Australia’s growing wine exports to China and Hong Kong will be strengthened with two new agreements to increase cooperation and promote the trade, according to Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Tony Burke. Mr Burke this week signed two memoranda of understanding on wine exports, in Hong Kong and Beijing. He said the China agreement will establish a single point of contact to address market access issues such as certification and labelling. “In a country the size of China,... ...Read more »

Finnish food group Raisio is the world’s first food company to add an H2O label to product packaging, indicating the total water consumption of the product. The label was added to Elovena oat flakes, which only a year ago pioneered the CO2 label – highlighting its impact on the environment. The Elovena H2O label indicates the product’s water footprint throughout the production chain – from the field to the packaged product found in retail outlets. The footprint includes the... ...Read more »

SunChips, a line of multigrain snacks within PepsiCo’s Frito Lay division, announced today that in 2010 it will introduce the first fully compostable snack chip bag made from plant-based materials. The first step towards this transformational packaging will be made this month when the outer layer of packaging on SunChips snack bags will be made with a compostable, plant-based renewable material, polylactic acid (PLA). By Earth Day 2010, PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay North America division plans... ...Read more »

Kosher and Halal foods – as defined by the sacred dietary laws of Judaism and Islam, respectively – must be produced and processed according to standards that typically exceed those imposed by governments around the world. In kosher and halal food production, sanitation requirements are more exacting, supervision is rigorous, inspection is more frequent, prohibitions against certain ingredients and contaminants are stricter, and label information is more forthcoming than required by most... ...Read more »

Frozen food is increasingly considered a wise choice by shoppers as they seek better value in the current economic downturn, according to new research from the UK. Research carried out for the Food and Drink Federation’s Frozen Food Group by Insight Track Ltd shows that half of consumers (49%) believe that frozen food will help them through the credit crunch. The good news for frozen food in the current climate is that 70% of consumers understand the main tangible benefits of frozen food,... ...Read more »

Dr Lyn Roberts, Chief Executive of the Heart Foundation, has urged supermarkets to improve the nutritional profile of their private label goods as research indicates they often lag their branded counterparts. It is the second time in a month that the health of supermarket products has been criticised, with consumer group Choice last month questioning the ingredients in supermarket cakes. Dr Roberts noted that the stalling economy had driven more people to private label, but possibly to the detriment... ...Read more »

Consumers are willing to pay more for food processed using new technology once they understand how it works and what it does, according to a study presented in the Journal of Food Science Education, published by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT). To meet consumer demand for food that is minimally processed, additive free and has an extended shelf life, there has been increased interest in the commercial development of nonthermal-processing technologies. High hydrostatic-pressure processing... ...Read more »

Coles yesterday announced it would sell its Pharmacy Direct business to RX Direct (a company owned by the Pharmacist Members of the Terry White Chemists Advisory Board) as they focus on the arduous task of transforming the Coles business after years of underinvestment. Pharmacy Direct was bought by the former Coles Myer Group in March 2006, and sells a range of pharmaceutical products through a retail site in western Sydney, and through its mail order / online business. Coles Managing Director, Ian... ...Read more »

The Heart Foundation is calling for a national food reformulation strategy as part of their extensive plan to tackle the alarming rates of cardiovascular disease in Australia. Dr Lyn Roberts, CEO of the National Heart Foundation of Australia, said yesterday that the food industry needs to provide further support to the community with regard to healthier choices. “The need now is for Australians to live in a community, in a neighbourhood that supports them to make better, healthier choices,”... ...Read more »

As unemployment rose last year so did the incidence of alcohol and food theft, according to a Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research report released yesterday. The research, from New South Wales, discovered food shoplifting surged by 17 per cent last year as almost two cases were reported, on average, each day. Alcohol was first on the list for thieves, as retail shoplifting rose by 7.8 per cent. “It is a telling fact that in the last 12 months the types of items stolen from retail stores... ...Read more »