For consumers navigating stubborn food prices, healthy eating can too often feel like an expensive aspiration. Lidl’s latest campaign offers a smart response: don’t simply tell shoppers that nutritious food is affordable—show them what to cook, how much it costs and where to find the ingredients. Working with chef and author Miguel Barclay, the retailer has created seven “Planet Plate” recipes costing £1 per serving. Meals such as chickpea masala and a leek, courgette and bea

Anyone who has spent time around fresh produce, flowers or plants knows that visual inspection is not as straightforward as it sounds. On paper, it is simple enough. Check the colour. Look for damage. Assess size, shape, uniformity, decay, presentation and shelf life. Decide whether the product meets the spec. In reality, it is rarely that neat. A punnet of strawberries can look perfectly acceptable from one angle and disappointing from another. A bunch of roses may appear st

For a while, Europe’s foodtech sector felt unstoppable. Money flooded into vertical farming, alternative proteins, rapid grocery delivery platforms and futuristic food concepts that promised to revolutionise the way the world eats. Investors competed to back the next unicorn. Startups chased growth at speed. And for a time, simply being part of the “future of food” conversation was often enough to attract serious funding. But reality has a habit of catching up with hype. Over

There was a moment, not that long ago, when vertical farming seemed unstoppable. Venture capital was flowing, futuristic indoor farms were appearing in city warehouses, and the promise was intoxicating: year-round food production, minimal land use, and a climate-resilient answer to feeding a growing population. Then reality arrived! A number of high-profile vertical farming businesses struggled under the weight of energy costs, scaling challenges and difficult economics. For

Smaller growers, packers, importers and logistics firms may feel understandably twitchy reading the Bank of England’s latest Financial Stability Report. The Bank is clear that risks in the global system have risen – from frothy AI-driven markets to leveraged hedge funds and cyber threats. But there is also good news buried in the detail: the UK banking system remains robust, capital rules are easing slightly, and specialist trade bodies such as the Fresh Produce Consortium (F

Children in Britain today are growing up in a marketing minefield — one where the loudest, brightest, and most persuasive voices belong not to apples or carrots, but to crisps, fizzy drinks and chocolate bars. For every ad promoting goodness from the ground, there are dozens enticing children towards high-fat, high-salt, high-sugar alternatives. And here’s the thing — we know this matters. Every bit of evidence out there shows junk food advertising doesn’t just build brand aw

There is no denying that the United Kingdom stands on the shoulders of giants in the AI field. British universities churn out exceptional research and engineering talent, while homegrown start-ups continue to push the boundaries of what AI can achieve. These strengths paint a compelling picture of potential – a promise of AI systems that plough our fields, summarise documents, diagnose illnesses, and even draft emails with unsettling proficiency. Yet, this glittering façade c

As the new school year begins across Europe, the European Union’s commitment to promoting healthy eating through its EU School Scheme is gaining attention. With the growing issue of childhood obesity and poor dietary habits, should the UK consider adopting a similar approach to tackle these challenges head-on? The EU School Scheme provides free fruit, vegetables, and milk to millions of schoolchildren across member states, while educating them on the benefits of a balanced di