Mexico’s sugar tax is hitting poor people, increasing inequality and failing to tackle obesity, says the country’s soft drink group ANPRAC – but a recent academic paper suggests even regressive sugar taxes are still “socially desirable”.
Argentinian supplier DPAustral has developed an additive that prevents melanosis in prawns and other crustaceans, allowing manufacturers to tap into the global trend for sulfite-free products, it says.
PepsiCo Latin America is launching its 'Recycling with Purpose' program by rolling out Ecoins in Peru, a virtual currency that offers consumers discounts for recyclable waste.
Mexican food design agency Foodlosofia has worked with industry giants such as PepsiCo and Heineken to develop new products, retail concepts and eating experiences. We caught up with its CEO and creative designer to find out more.
Dried fruit and vegetable powders allow manufacturers to add extra nutrients and color to food and drink products, says Brazilian supplier Sylvestre Natural Ingredients.
The rheological properties of fructans from the agave tequilana cactus make them useful as texture agents in food products, according to Mexican scientists.
Latin American millennials have grown up and are now juggling young families, jobs, and financial pressures. It's time to stop marketing to this demographic - worth an estimated US$30bn - as care-free, self-centered youths, says market research firm...
'The future of food is unlocking the potential of proteins’ says CEO
Protera Biosciences enzymatically engineers the proteins in food to make them healthier and more functional; turning saturated fats into healthier, unsaturated ones is just one possibility. We caught up with its CEO and founder to find out more.
Family farming is crucial to fighting the double burden of obesity and malnutrition, a "complex nutrition problem" present in Latin America, according to the FAO director-general, José Graziano da Silva.
Cashew nut shells are commonly discarded as a waste product but a high antioxidant content could mean they have potential to be used as meat preservatives, say Brazilian researchers.
Eating a diet high in ultra-processed foods causes weight gain because the natural food matrix has been changed to remove fiber, according to the first randomized controlled trial (RCT) in this area.
PepsiCo has patented a process to co-ferment oats and dairy milk, creating a drinkable or spoonable product with "unique" metabolites and a versatile taste profile.
Bioactive peptides found in a common microalga inhibit the growth of Staphylococcus aureus and E. Coli bacteria by more than 90%, Colombian researchers have found.
Barack Obama: ‘Laboratoria's success rate has been extraordinary’
Peruvian start-up Laboratoria trains Latin American women in tech, addressing the region's digital skills gap, helping companies hire diverse workers, fighting the macho mindset - and winning praise from Barack Obama and Mark Zuckerberg.
Mexican start-up Xilinat has won first prize at Chivas Venture for its natural sweetener made from 'upcycled' agricultural waste thanks to a patent-protected process .
The Mexican bakery giant has refined the recipes of its Arnold, Brownberry and Oroweat bread brands to shrink ingredient lists – a move it said satisfies consumer demand.
Regenerative agriculture can be productive and profitable, according to Brazilian producer Rizoma, which aims to regenerate one million hectares of land in Brazil by 2030. “Simply sustaining is not enough,” it says.
Arcor’s head of nutrition development tells us how it is making its products healthier, from reducing sugar with prebiotics and researching fat crystallization to applying nutrient thresholds and shrinking portion sizes.
Sixty percent of Chileans were willing to try an empanada filled with insect protein, according to a study by the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile.
Stevia, allulose, and fiber are Tate & Lyle’s three key ingredients for successful sugar reduction in Latin America. “These will show the biggest growth in Latin America for sugar reduction,” it says.
Argentinian scientists and tech firm EnyeTech have optimized the production process for mycoprotein, allowing for cheaper production both industrially and in the home. "We are decentralizing the production of protein in the world," says the...
In price-sensitive markets such as Latin America, does clean label reformulation to make products healthier or more natural offer a return on investment?
Adding the Nutri-Score to food and drink resulted in Colombians choosing more green-labeled products - not fewer red ones - and spending more overall in-store. “This is a potential financial incentive to stores,” say the researchers.
Mexican start-up Bio B uses locally-sourced ingredients in smoothie mixes and protein bars, such as inulin from agave cacti, cocoa from Tabasco, and Mexican-grown moringa.
Mexico's leading coconut milk brand talks about new product development and how healthy drinks can compete with soda. "Coconuts have been popular in Mexico since forever. It's just that now companies are transforming them into everyday...
We hit Mexico's ANTAD Alimentaria last week to seek out the latest trends in finished products. From cactus snacks to green banana flour; matcha horchata to lemon popcorn, this is what we saw.
DuPont is making its range of fermentation cultures for plant-based dairy alternatives, such as soy and coconut milk, available to manufacturers in South America.
Bezos Expeditions and ethical investment firm The Craftory will give Chilean plant-based start-up The Not Company US$30 million. “NotCo has the energy and capabilities to topple the traditional food production giants,” says The Craftory.
Latin American consumers want to buy better, safer food and companies need to react, according to R&D company AINIA. 'The dual forces of consumer awareness and legislation are evolving the market,' says its director of international projects.
Demand for plant-based products in Mexico is small but growing fast, according to supplier DuPont, as it shows customers how to incorporate soy into traditional Mexican dishes at Carne y Lacteos in Monterrey.
The biodiversity essential for food production is disappearing by the day, says a damning report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) – yet there are areas for positive action. The first-of-kind report suggests steps manufacturers could take...
Chile's strict food regulations are helping mothers - and even children - make healthier food choices for the family, according to a study. The findings are “overwhelmingly positive”, say the researchers.
Mexican social enterprise SmartFish is driving both supply and demand for sustainable fish and seafood by teaching local fishermen to use artisanal methods and selling their produce. “We are creating a market for sustainable fish in Mexico,” it says.
People, seeds and soil are the fundamentals of agriculture and, when combined, are a tool to fight climate change, say researchers working with Mayan farmers in Southern Belize.
Most packaged food products in Latin America are meeting regional salt reduction targets, according to a first-of-its-kind survey - but this is probably because the targets were set too high, researchers say.
The Social Gastronomy Movement, a network of farm-to-fork actors offering solutions to issues such as food waste and poor nutrition, is being rolled out around the world with pilot hubs in Chile and Brazil.
The high starch content of sweet potato, oca and arracacha makes them suitable for producing biobased foam trays to replace polystyrene, Peruvian researchers have found.
Food security and nutrition experts from around the world gathered in Costa Rica this week for the Sustainable Food Systems (SFS) conference. FoodNavigator-LATAM brings you the highlights.
Chile's Gelymar is developing a "completely new" range of apple fiber products and making seaweed sourcing more sustainable. "Natural, unique and sustainable are the three pillars that will dominate the future hydrocolloid industry,"...
Neogrid's cloud-based supply chain management tools allow manufacturers to react to consumer demand in real-time, meaning fewer product shortages or excesses. "We allow companies to put the right product in the right place and in the right quantity,"...
Latin American manufacturers are interested in cleaning up food labels but the region's lack of harmonization is limiting uptake, says Chr. Hansen’s LATAM vice president.
Brazilian start-up Plasticor's patent-pending, biodegradable plastic changes color when food begins to perish, reducing food waste without compromising food safety, it says.
Reformulating to remove warning labels by cutting salt and fat makes a product seem healthier than creating a health halo by adding fiber or vitamins, Chilean researchers have found.
The caramel and fruity notes of sapote make it ideal for both creamy dairy and acidic beverage applications, and can help manufacturers appeal to Latin American consumers, says supplier Aromatech.
Producing sugarcane according to Bonsucro sustainability standards can halve greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and boost crop yields, according to recent research. "A clear case" for seeking certification for this "very thirsty crop",...
