Doctors have supported calls for a complete ban of trans fatty acids in food in the UK. Assistant professor Dariush Mozaffarian and Professor Meir J Stampfer, both of the Harvard School of Public Health, emphasised the dangers of eating trans fats, and pointed out that they are not natural to human food intake and can be replaced. “Removing industrial TFAs is one of the most straightforward public health strategies for rapid improvements in health. On the basis of current disease rates, a strategy... ...Read more »

Stevia experts GLG Life Tech have signed a memorandum of understanding with Sugar Australia to bring stevia-based sweeteners to Australian consumers. GLG will collaborate with Sugar Australia, which is a joint venture between CSR and Mackay Sugar Co-operative Association Ltd, marketer of the CSR brand. The companies will produce a new range of stevia sweeteners, adding to the new reduced-calorie CSR Smart, a proprietary blend of stevia extracts and sugar. Tim Hart, CEO of Sugar Australia, said, “Sugar... ...Read more »

The first Wild Flavours of Australia conference, to be held on May 3 in Adelaide, will showcase Australia’s unique native foods and flavours. The conference, organised by the Australian Native Food Industry Ltd (ANFIL) and the Australian Government’s Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC), will bring together producers and researchers of Australian native foods to explore new opportunities and bring information to interested parties. The conference will include... ...Read more »

The Confederation of Food and Drink Industries of the EU (CIAA) today released its annual data and trends publication. This year’s Data & trends for the European Food and Drink Industry revealed that the EU is the world’s largest single exporter and importer of food and drink products worldwide, with a trade surplus of E1.1 billion in 2008. The food industry boasts the EU’s largest manufacturing sector in terms of turnover, and includes over 310 000 separate companies. Small... ...Read more »

Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Tony Burke has appointed Mr Rory McEwen as the new chair to the Grape and Wine Research and Development Corporation (GWRDC) board. The appointment comes at a critical time for the Australian wine industry, which is attempting to restructure in the face of an oversupply of grapes and a drop in overseas demand for Australian wines. The GWRDC is an Australian Government statutory body that invests government and industry levy funds in research and development... ...Read more »

US investment group Trilantic Capital is understood to have put its European seafood unit, MWBrands, up for sale. The firm’s interests include UK tuna brand John West, French business Petit Navire and Italian operations Mareblu. The company is not related to Australia’s John West, which is wholly owned by Simplot. The group also has seafood processing facilities in Ghana, The Seychelles, Douarnenez, France and Peniche, Portugal. The Liverpool-based John West business is said to be up... ...Read more »

While alcoholic cider may only make up a diminutive 1.1 percent value share of national offpremise liquor sales, a report released by The Nielsen Company this week has revealed that the category’s rapid sales growth is set to create some big waves in the Australian liquor industry. Noise surrounding alcoholic cider has amplified over the past 18 months, generating phenomenal growth and a significant increase in value sales within the off premise market. Cider was the fastest growing liquor... ...Read more »

Leaders from across the West Australian beef sector have been appointed to two new industry groups. Agriculture and Food Minister Terry Redman today announced the appointments to the Western Australian Beef Council and Producers’ Round Table. The creation of the two groups was among the key recommendations of the recent WA Beef Stocktake Report. “With the support of industry and State Government, these groups can create the dynamic environment needed to drive change in the State’s... ...Read more »

In the wake of the global financial crisis, many customers have turned away from buying things on credit, choosing instead to use debit cards that act like credit cards, such as Visa debit or Mastercard debit. Many new bank accounts are also offering these debit cards as standard, instead of the traditional EFTPOS card. This increased use and promotion of scheme debit cards means retailers are now facing higher bank fees and growing cost pressures.  This is because when purchases are treated as... ...Read more »

The European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) scientific Panel on additives, the ANS Panel, has assessed the safety of steviol glycosides, sweeteners extracted from plant leaves, and established an Acceptable Daily Intake for their safe use. The assessment was conducted after European Stevia Association (Eustas), Cargill and Japanese firm Morita, all filed petitions seeking regulatory approval. Steviol glycosides are intense sweeteners extracted from the leaves of the stevia plant (Stevia rebaudiana... ...Read more »