Centro Properties Group will roll out a new consumer rewards card, Freebies Rewards, across their 42 shopping centres after successful trials at Brandon Park and Bankstown. Consumers can swipe the card at the shopping centre, using a dedicated Freebies Rewards machine, to obtain vouchers for personalised discounts and special offers from retailers. The program will also offer consumers prizes for participation. The card will allow retailers at Centro locations to build a database of customers, drive... ...Read more »

A New Zealand poultry farmer has been sentenced to 1 year in jail, fined $10,000 for investigation costs and had his right to own broiler hens revoked for 10 years, after the New Zealand Food Safety Authority found evidence of sale of non-compliant animal products. Gerard Francis Van Den Bogaart, trading as Golden Harvest Poultry, plead guilty to six offences under the NZ Animal Products Act and Animal Welfare Act after a search of two rural properties in South Auckland revealed hens, broiler chickens... ...Read more »

Australian café franchise The Coffee Club is expanding its presence in Thailand, with four outlets now open and a fifth in the works. The company opened its first location in Febuary 2009, and has since doubled its revenue. Outlets are now open in Pattaya and Bangkok airport, and two in Phuket. According to The Coffee Club’s Thailand General Manager Michael Chick, the aim is to have a total of seven cafés before the end of 2010, with a focus on securing a high-street location in Bangkok. “A... ...Read more »

Monsanto has received a status of Generally Recognised As Safe for its new line of low-linolenic-acid Vistive Gold soybeans, giving a green light to food manufacturers and fast food companies for testing of the product. Linolenic acid shortens shelf life and stability of soy oil, requiring partial hydrogenation – the process which produces trans fats – to reduce the acid. Monsanto’s Vistive soybeans, bred with minimal linolenic acid, won’t require this processing. Existing... ...Read more »

New Zealand-based dairy firm A2 Corporation is eyeing expansion in Australia and beyond following its merger with ASX-listed Freedom Nutritional Products. Previously, Freedom Nutritional had produced A2 products in Australia under an exclusive rights arrangement. The company signed a sale and subscription agreement with Freedom to buy a 50% interest in A2 Dairy Products in return for 120,376,950 fully-paid ordinary A2 Corp shares, comprising 25% of the enlarged company. The deal includes a provision... ...Read more »

A device designed to stop the growth of weeds by destroying their seeds before planting will be trialled this harvest by the University of Western Australia. The device, the ‘Harrington Seed Destructor’, was invented by Darkan wheat farmer Ray Harrington to combat herbicide-resistant weeds, particularly ryegrass and wild radish, by milling seeds to prevent them germinating. “I adapted an 85 year-old mining technology to build a high-impact, high-speed cage mill which destroys 90-95... ...Read more »

Campbell Soup Co. has posted a 3.4% fall in quarterly earnings, despite an increase in revenues of almost 7%, as restructuring costs and a higher tax bill hit profits. The world’s largest soup maker reported a drop in third-quarter net income to US$168m for the three months to 2 May, down from $174m last year. Earnings per share remained unchanged at $0.49 as Campbell’s share capital dropped by 2.6% on the year. However, the company said that adjusted earnings – stripping out the impact... ...Read more »

Sports nutrition manufacturer PowerBar has launched a new energy chew product, PowerBar Gel Blasts, designed to deliver maximum energy for consumers in high-impact sports and workouts. The liquid-filled chews, available in lemon and raspberry, are made using the carbohydrate blend C2 Max – a mixture of glucose and fructose designed to deliver energy to working muscles faster than glucose alone.  Each chew contains 5g of carbohydrates, for a before- or during-exercise energy boost. The products,... ...Read more »

Men’s Health has released a run-down of the 20 unhealthiest drinks currently available in America in their popular Eat This Not That section. The feature compares drinks across a variety of categories – including functional drinks, smart water, energy drinks, coffee, smoothies and shakes – to snackfoods with equivalent calories. Topping the list at number 1 is the Coldstone PB&C 24fl oz (just over 700ml) thickshake, which weighs in at 2010 calories – the entire recommended... ...Read more »

CSIRO has released a new book, Make It Safe: A Guide to Food Safety, a comprehensive reference book for commercial and retail food preparation and handling. The book, created by CSIRO’s Food and Nutritional Sciences section, is aimed at small-scale businesses who are already in, or are considering entering, food manufacture or retail. It focuses on the prevention of the spread of food-borne pathogens, as well as chemical contamination and adulteration with physical debris. The book also details... ...Read more »