Procter & Gamble (P&G) has reportedly turned down a proposal to merge its Pringles snacks business with US snack maker Diamond Foods. According to a report from Bloomberg on Friday evening (17 September), P&G was in talks with Diamond, but stopped negotiations amid concern about how the potential deal was structured. Bloomberg said the two companies were in talks over a “spin merger” that would have given P&G the chance to sell Pringles in a tax-free merger, while giving... ...Read more »

A family-owned New South Wales winery has celebrated a milestone – over one million bottles of wine sold to Japan’s Central Japan Railway Company, for use on the famed Japanese bullet trains. NSW Minister for Primary Industries, Steve Whan, congratulated Port Macquarie’s Cassegrain Wines for selling over a million bottles of wine to Japanese bullet trains. Whan said the winery’s sales to the Central Japan Railway Company (CJRC) have reached the equivalent of 1,266,957 full bottles... ...Read more »

Products made from coconuts are currently experiencing a surge in popularity, with many claiming to have health benefits.  The latest coconut product to hit the Australian market is CO YOTM yoghurt made from coconut milk.   It is Australasia’s only yoghurt made from coconut milk, and is only the second company in the world to make a yoghurt from coconut milk.  CO YOTM Yoghurt has its own unique flavour, and is available in natural, or real fruit flavours such as honey and mango (pictured), or... ...Read more »

 SecondBite have been on hand at Fine Food Australia this week to ensure that no surplus food has gone to waste and today collected 2.7 tonnes of surplus food that will now be redistributed to Victorians in need. Almost one tonne of that was fresh meat and dairy products and 1.7 tonnes was fresh fruit, vegetables and other food items. SecondBite was selected as the charity partner of Fine Food Australia and were on hand to talk directly to potential food donors and encourage them to think about... ...Read more »

Foodies, gourmets and lovers of all things organic are wanted for an RMIT University study into the behaviours and beliefs of organic consumers. The Organic Consumption Survey is the first stage of a larger trial investigating whether people who eat organic food have different levels of agricultural toxins in their bodies than people who eat conventional (non-organic) food. PhD candidate Liza Oates, from RMIT’s School of Health Sciences, said the information from the online survey was crucial... ...Read more »

Coinciding with the first day of Queensland school holidays, Wet’n'Wild Water World today unveiled Coca-Cola Amatil’s new interactive recycling system: Coca-Cola Amatil will donate 5c for every PET bottle placed in recycling bins within Wet’n'Wild Water World to Surf Life Saving Queensland, up to the value of $10,000. The infrastructure was launched amid a sea of little nippers and lifesavers from Surf Life Saving Queensland who were given free entry into the park this morning,... ...Read more »

The national debate on the economic and environmental importance of regional Australia will be at the forefront as AgriFood Skills Australia puts skills, workforce and productivity challenges under focus at its one dayAustralia’s Regions: Australias Future conference in Melbourne this week. AgriFood works with employers and community leaders in the regions to find solutions to address high level skills shortages, and in attracting and retaining workers and families to the regions.AgriFood CEO,... ...Read more »

The president and CEO of Wal-Mart US Bill Simon has detailed the retail giant’s shifting strategy, which was hinted at in its second-quarter results last month.Speaking at the Goldman Sachs Retail Conference on Wednesday (15 September), Simon said that the retailer was refocusing on its EDLP offer, as “the very aggressive Rollback campaign we had in place that was designed to drive traffic and stimulate sales” did not do what the retailer hoped it would do. “It did not drive... ...Read more »

Carrefour has revealed an EUR1.5bn (US$1.97bn) plan to convert or remodel some 500 hypermarkets to its new Carrefour Planet concept by 2013 in France, Spain, Italy, Belgium and Greece.The Carrefour Planet concept was unveiled in late August and the new stores have been redesigned and adapted to its customers’ needs in a bid to offer a “new experience of shopping comfort, ease and pleasure.” The retailer is hoping the new format will turn around the struggling hypermarket, forecasting... ...Read more »

Voting is underway for the 2011 Product of the Year Awards as 5,000 shoppers are set to task in Australia’s only independent consumer survey on the most innovative new products to hit the supermarket shelves each year.This year’s line-up includes consumer goods from 21 categories including Packaged Goods, Beauty, Pet Care, Cleaning and Adult Medicine. Products include a space-saver dustpan and mop made from recycled plastic bottles (Oates), sweat-proof sunscreen (Neutrogena), canned chicken... ...Read more »