Waste reduction goal announced by Kellogg

With green issues rising up the agenda, Kellogg UK has announced an ambitious target to reduce organic waste by 2030.

It has said that by 2030, the Manchester headquartered business will cut its organic waste – which includes food waste – by 50 per cent as part of its global Better Days corporate commitment to reduce its impact on the planet. Organic waste occurs during food production due to things like cleaning processes, quality control or changeover when making different products using the same equipment.

Chris Silcock, Head of Kellogg UK, explained: “Our goal is to always prevent waste occurring in the first place. That’s why today we are saying we are going to reduce the amount of organic waste we produce by half. Where we do create food waste which is edible and safe to donate, we are committed to putting this to good use and helping to feed people. That’s why we’ll continue to donate as much of this as possible to organisations like food banks and community feeding schemes. Where we can’t donate food, we will find new innovative ways to use it, like using ingredients in other foods and selling to breweries, who can turn it into beer.”

“Only after these possibilities are exhausted we will consider sending organic food waste to animal feed or to make energy. That’s because we believe, where possible, food waste which is safe to donate should be used to help feed people in need. Where it is still edible but not completely perfect, we are committed to exploring innovative food and drink-based alternatives.”

Vegan brand scoops top award

The vegan and free from brand, Free From Fellows, has won at The Great British Food Awards.

The brand’s Gummy Bears won in the confectionery category at the accolades, chosen by John Whaite, the winner of the Great British Bake Off in 2012.

Lisa Gawthorne, Co-Founder of Bravura Foods, which owns the brand, commented, “We are naturally really pleased about this award that joins many more as we continue or quest to make more confectionery vegan friendly.”

Soil Association seeks industry opinion on organic beauty sector

Industry is being asked to get involved in a Soil Association survey to determine the health of the organic beauty market.

Due to be published in February 2020, the organisation is currently compiling its Organic Beauty Market Report and would like to hear insights from those in the industry in terms of the market.

Georgia Barnes, Senior Business Development Manager, Beauty & Wellbeing at Soil Association Certification, commented: “We’d love to hear what people think of the organic beauty industry – what role do they see certified organic playing, and what are the big drivers when people make one small swap? Through this survey, we want to gather as much insight as we can, so that in our market report we can share what is really going on in the market with the organic beauty industry, which – as a freely available resource – will ultimately help the entire sector to campaign for fairer, more sustainable products and practices.”

Anyone who completes the survey will be in with the chance of winning a £100 Neal’s Yard gift voucher, alongside three runner up prizes. The survey is open until November 20 and can be completed by clicking here

Improved website launched by NATRUE

A more navigable website with a fresh new look has been launched by NATRUE.

The relaunched site contains new and updated sections, features and functionality to make information clearer for consumers, as well as NATRUE label users (manufacturers and producers) and NATRUE members.

Its history has been set out with a new timeline, while the NATRUE certified world is a new feature with an interactive world map, highlighting the brands and certified products relevant to a certain country. The directory of NATRUE certified products now has clearer functionality, enabling consumers to easily search for particular products or categories by country, or to check if a product’s certification level as either certified natural product, natural product with organic portion (over 70 per cent organic ingredients) or certified organic product (over 95 per cent organic ingredients).

There is also a series of infographics to set out what makes NATRUE unique and what it stands for, while two new certification guides have been created to guide the producer through the certification procedure.

Teapigs impress at Great Taste Awards

It’s been a bumper year for Teapigs after the brand scooped an impressive 18 accolades in the Great Taste Awards.

One of the blends to receive praise was Everyday Brew, which sees Teapigs donate five-15p from every pack sold to the Point Foundation, an organisation that supports orphans and vulnerable young people in Rwanda.

Co-founder, Louise Cheadle, commented: “We’re really excited about these awards and we’re looking forward to bringing even more quality teas to the range. We do our best to source the best quality and best-tasting tea out there and it’s brilliant to get feedback like this. Since day one, we’ve been on a mission to get people drinking real tea again so it’s fantastic to be recognised for the work we’ve done so far.”