitably lead to regulation, writes David Read. “Britain needs to go on a diet,” said Duncan Selbie, chief executive at Public Health England…
Forget the consumer: the citizen is king
Companies need to stop pigeonholing people as merely buyers and start engaging with them meaningfully. By Anna Cura. Growing up, we’ve all had our share of nicknames. From endearing to tongue-in-cheek, they have the tendency to stick through the years…
Let’s (not) talk turkey these holidays
It’s been billed as the most meat-free December yet, but vegan and vegetarian food isn’t just for Christmas. Just don’t shout about it, says David Burrows. One in four millennials are either vegan, vegetarian or flexitarian, and 44% of all…
Food For Life’s success can teach schools a lesson
The Soil Association’s programme is boosting pupils’ fruit and veg consumption and could hold the key to the obesity crisis. By Lorna Picton. The statistics surrounding childhood obesity make for uncomfortable reading. More than one in five children are overweight…
Does fat deserve a retrial?
Why defenders are fighting to clear the reputation of a nutrient they say has been unfairly blamed for the obesity epidemic. By Nick Hughes. As sugar begins a long sentence for its role in the obesity epidemic a campaign is…
Does the Impossible Burger live up to the hype?
Plant-based proteins are the dish of the day but the big question is whether they can win over meat-lovers. Niamh Michail reports from Las Vegas. Each year, research and development scientists and food formulators from the world’s biggest ingredient companies…
So far so good for the GCA
Many argued that her job should never have existed but Christine Tacon can point to four years well spent as the government’s supply chain watchdog. By Nick Hughes. It is testament to Christine Tacon’s durability that she recently celebrated four…
Challenge for agriculture as emissions progress stalls
Agriculture is expected to miss key reduction targets for greenhouse gases. With bold new policies needed, shifting demand could be the next step. By Nick Hughes. The UK’s transition to a resilient low-carbon economy is in danger of being derailed…
Creating Young Chefs from the Floorboards Up
Less than a fortnight ago the Essential Cuisine team and I were lucky enough to witness a young chef from the world-famous L’Enclume in Cartmel, Cumbria, cook his way to an impressive victory in the 15th annual North West Young…