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Swedish consumers launch supermarket boycott as food prices soar over 20%, European protests spread

Swedish consumers launch supermarket boycott as food prices soar over 20%, European protests spread

Thousands of shoppers in Sweden are boycotting the country’s largest supermarkets to protest rising grocery prices, which they attribute to an “oligopoly” of retail giants prioritizing profit. While grocer associations maintain that the continued price increases are driven by external factors, some of which are beyond retailers’ control, state authorities flag competition issues. According to Matpriskollen, a Swedish independent price tracking app, food costs have increased 22% since January 2022.
Bakery trends: Industry taps functional ingredients as healthy indulgence demands rise
Bakery trends: Industry taps functional ingredients as healthy indulgence demands rise
Bakery experts are rising to the current challenges in the space as companies face price fluctuations, reformulation pressures to meet new regulations without compromising on quality, and ensuring they cater to budget-conscious consumers with high demands on health.
Making the Switch from Fiber Drums to Flexible Bags
Making the Switch from Fiber Drums to Flexible Bags
For ingredient manufacturers in search of sustainable, cost-effective packaging, the shift from rigid to flexible packaging offers significant benefits. Learn what industry trends are driving the shift to flexible packaging, factors to consider when moving from fiber drums, alternative packaging options, and what to look for in a packaging partner.This Technical Paper is brought to you by Fres-co System USA, Inc. 
Finally Foods: Molecular farming for animal-free casein production
Finally Foods: Molecular farming for animal-free casein production

Israel-based Finally Foods has conducted a field trial of potatoes containing casein, which it produces using molecular farming techniques. CEO Dafna Gabbay speaks with us about the need for animal-free casein and the associated regulatory challenges with commercializing it. She also shares why the team chose potatoes as a host for formulating the “complex” milk protein.

Drinking to Wellness
Drinking to Wellness

In this edition you will learn more about:

  • Top 5 Trends in Beverages, Alcohol for a New Generation, Plant-Powered Preservatives, The Graceful Aging Movement, Compostable Packaging
  • Circularity in Drinks Packaging, Beverage Highlights, “Neo-Hedonism” in Future Food, Nutrient Labeling Systems, Protein from the Extruder
  • Natural Colors in Lifestyle Beverages, Citrus Supply Chains, Trends in Soft Drinks, Vitafoods Preview, Sugar & Sports
  • Beverages Redefined, Live Microbes, Seaweed Hydrocolloids, Mental Performance Drinks, Synbiotics & On-the-Go Nutrition
  • View from the Top: Patrick Niels, president taste, texture & health at dsm-firmenich
NPEW 2025 review: Top trends in healthier foods, functional beverages, and nutrition innovations
NPEW 2025 review: Top trends in healthier foods, functional beverages, and nutrition innovations
At Natural Products Expo West (NPEW) in Anaheim, California, US, the food and nutrition industries showcased their latest innovation in healthier food options, snacks, beverages, and supplements. Weight management, active nutrition, and products for gut, brain, mood, and women’s health took center stage. Exhibitors featured a wide selection of functional hydration, new delivery formats, low- or no-sugar foods, alt-dairy, fibers, and biotics. Protein reigned supreme, from plant-based options to whey, real meat, and eggs, across applications in sports bars, powder, snacks, pasta sauce, and clear drinks.

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US turns to Turkey, Brazil, and South Korea for egg imports as avian flu virus continues to spread
ShShopper buying eggs in the supermarket.
The US is planning to ease increasing egg prices in the country by importing millions of eggs from countries like Turkey and South Korea. The strategy is part of the government’s five-pronged approach to combat the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) and lower egg prices that have been spiked by bird flu in recent months.
Scientists examine fingerprinting techniques to curb olive oil and pine nut fraud
male scientist examining olive oil
Researchers at the University of Barcelona (UB) in Spain have investigated fingerprinting methods to prevent fraud in olive oil and pine nuts by verifying their geographical origins. The study aims to protect consumers and producers from fraudulent practices when such products reach the market and pose risks to consumer health in extreme cases.
Beyond The Headlines: UK invests £1.4M in precision fermentation hub, FDA’s food safety online tool
Blue gloved hand inspects silver cans in industrial workshop setting
This week in industry news, the UK government backed precision fermentation with a £1.4 million (US$1.8 million) innovation hub and the FDA unveiled an online database listing food contaminants. Meanwhile, Kerry unveiled a facility in California, US, to help emerging companies overcome market entry barriers, and scientists found microplastics in chewing gum as well as declining milk yields in cows due to heat stress.
New research cautions that non-calorie sweetener affects brain appetite regulation
Woman selecting soda in a supermarket
A randomized crossover trial reveals that consuming sucralose, a common non-calorie sweetener, instead of sugar increases activity in the hypothalamus brain region, which regulates appetite and hunger cues. The sweetener also changes how the hypothalamus communicates with other brain parts, such as areas involved in motivation. Researchers at the University of Southern California (USC), US, tested how 75 participants responded after consuming water, a drink with sucralose, or a drink sweetened with regular sugar (sucrose). Compared to a sugar-sweetened beverage, drinking sucralose increased feelings of hunger. 
dsm-firmenich achieves a “step change” in cheese quality with coagulant enzyme for pizza applications
Multiethnic young people gathered around lunch table take pieces of delicious Italian cheese pizza
Evolving customer requirements in the highly competitive and quality-driven cheese industry drove dsm-firmenich’s latest enzyme innovation that targets casein protein for enhanced yields and flavor, says Ardy van Erp, business director for Cheese at the company. The fermentation-based coagulant targets processing challenges such as stickiness for better meltability and functionality for consumer applications such as pizza cheese.
Ingredient specifications: A critical first step to high-quality natural product sourcing
Laboratory analyst checking ingredient composition.

