CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
The University of Dusseldorf, the University of Reading and Mars, Incorporated have unveiled two new studies revealing that cocoa flavanols can help to keep our hearts healthy. Cocoa flavanols are nutrients found naturally in the cocoa bean.The research, published in the journals Age and the British Journal of Nutrition (BJN), shows that consuming cocoa flavanols can decrease arterial stiffness and increase blood vessel function in healthy people, helping to reduce the risk of heart disease — the number-one cause of deaths worldwide.
COLLABORATION -
Nearly 24 million Americans live in food deserts and don't have access to affordable, quality, fresh fruits and vegetables. For the third year, fresh juice brand Naked Juice, a division of PepsiCo, is partnering with Wholesome Wave — an organization that helps create affordable access to fresh, local and regional food to those in need — to provide fresh produce where there is none.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
Coca-Cola, Unilever, Nestlé and 70 other major food brands already are engaging suppliers on managing climate change, but much work remains to uncover this specific but significant area of greenhouse gas emissions, according to a new CDP report.The biggest source of food-related greenhouse gas emissions occur in the agricultural production portion of producer's supply chains, but less than a quarter of the major brands that disclosed to CDP this year reported their indirect emissions from agricultural production.
BEHAVIOR CHANGE -
UK chef and “Food Revolution”-ary Jamie Oliver teamed up with food lobbying organization Sustain to encourage the UK government to consider a tax on sugary drinks and use the proceeds to help curb childhood obesity.Oliver launched a petition last week that has gained over 129,000 signatures so far. The UK Parliament considers all petitions that get more than 100,000 signatures for a debate.“Studies show that soft drinks with added sugar are the largest single source of sugar in the diets of UK school children & teenagers,” reads the petition page.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Cargill is casting its line into the aquaculture industry. The U.S. food giant recently announced its $1.5 billion acquisition of Norwegian salmon-feed supplier EWOS and a $30 million joint venture with Ecuadorian shrimp producer Naturisa to build a shrimp feed facility.
NEW METRICS -
The Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable (BIER) — a technical coalition of leading global beverage companies working to advance environmental sustainability within the beverage sector - has leveraged its expertise to develop a user-friendly tool to help facilities better estimate their “true cost” of water. This interactive tool can help facilities within the beverage industry and beyond better determine direct costs associated with their most water- and resource-intensive processes.
WASTE NOT -
Two Canadian non-profit groups have partnered on a Kickstarter campaign in hopes of producing 50,000 snack bags for hungry children in Edmonton, Alberta.
WASTE NOT -
The Rothes CoRDe, a John Dewar & Sons distillery part-owned by The Combination of Rothes Distillers, is the latest facility under the Bacardi umbrella to produce energy through a biomass boiler fuelled by Scotch whisky distillery by-products. The Dewar's facility produces enough energy to power entire communities of neighboring distilleries — along with about 8,000 homes.“A number of whisky companies are part of an industry consortium looking at sustainable ways of processing by-products from our distilleries,” says Iain Lochhead, Operations Director for John Dewar & Sons Ltd., part of the Bacardi group of companies.
COLLABORATION -
New research from international non-profit organization WorldFish makes a strong case for how to improve nutrition in Bangladesh. The study finds that there are significant health benefits associated with the use of small fish in chutney and flour, especially for pregnant women and infants.Bangladesh has high rates of undernutrition; 24 percent of women in Bangladesh aged 15-49 have a body mass index (BMI) below the healthy range. For infants and children, undernutrition is a major cause of stunting which can adversely affect their development, especially in the first 1,000 days of life.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
A recent report from Transparency Market Research revealed that sustainability awareness is driving the demand for paper packaging. Paper is the largest material type in the packaging market and is growing, since it is both economically and environmentally appealing.Volatility in raw material prices, energy costs, and the global economy have significantly affected the global packaging market, motivating companies to develop recyclable and reusable packaging.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
Coca-Cola announced today it is on track to meet its 2020 water replenishment goal five years ahead of schedule. The company expects it will safely replenish 100 percent of the water it uses in beverages and production through community water projects by the end of 2015, fulfilling its aspirational commitment set in 2007. If it succeeds, it will be the first food and beverage company to replenish all the water it uses.
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE -
A study published this month finds that the UK is the worst-performing European country in terms of food waste, while its leading waste-reduction charity, Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), saw its government funding cut 38 percent last year.
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The circular economy is launching into space. Researchers at Clemson University in South Carolina recently secured funding from NASA to create a closed-loop system on a spacecraft that could turn astronauts’ feces into food, fertilizer and other useful materials for long space flights.
“Synthetic Biology for Recycling Human Waste into Food, Nutraceuticals, and Materials: Closing the Loop for Long-Term Space Travel” was awarded a $200,000 per year grant, for up to three years, to tackle the space agency’s challenge to feed humans cramped into a spacecraft for months at a time.
BEHAVIOR CHANGE -
Amid growing concerns over escalating water scarcity and pollution risks, more than 60 leading North American and European institutional investors, collectively managing $2.6 trillion in assets, sent joint letters to 15 food and beverage companies last week calling for increased water risk management and disclosure practices.
WASTE NOT -
In 2013, 49.1 million Americans lived in food insecure households, including 33.3 million adults and 15.8 million children, according to Feeding America, while nearly 26 percent of all produce is discarded before it even reaches the grocery store — solely for cosmetic reasons. Deemed "ugly," billions of pounds of edible, healthy produce goes to waste.
STAKEHOLDER TRENDS AND INSIGHTS -
Like one of its baristas, Starbucks has given consumers warm words but has been a bit slow in delivering the goods.In 2013, Starbucks announced it would source 100 percent of its palm oil from certified sustainable suppliers by 2015, but the company has been slow to take meaningful action, and a SumOfUs.org campaign is calling on Starbucks to strengthen its policies.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Superfood social enterprise Kuli Kuli has announced a partnership with the Clinton Foundation and a Haitian nonprofit, the Smallholder Farmers Alliance (SFA), to develop a new moringa supply chain in Haiti. Earlier this month, Chelsea Clinton met with Haitian women moringa farmers.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Patagonia Provisions — a initiative from conscientious outdoor apparel brand Patagonia aimed at rethinking our food chain — has launched a groundbreaking partnership with family-owned meat company Wild Idea Buffalo to conserve and restore the grasslands of South Dakota, while producing a sustainably sourced Buffalo Jerky. This is the latest addition to the company’s food line designed to create positive change in the food industry.
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Molson Coors Brewing Company today released its 2015 Corporate Responsibility Report, covering the company’s 2014 performance toward its 2020 goals.The brewer reports meaningful progress in 2014 toward its 2020 targets of zero waste to landfill, 25 percent energy reduction and 15 percent reduction in both carbon and water intensity. Results included:
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If you’re concerned about the recent drought but feel lost on how you can lessen your personal water use, a new initiative promises to help. Anheuser Busch’s Shock Top Brewing Co. is partnering with Indiegogo to identify, fund and distribute water-saving innovations that can help California residents reduce their water consumption.