The shareholders of NSX-listed Foodworks have voted almost unanimously in favour of management’s purchase of 45 Coles outlets and eight associated Liquorland stores. The $35 million deal, which received ACCC approval last month, was supported by over 95 per cent of the company’s shareholders. The deal has been reported as a ‘win-win’ for both Coles and FoodWorks, as it allows FoodWorks to continue expanding their network while it is viewed by Coles as an important step in... ...Read more »

The Federal Government has announced funding of $6.4 million to help 15 regional businesses boost innovation in Australia’s food industry, for both domestic and export markets.Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Tony Burke said the funding was under the first round of the Regional Food Producers Innovation and Productivity Program. The Government suggests the program will help support regional jobs and regional economies through new technology and productivity improvements. The... ...Read more »

US retailer Supervalu is preparing to call on packaging suppliers to bring innovation to the private label sector and form closer ties with retailers in order to improve private label products. Andrew Abraham, vice president of own brands for Supervalu, will emphasise the need for innovation in the private label market when he delivers his keynote speech at Pack Expo in October. In his presentation, Abraham will explore four “key areas” of opportunity where the private brand industry... ...Read more »

The New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) today released the first quarter results for the Total Diet Study (TDS), discovering that the average diet presents no chemical residue food safety concerns. The five-yearly study tested more than 120 commonly eaten foods to estimate New Zealanders’ dietary exposure to chemical residues, contaminants and selected nutrients.Foods tested for the study are split into two groups – those from the regions and those available nationally. The first... ...Read more »

CSIRO has become the first organisation beyond Europe to join ‘HighTech Europe’ – a consortium of 22 research agencies, industrial federations, universities and equipment manufacturers which encourages the uptake of innovative and emerging food processing technologies. Coordinated by the German Institute of Food Technologies (DIL), HighTech Europe plans to develop protocols that enhance the availability of innovative technological knowledge to small and medium-sized businesses in... ...Read more »

Patties Foods today advised that they would be moving the frozen fruit operations of Creative Gourmet and Chef’s Pride from Silverwater in NSW to the company’s main production facility in Bairnsdale, Victoria. The decision to shut down the Silverwater facility follows a strategic review of the Creative Gourmet and Chef’s Pride business, which was acquired in May 2007, and after “careful consideration of how to optimise the long term performance of the business”, the... ...Read more »

Goodman Fielder has today announced that their Managing Director of Fresh Baking, Gordon Hardie, has decided to leave to pursue a chief executive position elsewhere. Mr Hardie, who has been with the Australian manufacturer for seven years, will leave the business on Friday September 4. “Gordon has been a highly valued member of our group executive team since 2004, having joined the company in 2002,” Peter Margin, Goodman Fielder CEO, said today. “He has successfully led our baking... ...Read more »

The world’s ninth largest retailer has today opened its long-awaited first store in Australia within the Docklands precinct of Melbourne. The warehouse retailer, which sells everything from branded food products to bakery goods, diamonds and TVs, was flooded with customers upon opening this morning – all hoping to find out what the fuss is about. “There were people queuing halfway down Docklands this morning,” a Costco spokesperson told ninemsn. “There are thousands... ...Read more »

A food monitoring survey of packaged ready-to-eat meat products within the state of New South Wales found almost all samples complied with health standards.The NSW Food Authority survey showed just 7 of the 154 packaged smallgoods products surveyed were just above the regulatory limit for bacterial quality. “The levels of bacteria found in these samples were very low and the Food Authority visited each of the premises where these meats were manufactured to ensure the producers were complying... ...Read more »

Nestlé’s filing of its half-year numbers earlier this week meant that all of Europe’s largest food makers had provided an update on how their businesses are faring amid the worst recession for decades.As we know, the food sector has proved relatively more resilient to the downturn than other sectors but, then, everything is relative. The figures issued by Nestle and the likes of Unilever, Danone and Cadbury suggest that some food manufacturers are navigating the downturn better than... ...Read more »