With colds and high profile flu strains dominating the headlines over the past few months, Australian owned manufacturer Juicy Isle has launched Kids Plus, a pulp free low GI premium orange juice specially formulated for children. The company hopes to open a new category on supermarket shelves, with the product offering vitamins and minerals that can help keep colds at bay. “We had both parents and children in mind when developing this product,” Michael Cooper, General Manager of Juicy... ...Read more »

a2 Milk is now available in a No Fat variety across the nation. The product is the only cow’s milk on the market in Australia guaranteed to contain naturally maximised levels of the A2 form of the beta casein protein. There are two predominant forms of the beta casein protein found in milk – A1 and A2. a2 Milk is sourced from cows the original breed of cows that have been genetically confirmed to produce only the A2 form naturally. These cows are then segregated and their milk kept in... ...Read more »

Australian chocolate manufacturer, Sweet William, has broken through to the mainstream market with the release of its new Chocolate Mud Spread – featuring 60% less sugar than other mainstream chocolate and hazelnut spreads. The manufacturer has traditionally been viewed as a specialty health food company as their products are made free from dairy, gluten and nuts to cater for the thousands of Australian’s living with food intolerances or allergies. But they believe Mud offers the opportunity... ...Read more »

A rise in the number of home cooked meals has helped cushion the impact of the downturn on supermarkets and manufacturers and is leading to a replenishment of staff at a number of prominent manufacturing sites in Victoria. Around 60 positions have been added at the Uncle Tobys factory near Wodonga, 50 at each of the Bega and Mrs Crocket’s factories and a number at Fonterra, the state secretary of the National Union of Workers, Anthony Thow, told The Age. Mr Thow believes the jobs rebound in... ...Read more »

Melbourne cake makers Ferguson Plarre Bakehouses have claimed the most prestigious environmental award in Australia, while iconic Australian spread Vegemite, manufactured by Kraft Foods Australia/New Zealand, took out the inaugural agriculture and food prize. As Australia’s leading environmental awards, the Banksia Awards recognise outstanding environmental achievements by businesses, government and individuals. The winners were announced on Friday night, with Kraft’s Vegemite taking home... ...Read more »

New customer satisfaction data released by Roy Morgan last week has seen Aldi retain their lead in the approval stakes, however Coles has now surged past IGA and Woolworths. The release, related to the month of May, showed customer affection for Aldi and Coles had risen from April levels while IGA and Woolworths both recorded declines. Coles’ positioning as second in the survey represents the first time the chain has surpassed the rating of IGA and Woolworths for over a year. “Satisfaction... ...Read more »

Australia’s food standards regulator has released an outline of a review report into regulation of genetically modified (GM) foods in Australia. The review was commissioned by FSANZ in May 2008, with international expert Dr William Yan* invited to dissect FSANZ’s safety assessment procedures for genetically modified (GM) foods. Overview The report provided comparison of the current FSANZ approach to GM food safety assessments against international best practice in the area. It identified... ...Read more »

Danone, the world’s largest yoghurt maker, has reported a sales rise of 2.2 per cent after stripping out the negative impact of currency translation. The dairy firm saw volumes rise, reversing the trend of volume declines. “Our sales and results in the first half of 2009 clearly show that we are on the right track,” Franck Riboud, Chairman and CEO of Danone, said. “The numerous initiatives we have launched in various countries, to quickly adapt our offer to consumer needs,... ...Read more »

Tasmania is well on the way to becoming the food bowl of the nation, according to the state’s Premier – David Bartlett. Mr Bartlett said the Apple Isle was intent on using their resources more efficiently to capitalise on some of the advantages the state has for producing food. This will see the pledge of more water to boost food reserves. “In order to achieve our strategy to make Tasmania the food bowl of the nation today I commit to a bold new goal – we will deliver more... ...Read more »

The retail and wholesale distribution industry could save £6.1 billion (A$12.26b) a year by agreeing “better” more “mutually beneficial” supplier-buyer deals, new research has claimed.According to retail consultancy, The Gap Partnership, and independent economists, the Centre for Economic and Business Research, both suppliers and retailers could improve their business performances, productivity and profitability by “thinking creatively” about the terms of contract... ...Read more »