A report by Sydney based The George Institute for Global Health, released yesterday, says that despite the government’s Food and Health Dialogue, salt levels in Australian bread products have not changed since 2007. Bread has recently become a target for sodium reduction, with one fifth of daily salt intake for Australians coming through bread, and daily salt intake between five and 10 times that required for good health. The report comes just two days after the Australian Food and Grocery... ...Read more »

Food charity SecondBite yesterday celebrated its fifth birthday, and a total of 3.5 million nutritious meals provided to those in need – representing around 1,700 tonnes of fresh food saved from landfill. SecondBite is a not-for-profit organisation which sources quality surplus fresh food that would otherwise go to waste, and redistributes it to agencies and people in need. Each week SecondBite delivers fresh produce to over 160 agencies throughout Victoria and Tasmania. “SecondBite has succeeded... ...Read more »

UK food manufacturers and retailers yesterday published guidelines on country-of-origin labelling to encourage consistent information on food labels. The “principles on country-of-origin information”, drawn up by industry bodies including the British Retail Consortium and the Food and Drink Federation, come as European politicians discuss whether to bring in regulations across the EU. The guidelines apply to meat, processed meat and dairy products. The term ‘British’ can only... ...Read more »

University of Missouri researchers have created a new test for salmonella in poultry and eggs that will produce faster and more accurate results than most currently available tests, which might catch salmonella-tainted products before shipping, preventing outbreaks like those which recently swept the US. “Processors and consumers will benefit from the speed and sensitivity of the new test’s results,” said Azlin Mustapha, associate professor of food science in the College of Agriculture,... ...Read more »

Nestlé has announced plans to accelerate its investments in India with the construction of new facilities. The firm said the investment will “re-emphasise its confidence in the country’s growth potential”. Nestle has spent over CHF15m (US$15.1m) in India over the last three years. The Swiss food giant’s current plans foresee a further investment acceleration in “2011 and beyond”, it added. Besides the expansion of its existing sites in Moga, Samalkha, Nanjangud,... ...Read more »

Melbourne has its first fully free-range deli, with the opening of Bezela Foodstore in Carlton. The deli, run by locals Jessica Sissons and Tim Merrett, will stock exclusively free-range produce, with a full spread of cruelty-free deli products. “Unless the animals used for meat and egg production have been raised in a paddock, as they should be, the smallgoods and the meat used in the take-home meals do not make it into the store,” Sissons said. Stocking products from Barossa Fine Foods and... ...Read more »

Australia farmers are urging new Federal Trade Minister Craig Emerson to hit the ground running by ramping up negotiations in north Asia and, first up, securing an agreement with Korea by early next year.”There’s a big chance we can nail agreements with both Korea and Japan in the short-term, while China will be a longer negotiation,” National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) President David Crombie explained following an NFF Trade Committee meeting in Canberra today. “Collectively,... ...Read more »

Perth pizza lovers are more likely to order a pizza online compared to other Australians with almost aquarter of Eagle Boys store sales in the city now coming from online orders.  This compares to a national online ordering sales average of 15 per cent.Eagle Boys CEO Todd Clayton said he expected levels of online ordering to hit new highs this festive season given the high penetration of home internet and the growing smartphone market. “Latest sales figures show Perth customers are continuing... ...Read more »

Mahalia Layzell, of Mahalia Coffee, in Robe, South Australia, scooped the top gong at the 2010 CSRTM Sugar Golden Bean Roaster Competition and Conference held this weekend in Port Macquarie (NSW), roasting the opposition in the one of the biggest coffee roasting competitions in the world. This year’s competition saw 1000 entries from across Australia, the largest in the event’s history, requiring two full days for judging alone. The introduction of two new categories also marked the... ...Read more »

Campbell Soup Co. has met its lowered expectations for its first quarter with a fall in first-quarter sales and earnings matching a profit warning issued a fortnight ago.The US soup giant booked a 1% drop in sales and a 6% slide in earnings per share for the three months to the end of October. Sales reached US$2.17bn and earnings per share stood at $0.82. Campbell’s EBIT fell 7% – again matching the prediction the company made two weeks ago – to $444m due to increased spending on... ...Read more »