All comment & opinion articles
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Comment & OpinionFood scare headlines mask the real ‘worst-case scenario’
Hysterical headlines aside, there has been a general sense of despair at the government’s handling of the crisis
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Comment & OpinionThe trust economy: why ‘prove it’ is the new ‘believe us’
The brands that will win shelf space are those willing to show their working, says Pauline Cox, director of functional nutrition at Hunter & Gather
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Comment & OpinionHFSS ad ban’s first rulings show the devil really is in the detail
Advertisers like to push the rules to the limit. Now they have the first clues about what those limits might be
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Comment & OpinionNetflix has put microplastics on the health agenda. Are food brands ready?
The arrival of The Plastic Detox documentary on Netflix has been hailed as a potential game-changer in the public’s views on plastic, says Harvey Choat, MD at Nexus PR
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Comment & OpinionSalt reduction risks repeating the low-fat mistake
Focusing on a single nutrient risks repeating the unintended consequences of the low-fat era, where solving one problem created another, says Cornish Sea Salt MD Philip Tanswell
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Comment & OpinionFrom principle to practice: how we’re enforcing the new ‘less healthy’ ad rules
The ASA has published its first four rulings under the new HFSS ad restrictions, giving food brands the first look at how real ads are being assessed, says CEO Guy Parker
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Comment & OpinionFamous farmers, plant-based wins and food waste challenges
One of the most successful rebrands in recent years has been the almost unanimous industry move from ’vegan’ to ’plant-based
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Comment & OpinionTilda’s photogenic family rap it up
‘That’s me in my kitchen flow, making a mess, typical Tuesday,’ begins a moustachioed dad, over a UK garage-style beat
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Comment & OpinionImpact Makers podcast provides straight-talking scrutiny
Throughout, the podcast stays hyper-focused on why the subject at hand matters to brands
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Comment & OpinionBrands keep following trends. It’s time to lead them instead
From pumpkin spice to salted caramel and sriracha the pattern is the same: brands arrive late and end up just adding noise, says Simon Massey, co-founder at Neverland
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Comment & OpinionHelp your workplace ‘talker’ cut the chatter and be more efficient
Talkative people so want to be heard, says Darren A Smith of Making Business Matter. The problem is that the exact opposite happens
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Comment & OpinionOpposition to animal welfare reforms reveals farming’s true colours
The farming sector’s resistance to even modest welfare improvements exposes how it really views animals, says Juliet Gellatley, founder and director of Viva
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Comment & OpinionWhy surge pricing won’t be coming soon to a supermarket near you
Parts of the national press went into meltdown over the weekend as they latched onto electronic shelf labels as evidence of an impending consumer dystopia
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Comment & OpinionFrom matcha green to ube purple: using colour to drive trends
Colour can be used not just to catch the eye but to tell a story and evoke emotion, says Regina Maiseviciute Haydon, associate principal at Mintel Food & Drink
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Comment & OpinionDemands for more oil are crude. Renewable energy will protect our food system
Some commentators have advocated intensifying oil production to protect food supplies. This is profoundly misguided, says Dan Crossley, executive director at the Food Ethics Council
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Comment & OpinionNo more lazy marketing: why HFSS is a blessing in disguise
With the January 2026 restrictions now in force, the easy options are narrowing, says Nick Wright, CEO at Havas Play
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Comment & OpinionEditor’s picks: The ceasefire, retail crime, and the Co-op merger
Keeping up with the latest developments on the Iran war feels like a job in its own right, and how much relief the 14-day ceasefire will actually bring to UK consumers and grocery businesses remains uncertain at best
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Comment & OpinionWill the Iran-US ceasefire help to bring down soaring prices?
The jury is out on what the ceasefire will mean for global fuel, oil, and food & drink prices”
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Comment & OpinionLess chocolate, higher prices: how brands are managing the cocoa price squeeze
The challenge is that visible reformulation can quickly collide with brand equity says Patrick Young, MD at PRS In Vivo
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Comment & OpinionWhy the Co‑op merger matters – and the timing speaks volumes
Co-op has faced a whirlwind of problems recently, but the merger isn’t necessarily a knee-jerk reaction