Nestlé Chairman, Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, this week repeated the Company’s call for a moratorium on the destruction of the world’s rainforests and blamed the biofuel industry for the growth in deforestation. Addressing a question from Greenpeace at the Company’s Annual General Meeting in Lausanne on April 15, Mr Brabeck-Letmathe condemned the use of food for fuel and said Nestlé had recognised the danger many years ago when it called for a moratorium on the destruction of rainforest... ...Read more »

Anglo-Dutch consumer goods giant Unilever has appointed former Nestle executive Eugenio Minvielle to oversee the company’s North American businesses.Eugenio, who served as president and CEO of Nestle’s businesses in France, Mexico and Venezuela, will join Unilever as executive vice president, North America. “Unilever is enormously fortunate to have attracted an executive of Eugenio’s experience, talent and proven business performance. Under his leadership of Unilever in North... ...Read more »

Premier Foods plc, the UK’s largest food maker, have launched Hovis Hearty Oats, a bread line developed to maintain cholesterol levels.The company is aiming to increase the amount of bread eaten at breakfast in the UK, where consumers see eating cereal as a healthier option. Hovis Hearty Oats, which gained its first significant listing at Asda this week, contains beta-glucan, an ingredient that, if consumed regularly can help to “maintain normal cholesterol levels”, Premier said. Hovis... ...Read more »

Leading food company General Mills -  responsible for over 100 consumer brands including Cheerios, Häagen-Dazs, Nature Valley, Betty Crocker, Old El Paso, and Muir Glen – is accelerating its goals to reduce sodium by 20 percent across multiple product categories by 2015. The commitment was announced in the company’s 2010 Corporate Social Responsibility Report.”General Mills is committed to reducing sodium levels in a series of small steps across our portfolio,” said Susan... ...Read more »

The Labor Government today launched a new strategic plan to help protect and secure Victoria’s $1.3 billion wine industry from threats such as phylloxera.Speaking from Mount Langi Ghiran Vineyard near Ararat, Mr Helper said the viticulture industries, comprising the dried, table and winegrape industries were collectively the largest horticulture industry in the state. “The spread of grape phylloxera and exotic pests and diseases poses a serious threat to Victoria – and Australia’s... ...Read more »

Canned tuna is currently the biggest selling seafood item in Australia. As supermarkets sell more and more of this profitable product, tuna stocks are in a critical condition. Greenpeace is now putting pressure on supermarkets and consumers to take responsibility for this problem. Supermarkets play a key role in the overfishing crisis by selling us overfished tuna.  Greenpeace’s Canned Tuna Guide  exposes the supermarkets selling us overfished species or using destructive fishing techniques. Most... ...Read more »

Consumers will have greater protection from unscrupulous operators as the first part of the Australian Consumer Law comes into effect today.”The new law provides a more responsive national approach, through which the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission will be able to deal more effectively with matters that affect many consumers, particularly vulnerable consumers,” ACCC chairman Graeme Samuel said. The ACL gives the ACCC new enforcement powers to protect consumers, including... ...Read more »

Pringles have introduced consumers to new Pringles Multigrain, a surprisingly tasty twist on multigrain snacks. As the latest addition to the Pringles family, Pringles Multigrain is packed with multigrain flavor and crunch and comes in three mouth-watering varieties: Truly Original, Creamy Ranch and Cheesy Cheddar. As part of the U.S. rollout, Pringles and Celebrity Chef Tyler Florence are working together to make it easy for consumers to also make a difference while trying new Pringles Multigrain... ...Read more »

* Asda aspires to be market leader in non-food, and clear #2 in food within five years * Chain of 100 Asda supermarkets (smaller food stores) and 150 Asda Living (non-food stores) planned * UK-wide rollout of its ‘Order Online, Collect in Store’ service completed * Asda to use global merchandising centers to further leverage Walmart’s global scale * Location of second Asda dedicated home shopping picking center unveiled in North London Wal-Mart outlined a number of ambitious plans... ...Read more »

Production at McCain Foods’ manufacturing site in Victoria has returned to normal after staff at the plant were ordered to abandon their strike action by Fair Work Australia. Fair Work Australia requested that workers at McCain’s Victoria plant quit their strike action earlier this week. The workers, represented by Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union (AMWU), went on strike over a disagreement with the company on how the food maker arranges time off. The union and company had... ...Read more »