The impacts of a warming Indian Ocean on Western Australia’s climate, environment and fisheries was discussed in Perth last week by scientists at a Western Australian Marine Science Institution (WAMSI) symposium. A focus area of the discussions was on understanding and forecasting the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) – a climate pattern in the Indian Ocean associated with a basin-wide shift in sea temperatures, winds and rain. According to Dr Ming Feng – a CSIRO Wealth from Oceans Flagship... ...Read more »

India has reopened its markets to Australian kiwifruit before the start of the 2010 season in April.New bilateral agreements for the export of kiwifruit, fish and fish products were negotiated this year after India suspended these commodities, in 2004, due to changes to India’s import conditions. The agreements include measures to assure India that the produce is not harbouring any pests of concern before they are exported from Australia. Australian kiwifruit exports have doubled in the past... ...Read more »

Tasmanian cherries have appeared in fruit bowls in South Korea for the first time as Australian growers shipped the first-ever consignments to the Land of the Morning Calm in February.After conducting an assessment and inspecting the Tasmanian cherry orchards and packing houses, Korean government officials were convinced of the low pest risk of the product and decided that the fruit didn’t have to be fumigated before export. The import conditions are very similar to the conditions for cherries... ...Read more »

Australian gourmet food producers will be given the opportunity to expand into a new market following an announcement from Gift & Homewares Australia (GHA) that the July Home & Giving Fair will include a gourmet food feature.GHA Chief Executive, Alby Taylor, said that the July Fair would offer gourmet food suppliers with access to a hungry new market that they may not have previously considered viable. “The gift and homewares industry is home to a myriad of product categories –... ...Read more »

French cheese-maker Bongrain has made its first investment in Romania with the acquisition of a majority stake in local distribution firm Delcado.Bongrain, which has been exporting products to Romania, has decided to move for a shareholding in a local firm to expand in what is “an attractive market”, a spokesperson told just-food yesterday (30 March). The French group already has operations in other Eastern European markets, including Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic, the spokesperson... ...Read more »

The inaugural Australian Obesity Summit took place in Sydney on March 29-30, 2010. Despite consensus as to the severity of obesity in Australia, there was an absence of agreement in regards to whether obesity policy should be government-or self-regulated, reports Katrina Diamonon, Consumer Markets Analyst at Datamonitor. Speakers from the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health and Ageing for example, recommended the Australian government implement standards such as the UK’s... ...Read more »

A new centre which will take visitors through a historical journey of chocolate was inaugurated today by Nestlé Switzerland. The CHF 7 million renovation project at The Maison Cailler visitor centre in the Swiss town of Broc, aims to create a unique experience for the whole family and bring the world of chocolate to life. Officially opening its doors to members of the public on April 1, 2010, visitors will be able to walk through nine themed areas, including Aztec temples and Swiss hillsides. ... ...Read more »

Nestlé has opened a multi-million dollar facility in Dubai, devoted to manufacturing powdered milk and packaging imported Mackintosh’s Quality Street chocolates.The 1.78m sq ft facility will have a production capacity of more than 100,000 tonnes per year, the firm said yesterday (30 March), and will be based at TechnoPark in Dubai. Nestle said there are plans to manufacture chocolates and wafers from the new expanded facility later this year. In addition, Nestlé Pure Life bottled water will... ...Read more »

A new breed of sparkling fruit juices that contain more sugar than CocaCola have been labelled ‘Worst Offenders’ in a review of 40 popular drinks by Dr Rosemary Stanton and children’s health lobby group The Parents Jury. Dr Stanton and The Parents Jury have once again teamed up as the Food Detectives to investigate the truth behind the marketing spin on children’s food and drinks. The results of their investigation reveal that carbonated fruit juices are the new Worst Offenders... ...Read more »

The wine industry’s national environmental assurance program has signed up more than 100 members in its first 100 days. Launched on December 7 last year, EntWine Australia has received the strongest early support from grape growers, particularly in South Australia. “This is a very heartening response to a new, voluntary program given that it has been the busiest time of the year for the wine sector,” said the Manager of Natural Resources with the Winemakers’ Federation of... ...Read more »