Queensland Government researchers believe they have discovered a natural preservative that keeps seafood products fresher for longer. The project, conducted by the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries (DPI&F), has been looking at using the natural preservative properties of native foods to extend the shelf life of convenience seafood packs. Primary Industries and Fisheries Minister Tim Mulherin said plants contained natural extracts to protect and defend themselves from microbial attacks,... ...Read more »

Science and engineering are vital to securing a sustainable food supply at a time when the world is threatened by climate change, global population growth and limited natural resources, the Royal Society of Chemistry advised at a House of Commons event in the UK overnight. Embracing new technologies, based on good science, across the entire food supply chain was the centre piece of a major report on food sustainability launched on 21 January when the Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP gave a keynote address,... ...Read more »

The Food and Drink Federation (FDF), which represents the UK’s food and beverage manufacturers, and Improve, the food and drink sector skills council, are working on a formal set of National Occupational Standards which underpin the development of sustainable and environmentally friendly practices in the food and drink industry. Employers are currently consulting on the draft standards, which will define the knowledge and skills that all employees should have to make the industry as a whole,... ...Read more »

A new study could present food manufacturers companies around the world with a way to cater to an ageing population and increased interest in health and wellbeing products. A team of researchers at Danisco have produced promising results in a study of the potential synbiotic effect of dietary supplementation with a probiotic culture and prebiotic lactitol in healthy seniors. Published in the British Journal of Nutrition, the study found the probiotic-prebiotic combination increased the level of... ...Read more »

German-owned discount supermarket chain Aldi, which now has over 200 outlets in Australia, is continuing an aggressive store roll-out. The company is currently building new distribution centres in Sydney and Melbourne to cope with the expected expansion, allowing it to double its impact on the Australian grocery market, according to The Australian. The new warehouses in Sydney and Melbourne will be built over the next three years at a total cost of $500m, enabling the company to cater for 460 stores.... ...Read more »

As a Chinese court prepares to sentence those responsible for the melamine milk contamination that rocked China, 213 families have gone to the highest court in search of compensation. The families believe a payout scheme created by the government is not adequate. The criminal contamination of milk powder last year was linked to the tragic deaths of six babies and 294,000 infant illnesses and sparked a spate of consumer level recalls on Chinese dairy products. It was caused by the adding of the chemical... ...Read more »

The weak US economy hasn’t just reduced restaurant traffic; it has influenced American diners’ choices in entrees. Many consumers are bypassing beef for less expensive proteins like chicken, says Darren Tristano, Executive Vice-President at foodservice consultants Technomic. When ordering beef, and especially steak, explains Mr Tristano, they expect more quality, better cuts, aging and seasonings to justify paying a higher cost. Their expectations are reflected in emerging flavour and... ...Read more »

Italian dairy giant Parmalat has reportedly dismissed speculation of a possible bid for the dairy unit of Australia’s Goodman Fielder. Italian newspaper La Repubblica said in an unsourced report over the weekend that Parmalat had hired an investment bank as they considered a play for the dairy unit of Goodman Fielder. “There is no interest,” a source close to the situation told Reuters in response to the report. Goodman Fielder’s dairy unit is based in New Zealand and was... ...Read more »

Ballarat-based Hakubaku Australia has completed the largest ever export deal for Australian-made organic retail products into Korea with a $300,000 shipment of organic ‘Somen’ noodles to leading Korean food brand Sajo Haepyo, with the assistance of Austrade. Hakubaku’s products will be sold to approximately 420 stores across Korea the country, representing the second largest retail coverage for any Australian-made product behind Australian beef. Hakubaku’s organic varieties complement... ...Read more »

Buying has begun for the New Zealand Food Safety Authority’s 2009 Total Diet Study, which takes a detailed look at the food consumers eat. Every five or six years more than 120 foods commonly eaten as part of a typical diet are tested to estimate consumer exposure to chemical residues, contaminants and selected nutrients. Sampling officers in Auckland, Napier, Christchurch and Dunedin have begun the first round of shopping trips to their local supermarket and greengrocer for the food items... ...Read more »