Comment

COMMENT: Get serious about school food crisis
A paltry increase in school meal funding shows that ministers are out of touch with the pressures facing caterers, says Nick Hughes. From farms to food banks, supermarket aisles to restaurant kitchens, the rising cost of food and energy is…
Comment: Pushing back on paper packaging
Brands have been drawn towards paper packaging, but is fibre’s free ride on the green wave coming to an end? David Burrows reports. The next five years will bring continued and significant substitution of plastic with fibre, in part due…
COMMENT: Vigilance needed to fend off food crime
A huge spike in commodity prices creates the perfect set of conditions for criminal activity in the food supply chain, says Nick Hughes. Next year will mark the tenth anniversary of the ‘horsegate’ scandal in which horsemeat was illegally substituted…
Comment: Addicted to greenwash
The coffee sector is making more environmental claims than ever but brands need to tread very carefully, says David Burrows. Why do food and drink brands greenwash? It is a question I’ve been mulling over recently after being invited on…
Has our food system become too global?
Brexit, covid and the war in Ukraine must force a re-think in our approach to food trade, production and values, says David Read. In the past three decades, food pricing has transformed from being fundamentally national to truly global. When…
COMMENT: Government must see past junk food chicanery
Ministers are right to look at ways to make food more affordable amid a cost of living crisis, but parking a promotions ban is not one of them, says Nick Hughes. The cost of living crisis is biting and the…
COMMENT: Don’t be silenced by greenwashing fears
Raw, honest and transparent communications about the environment can make for powerful advertising, says James Edney. Call-outs of brands overstating or misrepresenting their green credentials in their advertising and marketing is becoming commonplace. Most recently it was Innocent caught in…
Comment: More but better plants, please
Plant-based foods are popular but foodservice companies need to ensure they are offering ‘better’ products and dishes, says Mark Driscoll. The plant-based market has exploded in the last few years. More citizens than ever are turning to plant-based products as alternatives…
Plant-based sales lift lasts beyond Veganuary
New research shows January promotions can increase purchases of vegan and vegetarian products for months, but the impact on sales of meat is minimal. By Joanna Trewern. Veganuary is all about promoting plant-based products and encouraging consumers to buy and eat…
Food packaging: unwanted villain or unsung hero?
There are signs that the demonisation of certain materials is giving way to a more collaborative approach, say IOM3’s Jude Allan and Colin Church. Primary packaging – especially for food and drink – plays three main roles. Firstly, it protects…