News in brief: a round-up of industry stories
We visit different corners of the industry to bring you a selection of stories in bitesize form.
‘Stop killing our rivers’
The Soil Association (SA) has launched a campaign to protect the UK’s rivers from the damage caused by intensive chicken farming. ‘Stop killing our rivers’ aims to increase awareness of the large volume of phosphate-rich manure which is used to fertilize crop fields near many of the nation’s riverways – rivers which are subsequently polluted during periods of rain, causing algal blooms ‘devastating’ to wildlife and plants.
With its new petition the SA is asking Government to ban new intensive chicken farms; help chicken farmers move towards sustainable farming practices; and reduce how much intensively farmed chicken we produce and eat in the UK.
#rosemaryoil TikTok trend
With the #rosemaryoil craze on social media showing no signs of abating – having accumulated over two billion TikTok views, and with Google searches up 395% – Tisserand Aromatherapy says public appetite for rosemary products has cemented the ingredient as a ‘staple in hair and beauty routines’. With benefits including skin and scalp protection and improved circulation, rosemary is known to ‘refresh and invigorate the mind’, aiding concentration and improving memory.
Witnessing a year-on-year sales increase of 102% for Rosemary Organic Essential Oil, Tisserand has developed an ‘enhanced and purpose-led’ blend of its best-selling oil. Rosemary Hair Oil’s spray format enables mess-free application and increased precision, while sweet almond, black seed oil and sunflower oil are included to support scalp health, promote hair growth and leave locks soft and shiny.
20 years at the HFMA
The Health Food Manufacturers’ Association (HFMA) is celebrating 20 years of partnership with scientific advisor Dr Michele Sadler.
Over two decades Sadler has brought ‘a wealth of knowledge, insight and scientific support’ to the HFMA. Martin Last, director general, says: “Michele has been, and continues to be, a great asset … bringing guidance and understanding of the scientific issues that we face in this industry. Her contribution as an expert supports us across many aspects of our activity and we are extremely grateful for her dedication and hard work over the past 20 years.”
Sadler adds: “The 20 years I have been working with HFMA have been an enriching and rewarding experience, during which many changes and developments have taken place, not least the emergence of a number of critical EU Regulations for the industry, publication of key consensus reports and important committee deliberations, and of course Brexit. It has been gratifying to see HFMA go from strength to strength during this period – and long may this continue.”
ETHOSA live on Seedrs
Refillable waterless personal care brand ETHOSA has embarked upon a crowdfunding campaign, marking a ‘significant step’ in its mission to redefine the beauty and personal care market.
The campaign aims to ‘fuel the next phase’ of ETHOSA’s growth, which will see the brand focus on expanding its product line, scale its UK e-commerce presence and ‘nurture partnerships with like-minded retailers’.
Gaëlle Chatelard, co-founder, comments: “Some interesting facts, we reached our target within 48 hours of going live on Seedrs, and are now on track to hit our overfunding target of £200K before the campaign ends. We're currently under £5K away from reaching it.”
Support the crowdfunder here: https://www.seedrs.com/ethosa/
Oat Barista goes organic
A new dairy-free drink has joined the range at Rude Health: Organic Oat Barista. Four years in the making, the product is pitched as ‘the perfect partner for the coffee connoisseur, whether it’s pods, espresso or filter’. Using only four ingredients the Organic Oat Barista offers ‘a perfect creamy foam’ and a natural sweetness ‘that balances beautifully’ with the flavour of coffee.
Camilla Barnard, Rude Health co-founder, comments: “With the foundations of the Barista category having been laid, there is still significant opportunity for growth. Barista, oat and organic are all growth drivers. The shelf is currently dominated by long ingredient lists with emulsifiers, stabilizers and acidity regulators, and we know consumers are not only looking for great functionality and brilliant taste, but clean deck, organic ingredients. We’ve used our years of dairy-free drink experience to craft what we believe is the ultimate trade up.”
Mr Organic: a new look
Food brand Mr Organic has announced a ‘new look and feel’ for its product range.
The rebranding has been in progress since January 2023, the team working behind the scenes with experts to determine how they wanted Mr Organic ‘to be presented to the world’.
“We have been eager to share Mr Organic's brand-new look and feel and … we can finally show it to the public. We hope you all like it as much as we do,” says the company.
“This would not be possible without The Good Crowd, who have been exceptional in steering us in the right direction from the very beginning. With the help of Nina Davies, we were also able to find out what customers were after and how we could relate to them. A massive thank you to everyone, including Taller Design who did an amazing job with developing our new visuals and typography.”
By Rosie Greenaway, editor