A decision to introduce a national beverage deposit scheme – similar to that seen in South Australia – was not reached at a meeting of Australia’s state and federal environment ministers in Hobart today. Legislation for the scheme has been put forward by Family First Senator Steve Fielding and the Greens party but the Federal Government has yet to report a conclusive opinion on the idea. The state and federal ministers had commissioned a report into the merits of the scheme but... ...Read more »

The Chief Executive of UK supermarket chain Asda, Andy Bond, has criticised the ‘premiumisation’ trend, which he believes has been found out by the more prudent grocery shopper. Mr Bond said that the critical lesson for businesses to come from the the past decade was that simply charging what you think consumers might be able to afford would end up coming back to bite. “Through this period of what you might call ‘abundance’ – abundance of debt and abundance of consumption... ...Read more »

Food Standards Australia New Zealand has reported that around 34 per cent of Australians are consuming too much salt but indicated that media reports might have exaggerated the over consumption. “Recent media reports suggest that Australians regularly consumed more than 40 g sodium chloride (salt) a day,” FSANZ noted. “In contrast, FSANZ’s estimates showed that 95% of Australians consume less than 8.5 g of salt each day, with the highest daily salt consumption calculated for... ...Read more »

Coca-Cola Amatil have reported strong growth in the first half despite a “noticeable shift” in consumer behaviour. Australia’s largest soft drink beverage maker advised, in their May trading update, that a hot summer had driven strong demand in the first quarter, while the stimulus packages helped them achieve strong volume and revenue growth. “The economic downturn has resulted in a noticeable shift in consumer behaviour,” the maker of Coca-Cola in Australia said. “Demand... ...Read more »

Australia’s largest supermarket chains are enhancing their focus on private label within their advertising campaigns as they seek to capitalise on an Australian consumer intent on cutting costs. A push by Aldi to compare their products to the competition following the ACCC’s Grocery Price Inquiry was just the start of the trend, with Australia’s two largest supermarket chains since following up with their own focus on generic brands. Aldi, whose stores are flooded with private label... ...Read more »

National Foods has announced that Parmalat will purchase some of their fresh milk manufacturing operations in New South Wales and South Australia after the competition watchdog requested divestments from the dairy firm when they purchased Dairy Farmers last year. The deal, which is subject to the approval of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), will see Parmalat acquire a portfolio of fresh milk assets across the two states, licences to market brands and distribution networks... ...Read more »

The bid to ban the advertising of ‘junk food’ to kids paints an unfair picture of the fast-food industry, according to McDonald’s. The Coalition on Food Advertising to Children (CFAC), which includes the Cancer Council, Choice and The Parents Jury among others, recently launched a campaign to ban TV advertising of unhealthy food to children before 9pm. The online campaign includes a video of a hamburger knocking on the door of a family’s house only to be kicked out by an upset... ...Read more »

Lion Nathan, the subject of a takeover offer by major shareholder Kirin, has indicated they may sell their wine assets as soon as economic conditions improve. Lion Chief Executive Rob Murray told analysts yesterday that the wine industry was still facing difficulties with a glut, with the economic climate exacerbating the problem. With this in mind the company was not currently considering a sale of the division, which accounts for about 7 per cent of sales. “My view is there is still an opportunity... ...Read more »

Coca-Cola Amatil’s Mother is now challenging V for top spot in the energy drink sector as Australia’s leading soft drink producer finally uses its distribution networks to capture a valuable slice of the market. After a failed launch over two years ago, the ‘new’ Mother was introduced with great success last July and, in the six months to March, shared the leading position in the grocery channel with V – each claiming a 30.1% share of the market. While taking off in... ...Read more »

Policies enacted by the United States and the European Union, and pushed through global institutions during the last several decades, laid the ground for the ongoing food crisis, according to a new report by CIDSE, an international alliance of Catholic development agencies, and the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP). Nearly 1 billion people are currently suffering from hunger around the world, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has reported, as they look to work... ...Read more »