A former business manager at Australia’s second largest bakery chain has been appointed to a similar role at the Franchised Food Company (FFCo). Michelle Sprenger will manage two of the burgeoning food company’s brands, Cold Rock and Mr Whippy within Queensland and the Northern Territory from FFCo’s Brisbane office. The 46-year-old was previously Brumby’s Queensland business manager for eight years and the business manager for Ella Bache beauty salons in Queensland and the... ...Read more »

America continues to debate the merits of a tax on soft drinks with regard to its impact on obesity. A recent study indicated that those who drink one or more high sugar beverages each day were 27 per cent more likely to be obese, fuelling the debate. Americans are the largest consumers of soft drinks in the world, and the average person in the country drinks almost 200 litres of sugary beverages annually. As such, concerns have been raised about the impact of soft drinks on obesity, with President... ...Read more »

Reports are circulating that Kraft could look to sell their global coffee brand Maxwell House in order to finance a higher offer to Cadbury. The US-based manufacturer has three weeks left to table a formal offer for the UK confectioner and the New York Post said they were considering a sale of Maxwell House to fund an enlarged bid. Citing sources close to the situation, the paper said that Kraft is in talks to sell the coffee brand to Sara Lee. The sources said that Kraft was close to organising... ...Read more »

Woolworths was the only major supermarket in Australia to see their customer satisfaction levels rise in the six-months to August, according to the latest Roy Morgan Supermarket Satisfaction Report. Among Aldi customers, 88.9% were satisfied with the supermarket, followed by IGA (87.4%), Woolworths (86.6%) and Coles (85.6%) for the six month averages to August 09. The improved result for Woolworths was largely due to improved satisfaction with their fresh offering. The figures represented an unchanged... ...Read more »

Australian farmers will be vital players in the drive to secure the world’s food supplies, Federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Tony Burke said on World Food Day (Friday), while also stating his case for genetically modified food. World Food Day on 16 October each year marks the day the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations was founded in 1945. The day focuses attention on agricultural food production, heightens public awareness of the problem of... ...Read more »

Tesco has launched a different kind of bogof promotion in its latest bid to help UK consumers lower their carbon footprint. The UK’s largest retailer said that shoppers would see “Buy One Get One Free – Later” offers in its stores. The promotion is designed to allow consumers to pick up their free product “when they need it” and help keep waste down, Tesco claimed. The offer was unveiled as Tesco chief executive Sir Terry Leahy said the retailer would look to reduce... ...Read more »

Aldi has transferred one of their key Australian managers to head up their UK and Ireland operations. Matthew Barnes, Managing Director of Buying here in Australia, will take the post of Managing Director Aldi UK, which was made available when Paul Foley left in August. Mr Foley was replaced on an interim basis Armin Burger before the appointment of Barnes, who has previously worked in their UK business as a Regional Director where he opened the first Aldi city centre store in Manchester. Mr Barnes... ...Read more »

The carbon and water footprints of Australia’s food and grocery manufacturing industry are being reduced to safeguard the nation’s long-term food supply, a new report by the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) has indicated. Released today to coincide with World Food Day, AFGC’s Towards Sustainability report highlights that leading food and grocery companies are committed to more sustainable production while maintaining the high quality of Australia’s food supply in... ...Read more »

A decision by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) – which is responsible for the monitoring and law enforcement of all ‘therapeutic goods’ in Australia – could have major ramifications for some players in the food sector. The TGA released a consultation paper last week that proposed to define all goods in tablet, capsule and pill form as ‘therapeutic goods’. As a result, manufacturers of such products would need to comply with TGA regulations and have their... ...Read more »

Coles has withdrawn a petrol price promotion at the request of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. The supermarket chain was to reward heavy spenders at their supermarkets with a substantial discount at the bowser in a move similar to a recent successful promotion, but cancelled the deal after the competition regulator raised concerns. The two-week deal was set to provide discounts of up to 40c/litre but the ACCC said it could prove anti-competitive in the long-term. Coles Express... ...Read more »