US food manufacturer General Mills has said it has reduced sugar in cereals advertised to children by an additional 8% during 2010. The Big G manufacturer said it has achieved sugar reductions of 14% on cereals advertised to children since 2007, with some cereals reduced as much as 28% during the period. The company said that a year ago it committed to reduce sugar in all Big G cereals advertised to children under 12 to “single-digit levels of grams of sugar per serving”. It said yesterday... ...Read more »

The US House of Representatives has folded the Food Safety Modernisation Bill into a spending bill to fund the US government. The House passed the spending bill by a 212-206 margin on Wednesday (8 December) and the Senate is expected to consider it over the next few days. The Food Safety Modernisation Act will give the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) increased powers to order food recalls and increase inspections of food processing facilities. The new legislation will increase the number of inspections... ...Read more »

Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai; HH Sheikh Saeed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, yesterday officially inaugurated Nestlé Middle East’s new factory in Dubai TechnoPark. Paul Bulcke, Nestlé Chief Executive Officer; Frits van Dijk, Executive Vice President and Zone Director for Asia, Oceania, Africa and Middle East; and Yves Manghardt, Chairman and CEO for Nestlé Middle East, also attended... ...Read more »

A study conducted by Menzies Research Institute Tasmania (Menzies) suggests that skipping breakfast over a long period of time may increase risk of heart disease and diabetes. The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and funded by grants from the National Health and Medical Research Council, the National Heart Foundation, the Tasmanian Community Fund, and Veolia Environmental Services, examined data from a national study to compare breakfast habits to health risk factors. First... ...Read more »

Frucor Beverages today announced that Australasia’s most popular energy drink, ‘V’, will soon be available in Spain, thanks to a partnership with Frucor’s sister company, Orangina Schweppes. Frucor Managing Director Mark Cowsill says launching ‘V’ to the Spanish market is another significant step towards achieving Frucor’s plan to make ‘V’ a global brand. “V is a truly Kiwi innovation and it has enjoyed huge success in New Zealand and Australia. In fact I believe it is... ...Read more »

Tasmanian Salmon company Tassal has announced that it has turned down a takeover bid from Pacific Equity Partners, citing an undervalued share price of $1.80-1.90 per share. Pacific Equity Partners has extensive food industry experience, including New Zealand brands Griffin’s and Tegel Foods, and franchise holder Collins Foods (which operates 306 Sizzler restaurants and 112 KFC outlets). “Tassal Group Limite confirms that it received an unsolicited, confidential, indicative and non-binding... ...Read more »

The international market for dairy snacks, such as cheese strings and yoghurt tubes, grew by 7% in 2009 and is heading for a 6% rise this year. The first major study on this sector, by leading food and drink consultancy Zenith International, estimates total volume at 217,000 tonnes in 2010 across 26 countries in North America, Latin America, West Europe, East Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia Pacific. Currently, the majority of dairy snack products are cheese-based and targeted at children.... ...Read more »

Swift Australia today reopened its King Island abbatoir, with assistance from the Tasmanian state government. Tasmanian Premier David Bartlett said today the multi-million dollar upgrade of the King Island abattoir ensured a sustainable and long term future for jobs and the local economy. Mr Bartlett joined King Island Mayor Charles Arnold to officially open the refurbished Swift Australia abattoir and celebrate a new beginning for the plant which faced closure last year. “This vindicates the Government’s... ...Read more »

Milk and meat from the offspring of cloned animals would not need to carry labels informing consumers of the origin of the food, the UK’s food-safety watchdog has argued. A meeting of the Food Standards Agency board yesterday agreed that the mandatory labelling of milk meat from the descendants of cloned cattle and pigs would be “unnecessary and disproportionate”. The use of such labels would provide “no significant food safety benefit to consumers”, the FSA board said. The... ...Read more »

CSIRO is researching ways to improve the welfare of livestock by developing scientific methods for assessing how animals ‘feel’ in response to common management practices, with the aim of reducing stress and pain in livestock, and increasing wellbeing and productivity. The research, partly funded by Meat and Livestock Australia, will use cognitive principles based on human psychological theories, to assess animal emotions. “With increased public concern about the welfare of animals,... ...Read more »