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Taking the junk out of junk food

04-Dec-2006 - The relationship between child and crisp has long been a sacred one but instead of exploiting this dynamic to shovel unhealthy food into young mouths isn't it about time healthier companies exploited it to push junk food without the junk?

Folic acid: Sisters aren't doing it for themselves

28-Nov-2006 - When the idea of fortifying staple foods with vital nutrients is raised, the battlecry goes up from industry groups and advocates of consumer choice: "Why should we bear the costs?" "Educate, and let people make their own decisions". But when evidence for the benefits is overwhelming, neither the state nor the individual can afford to let their interests be shouted down.

Self-entitlement and food: the globally irresponsible spiral

20-Nov-2006 - Until consumers lose the attitude that they deserve and have a right to goods from all over the world, our food systems and the environment are at peril.

Why climate change cannot be ignored

13-Nov-2006 - Ignoring climate change will cost countries billions and lead to food scarcity.

Transparency is the key to the science kingdom

06-Nov-2006 - In the food and nutrition world, science is king. So when journals do not force scientists to fully disclose financial support and potential conflicts of interest, they are not helping anyone.

A fair trade future

30-Oct-2006 - The world needs an independent trade watchdog to properly regulate the international food supply chain if we as a society are to truly create a more sustainable and ethical food market.

China: a victim of trade wars?

02-Oct-2006 - If the Chinese government gives in to mounting international pressure to revalue its currency, it could spell the end of cheap exports, a move that many anticipate would have a knock-on effect on raw materials costs for the food industry. But China may prove to be a less ready victim of western bullying than some expect.

When vegetables become victims

25-Sep-2006 - The demonisation of spinach following last week's E.coli outbreak could give salad-dodgers the excuse they have been looking for to skimp on their recommended five to nine portions of fruit and veg a day. Without communication and a united front from industry, a longer-term public health crisis could be on the cards.

The functional food fudge

18-Sep-2006 - In today's competitive food industry, healthy products mean healthy sales but the scramble to keep up with the obesity backlash can have dangerous repercussions.

Sweet nothing for global trade

11-Sep-2006 - The transition to the new EU sugar regime is a reminder of what was lost when the Doha round of WTO trade talks collapsed.

The truth is out there, in the middle ground

04-Sep-2006 - Food can polarise opinion more than most issues, but can we please have some balance and debate, rather than mudslinging and crop burning to get to the truth?

Some home-eating truths

28-Aug-2006 - As food manufacturers inch closer to the holy grail of low-calorie, trans-fat free flavor-fantastic products one has to ask how we veered so far from the common sense of fresh home-cooked meals.

Food science for all

21-Aug-2006 - Food scientists are becoming a rare species in Britain, and things won't change unless schools and food firms start telling young people there is more to food than a supermarket depot.

The obesity blame game

07-Aug-2006 - Laying the blame for a fatter world at the feet of the food industry has become a convenient mistake, and until this is recognized there is little chance of controlling the growing obesity epidemic.

WTO's failure is food industry's loss

31-Jul-2006 - The short sighted failure of greedy WTO trading partners to achieve any sort of meaningful agreement on global agricultural tariffs is bad for Europe's food industry.

Vanity fayre: cosmetic foods are not nutraceuticals

24-Jul-2006 - Functional foods are generally defined as products imbued with additional nutrients with health-promoting properties. But the industry needs to be wary of foods that present no actual health benefit from piggy-backing on the popularity of the category and watering down its reputation.

Sex, pills and bad information

17-Jul-2006 - The Internet is offering a wealth of information to more and more people, but also an avenue for irresponsible businesses to exploit consumer health concerns.

Organic food is selfish

10-Jul-2006 - The rise of organic food is a knee-jerk reaction to consumer health fears, and threatens to unhelpfully steer us away from improving the quality of food generally.

Cadbury's mistake

04-Jul-2006 - Chocolate has a nice feeling to it - tasty, fun, luxurious and slightly sinful. This is comfort food, accessible to all and epitomised in the recent film, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Litigation: a necessary cost of doing business?

19-Jun-2006 - In the US, the role of court action in defining limits not set by regulators is generating a flood of costly court cases for the food industry: much unnecessary, and all damaging.

Healthy food and the World Cup of missed opportunity

12-Jun-2006 - Beer, bakery, confectionery, sweet drinks, pizzas, snacks galore, and even dog food. The list of products with World Cup tie-ins is dominated by junk food, while healthy food makers seem content to pass up the marketing opportunities and let others grow fat on the rewards.