According to the latest consumer research from Nielsen, New Zealand wines are quickly becoming a regular feature in the cellars of Australian households with continued strong volume sales growth for take-home purchases (up 38% compared to total wine market at 10%). Information sourced from Nielsen’s Homescan Consumer Panel service attributes the strong performance of New Zealand wine sales to two key movements in shopper behavior. Firstly, an additional 74,000 Australian households have purchased... ...Read more »

Family First Leader Senator Steve Fielding says the Greens are a bit slow off the mark in trying to address Australia’s $16 billion alcohol toll by trying to introduce another tax which won’t do much to stop the problem. Senator Fielding says banning 24 hour bottle shops and de-hooking alcohol advertising from sport is a better way to address our alcohol toll. “The $3b alcopops tax has been a real fizzer so giving the Government more money will actually do nothing unless you introduce... ...Read more »

An EU-wide health warning must now be put on any food or drink that still contains the colours that are thought to cause hyperactivity in some children. This is following the Southampton Study, commissioned by the Agency, which suggested a possible link between consumption of six food colours and hyperactivity in children. The colours are Tartrazine (E102), Quinoline Yellow (E104), Sunset Yellow (E110), Carmoisine (E122), Ponceau 4R (E124) and Allura Red (E129). Any food and drink containing any... ...Read more »

The Nestlé Research Center, based in Lausanne, Switzerland, has donated USD 500,000 to the Cleveland Clinic’s Lerner Research Institute, USA. The gift will fund a collaborative study focused on examining the effects of a diet rich in whole grains on body composition and energy metabolism. The study, which will last for 26 weeks, will enroll 40 to 50 people, who will eat meals provided by the Nestlé Prepared Food Company’s facility in Solon, Ohio, USA. This research will be one of the... ...Read more »

US snack maker Lance has signed an agreement to merge with pretzel firm Snyder’s of Hanover.The deal, announced last night, will combine the two firms in a stock-for-stock merger of equals that will create a company to be called Snyder’s-Lance. “This transaction allows us to create a stronger company in a highly competitive industry and simultaneously create value for our shareholders,” said David Singer, president and CEO of Lance. In addition to brands including Lance, Snyder’s... ...Read more »

Food industry heavyweights including Nestlé, Kellogg and Mars Inc have pledged to use responsible advertising and marketing in India.General Mills and local Unilever arm Hindustan Unilever are also among the companies that have signed up to a code to not advertise food and beverages products where more than half of a media audience is under 12. Products that only fulfil “specific nutritional criteria based on accepted scientific evidence and/or applicable national and international dietary... ...Read more »

Coles has announced a plan to phase out the use of sow stalls by its producers by the end of 2014, with the first shipments of cage-free pork in the Coles Butcher line beginning next year. Coles already offers sow stall-free pork in the Otway, Linley Valley, and KR branded Outdoor Reared ranges. The announcement coincides with the addition of new free-range pork products in the Coles’ Finest range, developed in conjunction with the RSPCA. Sow stalls have become a hot topic in recent months,... ...Read more »

Consumer advocacy group CHOICE has awarded Michel’s Patisserie top honours in a review of ten of Australia’s coffee chain stores. CHOICE brewed and reviewed espressos made from the standard beans used at ten of Australia’s top coffee chains. Michel’s Espresso beans came out ‘a clear winner’, with a taste test score of 80%. Reviewers commented on the ‘good colour’ of its crema, its ‘smooth’ flavour and ‘pleasant’ aftertaste, with... ...Read more »

Fosters has unveiled Treasury Wine Estates, the umbrella branding for its new demerged wine business. “The announcement today does not pre-empt any outcome for our demerger, nor does it represent fundamental change in our business model. It does, however, represent the acceleration of a cultural change for those of us working in the wine business as we return to a dedicated focus on viticulture, wine making and the marketing and sale of one of the world’s most outstanding portfolios,” said... ...Read more »

A new eco-friendly foldable water bottle is taking on the bottled water industry: the Vapur Anti-bottle is a durable, dishwasher-safe, freezable, BPA-free water container which folds down to practically nothing when not in use. In addition to being highly portable and reducing waste, the Vapur requires less fuel and space to ship, and is a member of the 1% for the Planet scheme, donating 1% of revenue to environmental causes. Vapur, in conjunction with crowdsourced sustainable innovation community... ...Read more »