Taco Bill, Australia’s longest established Mexican restaurant franchise has unveiled a new website as part of its brand refresh that is set to have consumers and prospective franchisees raising their margarita glasses. The website has new functions to allow seamless navigation from consumer offers, competitions and restaurant locations to franchise opportunities.Taco Bill’s brand refresh involves a complete review of marketing collateral and manuals to give new and prospective franchisees... ...Read more »

Gene Ethics’ election survey found both major parties are very aware of deep community concerns over Genetically Manipulated Organisms (GMOs) on farms and in food. But unlike the Greens, neither the ALP nor the Coalition would commit to strengthen the law or regulatory systems. “This complacency over GM threats means the Greens’ clear support for GM-free futures and precaution on GM food and crops will be crucial if they hold the balance of power in the next parliament,” says... ...Read more »

Queensland’s dairy industry will gather on the Sunshine Coast next week to examine the key challenges facing milk producers in the future.The Queensland Dairyfarmers Organisation and Dairy Industry Association of Australia annual conference is on August 25 and 26 and is titled Learning from the Past, Assessing the Present, and Planning for the Future. Minister for Primary Industries, Fisheries and Rural and Regional Qld, Tim Mulherin, will open the main day of the conference on August 25,... ...Read more »

Canadian c-store retailer Couche-Tard has hit out at the “outrageous” tactics of US takeover target Casey’s General Stores, which has secured financing for a share buyback in a bid to stay independent.Couche-Tard said Casey’s move to buy US$500m of its own shares at up to $40 a share would transfer value from the US retailer’s shareholders to the those providing the financing for the buyback. The Canadian group, which has tabled an offer for Casey’s worth $36.75... ...Read more »

McCain Foods has announced plans to invest NZ$19m (US$13.5m) to upgrade a plant in New Zealand.The frozen food giant said it would add “enhanced processing equipment”, freezers, packaging and “new bean processing capability” to its site in Hastings. Steve Yung, managing director for McCain’s business in Australia and New Zealand, said the move would boost production of peas, beans and carrots to over 20,000 tonnes a year. Products will cater for New Zealand, Australia... ...Read more »

* Australia’s beef industry has consistently reduced emissions intensity for producing beef since 1990 * Continued R&D aims to find ways to further reduce emissions while increasing productivity Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) this week announced that the Australian beef industry has achieved a 6.5% reduction in emissions per kilogram of beef produced since Kyoto protocol reporting began in 1990 . The announcement came at an environment debate titled ‘Can Red Meat Be Green?’... ...Read more »

According the recently released 2010 Wider Beverages Report by leading market information company Nielsen; the latest trends in the Australian beverage market reflects a world where people are spending more on their favourite beverages but overall consuming less. The report reviews the wider beverage market in Australia, covering milk to cordial; liquor stores to corner shops. The report illustrates that there has been a decline in beverage volume sales per capita versus the same time five years... ...Read more »

The UK Food Standards Agency is reminding people of its advice not to eat a type of seaweed called hijiki because it contains high levels of inorganic arsenic. Inorganic arsenic is known to increase people’s risk of getting cancer.This reminder follows a notification from the European Commission to the Agency about a brand of hijiki seaweed, Clearspring, which was found to contain high levels of arsenic. The Agency is advising people to avoid all hijiki on sale in the UK. We are advising people... ...Read more »

The UK Food Standards Agency last week traced animals born in the UK from eight embryos produced by a cloned cow in the US. Four of these embryos were male calves and four were female. All were Holstein animals, a breed mainly used for dairy production.Since the previous update published on 4 August, the Agency has received assurances from the local authorities that visited the farms, the dairy industry and the farmers involved that no milk from the remaining two dairy cows has entered the food chain.... ...Read more »

Production of rice – the world’s most important crop for ensuring food security and addressing poverty – will be thwarted as temperatures increase in rice-growing areas with continued climate change, according to a new study by an international team of scientists. The research team found evidence that the net impact of projected temperature increases will be to slow the growth of rice production in Asia. Rising temperatures during the past 25 years have already cut the yield growth... ...Read more »