Using digital tools to trace the entire supply chain produces not only commercial and reputational benefits, but also fosters trust between firms and its partners, according to Olam Cocoa.
UAE mineral water market leader Agthia has stepped up its sustainability efforts with the announcement of new long-term goals and partnerships targeted at reducing negative impacts on the environment.
Chinese consumers still prefer premium products as opposed to those making sustainability claims, in contrast to many other markets worldwide, according to analysis from insights provider Lumina Intelligence.
Givaudan claims its new CHF 60mn (US$60mn) flavours manufacturing facility in India places strong focus not just on its APAC market expansion strategy, but also on its sustainability efforts.
South East Asia and India still have a fair bit to do in order to catch up with the rest of the world in terms of palm oil sustainability, said an industry expert from the RSPO.
RSPO Annual Roundtable Conference on Sustainable Palm Oil (RT16)
Shared responsibility, big brand roles and emerging markets were identified as the main driving factors pushing both industries and consumers forward when it comes to sustainability in palm oil, said an expert panel to the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm...
PepsiCo is investing US$5mn into the sustainable farming programme in India headed by its global sustainable agriculture team over the next three years.
Nestle has become the first food company worldwide to execute the use of the satellite-based Starling service to monitor all of its palm oil supply chains globally.
Palm oil sustainability practices in Indonesia are slowly reaping rewards, while manufacturers which make unjustified ‘no palm oil’ label claims are merely cashing in on ‘fabricated hysteria’, claims a senior exec at Golden Agri-Resources (GAR).
Mars and Cargill are two of the big names backing a new alliance to drive collaboration and promote sustainability around palm oil in China – one of the world’s biggest importers of the product.
Coffee and tea company Jacobs Douwe Egberts (JDE) and its partners are ploughing in US$1m on a coffee sustainability project in Vietnam’s Central Highlands designed to boost traceability and food safety.
US plant-based food start-up JUST has made its debut in Asia with the launch of its egg-free mayo, ranch dressing and scramble products in Hong Kong’s Green Common stores.
Suntory Holdings Ltd. has invested $9m in Anellotech’s Bio-TCat technology to pursue the development of a 100% bio-based PET beverage bottle as part of the beverage company's corporate sustainability goals.
‘Food is at the heart of a growing global health crisis’, with a more joined-up approach from governments, industry and individuals needed to tackle the double burden of malnutrition in South East Asia.
An Indonesian consortium led by Singaporean palm oil planter Golden-Agri Resources’ local offshoot, PT Smart, has signed a new agreement with a French partner to support the development of sustainable plantations and develop maritime logistics.
A door-to-door food delivery service linking vendors in Japan with customers in Thailand will launch next week to tap into the increasing Far Eastern food fad in Southeast Asia.
Back in 2014 I interviewed Hans Jöhr, who at the time was corporate head of agriculture at Nestlé. We had a (refreshingly) open discussion about certification schemes. Some of them are “cheating consumers” and “cannot help farmers be better farmers per...
Greenpeace's damning report on Malaysian palm oil supplier IOI, just one month after its membership of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) was renewed, could be damaging for the certifier, according to one sustainability consultant.
Palm oil supplier IOI Corporation Berhad has ditched plans to sue the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), saying it has “engaged” with customers, NGOs and the RSPO to resolve the matter.
Australian scientists believe that the world’s livestock sector could account for up to half of the global agricultural, forestry and land-use sectors’ potential to mitigate greenhouse gases while still maintaining its economic and social benefits.
GreenPalm sustainable palm oil certificates will now offer buyers traceability back to the mill, meaning it is now the only fully inclusive supply chain open to all growers, says the trading platform. But campaigners are still calling it a "false...
The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) has moved a step closer to its ambitious goal of creating a global certification standard for seaweed production after announcing it will be working on the project with the NGO Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC).
Brands are blowing a major opportunity to communicate their sustainability initiatives to millions of consumers with social media updates that are “inane, safe and saccharinely artificial in their bonhomie”, says a report.
UK government:‘There is no one definition of sustainable palm oil’
Voluntary measures and government targets are great – but it is legislation that will push European palm oil users to true sustainability. The food sector could learn a lesson or two from biofuel here.
Companies are increasingly demanding certified palm oil using criteria that are stricter than current RSPO standards – does the mean the RSPO certification is in danger of becoming irrelevant?
Mars Food, the owner of Uncle Ben’s, has announced the first global standard for sustainable rice in partnership with the Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP).
Food security has become less urgent for Middle East states, but many are still pursuing “macro food sovereignty” policies to ensure long-term supply, according to a SOAS academic.
Food labelling and ethical certification aren’t as effective as we think - for a sustainable food chain, small and medium businesses need to team up with social scientists to create ‘attentive consumption’ and transform the supply chain, say participants...
Mondelez International is on track to meet its goal of sourcing 100% traceable palm oil by the end of the year after reaching 70% traceability in 2014, says global director of sustainability Jonathan Horrell.
Market analyst Euromonitor International dissects recent NutraIngredients Awards winners to provide category perspective from sustainable omega-3 to healthy ageing in this guest article.
Cargill is on track to make its goal of completely sustainable palm oil supply by 2020, the company has said in its second palm oil progress update, summing up the efforts made so far by the US-headquartered agriculture major.
Food businesses and consumers don’t understand the impact emerging economies could face if pressure to source 100% sustainable palm oil builds too quickly, Marks & Spencer’s (M&S) sustainable development manager Fiona Wheatley claims.
Norwegian consumer goods giant Orkla, which also owns Indian brand MTR Foods, has committed to using palm oil from sustainable sources in a move which Greenpeace says should coax other food majors to do similar.
By Winnie Byanyima, executive director, Oxfam International
Food and drink companies can have a big influence over sustainability and ethical issues in their supply chains - and have the power to change them rapidly. One year on from Oxfam's first Behind the Brands sustainability scorecard, nine of the ten...
In July, we reported on the first certified sustainable palm oil (CSPO) shipment from Thailand to Europe, bringing the world’s third-largest producer of the crop in line with other sustainable exporters. We thought we would follow this up as part of our...
Reducing water footprints is an environmental challenge food and beverage companies should be prepared to meet if they want to maintain their competitive position and build reputation among end consumers, according to an analyst.
By Darrel Webber, secretary general of Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil
Increasing global consumption of palm oil poses serious sustainability challenges and raises questions about leading consumer nations’ responsibility in managing the footprint of its global supply chain.
Mondelez International says its first training center for coffee farmers to promote sustainability and entrepreneurship, in Vietnam, will help it meet a 100% sustainable sourcing goal in Western Europe.
Naturex hosted 500 of its employees and guests the weekend just passed as it inaugurated a €12m expansion of its Avignon HQ in southern France. We caught up with CEO Thierry Lambert who said further expansion at its other global sites was very much on...
Oxfam will step up its campaign to improve the treatment of people and resources that form part of the supply chain of the world’s biggest food conglomerates, after it cast industry responses to its damning Behind the Brands report as ‘bland’ and ‘complacent’.