The combined forces of the economic downturn and environmental pressures are causing a sharp slowdown in the global bottled water market, according to a recent analysis by global beverage industry specialists, Canadean. The situation is most marked in the USA, where Canadean is forecasting annual growth of under 1% for the next five years. This is a significant deceleration from the double-digit rates seen from 2000 to 2008, and has major implications for the PET plastics industry, in particular. “In... ...Read more »

The alcopops tax has failed to receive enough votes in the Senate after Family First Senator Steve Fielding sided with the Coalition. The Bill was initially passed 32-31 after National Senator Nigel Scullion missed out on voting as he failed to hear the bell, which signals the time for a vote. The Labor Government bowed to convention, however, and allowed a second vote. It was then defeated 32-31, with Labor Senator Mark Bishop caught missing in action on what turned out to be a chaotic day for the... ...Read more »

The Federal Government has launched a project to investigate what drives food tourism and look at ways to help the industry expand. Food tourism, or agritourism, can include food and wine trails, farm stays and farmers’ markets, outback adventures, working holidays on farms, conservation volunteering and processing plant tours. It is already an integral part of many regional economies, including in the Tamar Valley in Tasmania; the Harvest Highway in Western Australia; the Hawkesbury, Orange... ...Read more »

A new, universal on-pack recycling label was launched by leading UK retailers yesterday. For the first time, it will provide customers with standardised information on whether packaging can be recycled. The single, industry-supported label replaces the potentially confusing range of symbols previously used. Anyone who produces packaged products, such as retailers and suppliers, is being encouraged to participate. A string of major retailers and suppliers have already committed to taking part. The... ...Read more »

A Biosecurity Australia (BA) decision in early March recommending that Cavendish bananas from the Philippines be allowed to enter Australia continues to draw a worried reaction from many stakeholders concerned with protecting a major Australian industry. The Australian Banana Growers’ Council (ABGC) and Biological Farmers of Australia (BFA) have come out strongly in opposition to the move. Banana farmers, workers and local business people will hold a demonstration in Cairns; the IGA chain of... ...Read more »

The China Ministry of Commerce (MOC) has declined approval for the proposed purchase of the leading juice maker Huiyuan by The Coca-Cola Company, who has since reported that it will not be able to proceed with the acquisition.”We are disappointed, but we also respect the MOC’s decision,” said Muhtar Kent, President and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company. “We put a tremendous effort into providing all the relevant materials to the MOC to ensure that they had all the information available... ...Read more »

An Australian independent retailer has taken out the prestigious title of ‘IGA International Retailer of the Year’ at an awards ceremony held in Sydney on Sunday night. The announcement, made at the 2009 IGA Global Summit Gala Dinner, added to a host of awards for the Romeo Retail Group whose state-of-the-art Mitcham Foodland store has recently attracted countless state and national accolades. Competition for the title was truly global, with nominated stores hailing from countries across... ...Read more »

The Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) today welcomed the federal government’s positive response to the Productivity Commission’s Annual Review of Regulatory Burdens on Business: Manufacturing and Distributive Trades. The AFGC has consistently argued that the productivity of the food and grocery manufacturing industry, Australia’s largest manufacturing industry, was being hampered by a cumbersome, ineffective and politically charged regulatory system. AFGC Chief Executive... ...Read more »

Adopting a gluten-free diet is becoming an increasingly popular solution to alleviate complications from the numerous medical maladies associated with wheat and gluten consumption, according to a new report from America. As a result, the market for gluten-free food and beverage products grew at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 28% from 2004 to 2008 to finish with almost US$1.6 billion in retail sales last year, according to market research publisher Packaged Facts. The report, The Gluten-Free... ...Read more »

Ricegrowers Ltd, which trades as SunRice and is one of the world’s largest branded rice companies, has been forced to “downscale” operations as a result of the impact of the drought on their harvest. The actions of the company to cope with the expected low 2009 crop of around 75,000 tonnes were today passed onto employees and shareholders of the company. The company has the capacity to handle 1.2 million tonnes each year and this year’s shortfall comes after last year’s... ...Read more »