Nutrition Insight

Clarity is crucial in natural ingredients and raw materials for nutrition and supplements. Industry experts warn that clear expectations, accurate documentation, and rigorous verification and analysis are critical to ensure product quality and effective international trade. Nutrition Insight continues its conversation with Nuherbs and Nammex, examining how they ensure the sourcing of high-quality ingredients from China with clear specifications, having “feet on the ground” and verification programs, and how policies like tariffs may affect trade and product quality. 
Highlighted features
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Food Ingredients News

Compassion in World Farming issues warning over slow progress on poultry welfare standards

Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) calls for companies to commit to improving animal welfare and sign up to the voluntary Better Chicken Commitment (BCC), a detailed set of science-based criteria designed to improve the lives of chickens reared for food, build brand reputation, and meet expectations from consumers, shareholders, and investors.

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Food Ingredients News

Campaigners urge EU lawmakers to block industrial octopus farming after permits approved

Animal welfare campaigners in Europe are calling on EU lawmakers to prevent food corporations from establishing large-scale octopus farms throughout the continent following the recent acquisition of a hatchery permit by multinational fishing group Grupo Profand. While the license is specified for research purposes, animal protection organizations say it could open the door to cruel and environmentally damaging industrial production. Grupo Profand claims that the objective of its research hatchery plans, which were approved by the Spanish government, is solely to optimize the larval phase of the common octopus “without the aim of production or commercialization.” However, the project description on the permit request specifies research for “industrial exploitation.” 

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Regulatory News

“A devastating hit”: Trump threatens 200% tariff on EU wines and spirits as trade dispute escalates

US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose a 200% tariff on all wines and alcoholic products coming to the US from Europe if the EU does not revoke its planned levies on American whisky. The warning has confirmed the EU alcohol industry’s fears of retaliation from the US, which is the biggest importer of European spirits outside the EU. “If the proposed 200% tariffs on EU wines are implemented, it would effectively shut down the US market for EU wines — a devastating hit for our industry,” Comité Européen des Entreprises Vins (CEEV), the European association of wine companies, tells Food Ingredients First.

Ingredient focus

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technicalpaper

Fats & oils take the spotlightApr2025

Innova Market Insights data indicates that flavor reigns supreme—40 % of consumers worldwide say rich taste is the key to an unforgettable F&B experience. When it comes to fat and oil ingredients,...

Product innovation

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Plant-based eggs are cracking into the market Apr 2025

Easter has long been associated with eggs, but now sustainability and health claims are transforming the tradition. Innova Market Insights data reveals a 13% rise in plant-based egg launches from 2020 to 2024, as brands innovate with vegan alternatives such as scramble substitutes, poached options, liquid egg replacements, and even reinvented traditional egg recipes.

Trend analysis

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Boosting bakeryApr 2025

Innova Market Insights data indicates a 2% year-over-year growth in bakery launches with health benefits between 2023 and 2024. Sweet biscuits/cookies led with 25% of global launches, while gut health claims continue to rise.

Multimedia

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Video10:32
Finally Foods: Molecular farming for animal-free casein production

Israel-based Finally Foods has conducted a field trial of potatoes containing casein, which it produces using molecular farming techniques. CEO Dafna Gabbay speaks with us about the need for animal-free casein and the associated regulatory challenges with commercializing it. She also shares why...

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Martin Luther University: Economist discusses how cost, not taste, is driving plant-based meat acceptance
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NPEW 2025: How the organics market can weather the storm amid tariffs and cutbacks 
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Biofach 2025: Tradin Organic on regenerative agriculture vision and implementation
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