A practical new toolkit developed by RMIT University researchers is set to help food manufacturers cut their water use by identifying the processes that use the most water and the changes they can make to reduce their consumption.Supported by the Smart Water Fund, the Water Saver Toolkit was developed in conjunction with the Plenty Food Group, the City of Whittlesea, the City of Hume, Yarra Valley Water and several industrial food manufacturers. Dr Nira Jayasuriya, from RMIT’s School of Civil,... ...Read more »

Wesfarmers Limited, the owner of Coles supermarkets, today announced a 46.3 per cent lift in net profit after tax to $879 million for the half-year ended 31 December 2008,  which was in the upper range of guidance provided on 14 January 2009, and includes $125 million (post-tax) in write-downs and provisions. The all-important Coles turnaround was gathering pace, Wesfarmers Managing Director, Richard Goyder, advised. “Despite the impact of a tougher consumer environment, the Group’s... ...Read more »

IGA’s ongoing Community Chest program will provide $1.5 million dollars in food vouchers to assist in the Victoria Bushfire Disaster Relief efforts. The 1270 IGA stores nationwide, as well as Metcash (IGA retailers primary supplier), will collectively provide the vouchers via IGA’s Community Chest program to the Salvation Army. A further $100,000 has been donated by Ritchies Community Benefits Program. “Every IGA across Australia is an active part of the local community and as a... ...Read more »

Coles customers arrived in droves to support Friday’s fundraising event, when all of the day’s profits were destined to help those affected by Victoria’s devastating bushfires. Coles, BiLo and Coles Online stores nationally donated all profits made on Friday, with a total of $4,870,889 raised for the Victorian Bushfire Appeal Fund. When added to its existing $260,000 of food and grocery relief, Coles’ total donation – with the help of their customers – to the bushfire... ...Read more »

PepsiCo has reported net revenue growth of 10 per cent to US$43.3 billion for 2008, although a 3 per cent increase in net revenue for the fourth quarter suggests growth is beginning to wane. Indra Nooyi, PepsiCo Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said the company was well positioned to cope with America’s recession. “PepsiCo’s operating agility and disciplined execution delivered solid results in an extremely difficult year,” she said. “We expect 2009 will... ...Read more »

Canada’s Health Minister, Leona Aglukkaq, last week announced that Canada was continuing to make progress towards reducing the amount of trans fat in the Canadian food supply based on new data. This data includes an analysis of bakery products, a small sample of international foods sold in restaurants, and nutrition information obtained from the Nutrition Facts table of pre-packaged foods. According to the research from the trans fat monitoring program, 80% of the pre-packaged foods selected... ...Read more »

The Coca-Cola Company overnight reported that they had again exceeded growth targets, with unit case volume growth of 4 per cent in the fourth quarter and 5 per cent for the full year propelling them to a yearly profit of US$5.8 billion. The profit was, however, down 3 per cent on last year’s figures due to the impact of one-time charges. Sparkling beverages increased unit case volume 2 percent in both the quarter and full year, the Company noted. While stalwarts Coca-Cola, Fanta and Sprite... ...Read more »

Givaudan, one of the world’s leading flavours and fragrances companies, has identified a bitter taste receptor which could pave the way for even more stevia products following the approval of the ingredient in countries including Australia and the US last year. Givaudan has applied for patents related to its discovery of the bitter taste receptor triggered by Rebaudioside-A (also known as Reb-A), the new Stevia-derived ‘natural high intensity sweetener’. Understanding how bitterness... ...Read more »

Sanlu, the company at the centre of the recent melamine scandal in China, has been declared bankrupt by a Chinese court. The Intermediate People’s Court of Shijiazhuang issued the bankruptcy order at the first meeting of Sanlu’s creditors yesterday. Sanlu Group debts had climbed above the value of their assets in the wake of the scandal, with the group forced to borrow 902 million yuan (A$201 million) to pay the medical fees of children made ill by its melamine tainted baby formula and... ...Read more »

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has concluded that exposure to taurine and d-glucuronolactone through regular consumption of energy drinks was not of safety concern. The research was conducted in response to a request from the European Commission, EFSA’s Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources added to Food (ANS). The evaluation follows a risk assessment on these two substances carried out by the EU’s former Scientific Committee on Food (SCF) in 2003. The ANS Panel considered... ...Read more »