Huge support for Food Standards Petition

In this week's wrap up ... food standards petition nears 1 million supporters, key takeaways from Euro sustainable food survey, our growing appetite for plant-based food, and how we’ve missed fish and chips. Plus, it seems we prefer to walk to the local shops …

Food standards petition nears 1 million supporters

I want the food I eat to be produced to world-leading standards. That is the battle cry of the NFU as its Food Standards Petition approaches one million supporters.

The petition calls for legislation that prevents the importation of food which is produced in ways that would be illegal here.

You can add your backing if you agree that: “Our Government should ensure that all food eaten in the UK – whether in our homes, schools, hospitals, restaurants or from shops – is produced in a way that matches the high standards of production expected of UK farmers.”

Get more info and sign the petition >>

Key takeaways from Euro sustainable food survey

The attitudes of European consumers towards sustainable food have been captured in a new survey by BEUC, The European Consumer Organisation. The key findings include:

Consumers tend to underestimate the environmental impact of their own eating habits.
“Sustainable” is seen as a synonym for “environmentally friendly”.
Over half of consumers say that sustainability concerns have some influence on their eating habits.
The majority are open to changing their eating habits for environmental reasons.
Just over 40% of consumers say they have either stopped eating red meat or have cut down.
There is little appetite for insects or lab-grown meat.
Most consumers want sustainability information to be compulsory on food labels.

Find out more >>

Growing appetite for plant-based food

More plant-based food is being consumed by over a third of people in the UK during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a survey by Nielsen.

The increased appetite has now led to Tesco becoming the latest supermarket to stock products from plant-based food company Meatless Farm.

The meat-free mince, burgers, and sausages will be on the shelves of stores across the UK, and the founder of Meatless Farm, Morten Toft Bech, said: “It shows that plant-based is fast becoming part of daily British food culture.”

Path to recovery published for food industry

A “path to recovery” to address the UK’s negative balance of trade in food has been published by food industry leaders.

The report details steps the Government and industry can take to future-proof the sector. It includes the need to protect capacity in food production, ensuring domestic farming, processing, and foodservice sectors are able to emerge intact from the coronavirus crisis.

Find out more >>

One to watch … Keeping Britain Fed

Supermarkets could be seen as the fourth emergency service during the coronavirus crisis. An army of workers have been putting themselves at risk and working round the clock - to keep us fed.

For the BBC’s “Keeping Britain Fed”, being aired on June 17, Sara Cox gained access to some of Britain’s biggest supermarkets and their suppliers to see how they coped during the most testing time in their history.

Watch on BB2, Wednesday, June 17, at 8pm >>

Circular economy and the challenges in flexible packaging

The challenges and solutions in flexible packaging and the sweet spot for targeting circular innovations have been discussed by Huhtamaki’s Andreas Michalsky in a new video.

His views include: “We have to do the hard job of reducing the variety of polymers and materials used for packaging.”

Watch the video >>
Read the “Designing for a Circular Economy” guidelines from CEFLEX >>

Waste food being converted into gas

Tesco plans to cut carbon emissions by converting more than 6400 tonnes of waste food into natural gas. The methane that’s produced will be supplied to the Irish natural gas network, in the collaboration between Tesco Ireland and Green Generation.

The process will produce enough natural gas to supply six Tesco stores, effectively cutting carbon emissions by 1200 tonnes a year.

Full story >>

HOW … marine litter is being tackled

How the US plastics industry is combatting marine litter has been explored by the Plastics Industry Association. The Top 3 takeaways are:

The industry is actively working to prevent litter from entering our oceans and waterways while also removing existing marine debris.
Five countries in south-east Asia contribute more than 50% of the land-based plastic that enters the ocean.
The industry is promoting infrastructure development in these countries.

Find out more >>

HOW … lidding film saves tonnes of plastic

A strong case for replacing rigid-lid punnets with top-sealed film varieties has been presented by Proseal. They have revealed that:

For every 1 million trays sealed by film, you could save up to 10 tonnes of plastic.

HOW … chemical recycling reduces C02

The chemical recycling (pyrolysis) of mixed plastic waste emits 50% less CO2 than incineration of plastic waste, according to a Life Cycle Assessment commissioned by BASF.

30x30 vision for our oceans

It was World Oceans Day this week and the critical need was called “30x30”. That is, by safeguarding at least 30% of our oceans by 2030, we can help ensure a healthy home for all.

As we’re told by the WWF regarding how plastic gets into the ocean, the bottom line is us! And we can help avoid the three main ways the plastic we use ends up in the oceans. They are: