Ingredients

Pic: Ciranda

Sugar reduction special

Ciranda develops three new syrups sourced from agave and tapioca

By Anthony Myers

The provider of certified organic, non‐GMO, and Fairtrade food ingredients has launched three new syrups to help CPG brands and product developers create new products that meet consumer demand for less sugar in their diets.

Pic: Swerve

Sugar reduction special

Monk Fruit and allulose-centered products set to be key drivers of innovation

By Anthony Myers

Swerve, one of the leading manufacturers and marketers of zero-sugar, keto-friendly, and plant-based sweeteners, is at the forefront of the sugar-free baking trend. The company’s innovation and expansion into monk fruit and allulose sweetener offerings,...

NOMO's vegan-friendly Easter chocolate proved popular with consumers. Pic: NOMO

Free From

NOMO cleans up at Free From Food Awards

By Anthony Myers

Top UK vegan and free from chocolate brand, NOMO, has announced it has won four major accolades at the Free From Food Awards including being named the Large Independent Brand of the Year 2023.

Plant-based ice cream market grows as formulation challenges persist

Plant-based ice cream market grows as formulation challenges persist

By Ryan Daily

As the plant-based ice cream market expands with a range of flavors and formats, innovation in the space will need to better recreate the taste, texture, and mouthfeel of animal-based counterparts to entice consumers into the category, Christine Usmen,...

Image: Getty/Yagi Studio

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Let them eat plant-based cake

By Oliver Morrison

Why is the dairy industry embroiling in a silly battle about the labelling of plant-based alternatives?

Pic: GettyImages

Maple adds the sweet spot to bakery

By Gill Hyslop

The New England supplier of 100% pure and organic maple syrup and maple sugar recently highlighted how its maple products can help bakers tick consumer boxes: sustainability, plant-based/vegan, clean label, sugar alternative, organic and a good source...

Pic: NOMO

Plant-based special

NOMO unleashes vegan cookie dough bar

By Anthony Myers

Vegan & free from chocolate brand NOMO has launched its ‘biggest chocolate bar yet’ with the arrival of the chunky Cookie Dough block.

Pic: H!P

Plant-based special

H!P Chocolate launches Crunchy Orange Bar

By Anthony Myers

Plant-powered confectionery brand H!P has released its latest offering - a Crunchy Orange bar - that ticks all the boxes for conscious consumers … smooth, creamy oat m!lk chocolate combined with zesty orange and crunchy waffle cone pieces.

Pic: GettyImages

Plant-based special

What next for plant-based confectionery?

By Anthony Myers

With new inventions and innovations coming thick and fast, the plant-based confectionery category is increasingly shifting into the mainstream market with big brands like Mars entering the space in the past couple of years.

How will the next generation of innovators win over consumers, and what hurdles will they need to jump to get there? GettyImages/snapphoto

How next-gen protein innovators plan to win over consumers

By Flora Southey

The taste and texture of meat and dairy analogues have come a long way. But according to alternative protein experts, ‘there is still room for improvement’. How will the next generation of innovators win over consumers, and what hurdles will they need...

Sweet Victory chewing gum. Source: Sweet Victory

Gum helps combat sugar cravings with 'sugar destroyer' ingredient

By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Israeli food-tech startup Sweet Victory has released a chewing gum designed to curb sugar cravings. A consumer study on the gum found that it enabled its users to significantly cut down on sweets, as well as lose weight. The product, which is already...

Protein snacks are at an all time high. Pic: GettyImages

The UK’s top 10 protein bar flavours

By Gill Hyslop

Research shows that consumer demand for protein is at an all-time high, with 29% of Americans stating that protein has become more important over the past year.

Pic: GettyImages

Ingredients

New survey finds almonds fill the needs of chocolate consumers

By Anthony Myers

The Almond Board of California visited the ISM Sweets & Snacks trade fair in Cologne at the weekend to promote its new report that claimed almonds are the #1 most-preferred ingredient for inclusion in global consumers’ ideal chocolate products.

Naturally occurring sugars and 'free' sugars have a profoundly different effect on health. Source: Julia_Sudnitskaya/Getty Images

The difference between natural and ‘free’ sugars

By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

We all know that eating fruit is better for us than eating doughnuts. One is essential to keep us healthy, the other, perhaps, nearly essential to avoid. However, both doughnuts and most fruits are high in sugar, an ingredient widely considered to lead...

Plant-based is a rapidly growing market. Source: ChayTee/Getty Images

‘What is naturalness?’ The future of plant-based food

By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

Plant-based is one of the most important trends in the food industry today. Meat- and dairy-free products are helping provide food alternatives to an ever-growing flexitarian market. But some questions still remain. For one, since many plant-based foods...

Shrinkflation-weary consumers turn to private label

Shrinkflation-weary consumers turn to private label

By Ryan Daily

Raising prices while simultaneously shrinking products to offset higher inflation could cost brands more in the long term, suggests a new survey from YouGov that found consumers turned off by shrinkflation are turning to private label.