News on Food Trends from Europe

The FAO Food Price Index (FFPI) averaged 169.8 points in December 2017, down 5.8 points (3.3 percent) from November with the steepest declines registered in the prices of dairy, vegetable oils and sugar while those of cereals and meat also fell but only slightly.

With the concluded acquisition of the Italian Pavan Group end of November 2017 the Düsseldorf engineering group GEA purchased a leading supplier of extrusion and milling technology for processing all kinds of fresh and dried pasta, pelleted snack products and breakfast cereals.

Burt’s Potato Chips have announced the purchase of Leicester’s Savoury & Sweet popcorn manufacturer for an undisclosed sum.

If a surface has to be protected against corrosion, this usually takes place through coating it with paints or varnishes. Bio-based, environmentally-friendly solutions are hardly available. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute are developing a cost-effective coating based on renewable raw materials, potato starch in particular

Aviko Foodservice has announced the launched of their Crunch Fries in the United Kingdom. These new French Fries are perfect for home deliveries.

Starch manufacturers KMC and AKV Langholt aim to establish commercial production of functional potato proteins from the potato fruit juice remaining after starch extraction, using Lihme Protein Solutions’ proprietary technology

Identification of the receptor for Cytolisin - the killer toxin of Phytophthora infestans - opens door to biological methods to protect potatoes and selective, biological herbicides as alternative for glyphosate

A smoothie based on 'potato milk' is expected to be commercially available next year. The product is made using a patented process using an emulsion of potato and omega-3 oils as a dairy replacement developed at Lund University by Eva Tornberg.

The FAO Food Price Index (FFPI) averaged 175.8 points in November 2017, down fractionally (0.5 percent) from October but still almost 4 points (2.3 percent) above the corresponding period last year. A sharp rise in sugar and vegetable oil quotations was largely offset by a fall in dairy values.

Novidon - a company that adds value to potato starch isolated from side streams of potato processing companies - introduces new branding.

McCain UK is opening a Roastaurant where one can sample 100,000 possible roast dinner combinations.

Food waste is a global, billion-dollar problem. The White Paper “It’s time to end food waste” explores the origins, the reasons and some exciting solutions for the global food waste problem.

Aldi’s potato sales in Wales have risen by a third since the retailer began sales of Welsh potatoes five months ago, highlighting the popularity of homegrown produce in the country.

Muchos agricultores optan por almacenar la cosecha, que es de gran calidad. Prevén ponerla en el mercado dentro de unos meses cuando su valor vuelva a repuntar

For the second time in a row, Potato Europe in Emmeloord, the Netherlands, has fallen through. And the consequences were extreme this year as the first day of the fair was cancelled. We look back with some of the exhibitors and people involved. And we look ahead, because what is going to happen in coming years?

Mintel, a leading market intelligence agency, identified five key trends set to impact the global food and drink market in 2018.

Iden Biotechnology - a Spanish biotechnology company - and J.R. Simplot Company, a potato processor and developer and marketer of Innate® Potatoes, recently entered into an agreement to explore the potential for nutritional enrichment of the potato.

Dewulf, supplier of a full line of potato and root crop machinery, announced a licencing agreement with Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd (M&M Ltd), part of the USD 19 billion Mahindra Group, headquartered in Mumbai (India) for the manufacturing and marketing of potato planting equipment in India.