Australian shoppers will be able formulate a balanced diet and make healthier food choices following the launch of a new Daily Intake Guide (DIG) consumer education campaign by the Australian Food and Grocery Council today.The new Healthy Eating, Made Easy campaign for DIG front-of-pack food labelling – an easy-to-follow tool to give people information to formulate a daily eating plan according to their individual needs and activity levels – coincides with Health Weight Week (January... ...Read more »

The 19th Melbourne Food and Wine Festival (4 -14 March) invites fun-loving foodies to prime their tastebuds and clear their diaries as the countdown begins to Australia’s preeminent celebration of food and wine. In five weeks the Festival will bring food and wine to the streets across 11 delicious days, from Chinatown to Footscray to Dandenong, and from the High Country to the Mornington Peninsula in a year that celebrates Heritage and Tradition. Here are some event highlights in this year’s... ...Read more »

A two day conference which has helped establish the Mornington Peninsula as a premium producer of Pinot Noir has received a $20,000 Victorian Government grant to ensure Victorian winemakers can continue to increase the profile of their product.Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional and Rural Development Peter Ryan said the Mornington Peninsula International Pinot Noir Celebration, which starts today in Red Hill, provided a forum for Victorian and Australian Pinot Noir producers to exchange information... ...Read more »

An independent panel led by former federal Health Minister Neal Blewett delivered the Review of Food Labelling Law and Policy 2011 to the Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing Catherine King on Friday. Dr Alan Barclay, an accredited practicing dietitian and nutritionist, chief scientific officer for the Glycemic Index Foundation Ltd and head of research at the Australian Diabetes Foundation said that the recommendations are “a mixed bag”. Dr Barclay agreed with the reiteration... ...Read more »

Sara Lee, the US food group, on Friday (28 January) confirmed plans to split itself in two.The company’s senior management has drawn up proposals, backed by its board, to create two publicly-traded businesses. One company, which will retain the Sara Lee name, will be spun off and focus on the group’s North American grocery retail and foodservice arms. The company, which would have had sales of US$4.1bn in Sara Lee’s last fiscal year, will sell brands including Jimmy Dean meats and... ...Read more »

Cocoa prices this week shot up as the president-elect of Cote D’Ivoire announced an export ban amid political struggles in the country. Europe’s confectioners and biscuit makers admitted that a temporary ban of cocoa shipments from the region, the world’s largest cocoa exporter, has created “a very testing time” for the industry. Here we take a closer look at the Cote D’Ivoire cocoa market and its importance globally. * Côte d’Ivoire, also known as the... ...Read more »

Recommendations to improve food labelling law and policy in Australia and New Zealand are contained in a report presented to Federal, State and Territory Governments today. Dr Neal Blewett, chair of the independent Review of Food Labelling Law and Policy, presented the report, ‘Labelling Logic’, to the Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing, Catherine King. Some of the key recommendations include: That information on food labels be presented in a clear and comprehensible manner to... ...Read more »

In a reversal of fortune to the previous quarter (September 2010), Aussie confidence ended 2010 with a slight fall as consumers looked to curb expenditure in the wake of rising utility and food costs. Fourth quarter (December 2010) results from Nielsen’s Global Online Consumer Survey show that the Australian consumer has slightly lost their confidence, as a conservative drop of three points takes the Consumer Confidence Index score to 112 points. But the latest score is still a good five points... ...Read more »

As Aussie’s proudly display their national pride during Australia Day celebrations, NSW food retailers are being reminded to ensure the labels they display are not breaking the law, NSW Primary Industries Minister Steve Whan said on Wednesday. “Labelling imported food as Australian is up there with one of the most un-Australian things you can do,” Minister Whan said. “You’re ripping off the consumer, you’re ripping off the farmer and you’re short changing... ...Read more »

Concerns that the German dioxin crisis could force European pigmeat producers into losses have pushed the EU into offering emergency storage subsidies. Handouts will vary by products being stored and the European Commission is offering storage options of 90, 120 or 150 days. A Brussels report said pigmeat prices fell 2.4% across the EU (7.2% in Germany) immediately after the dioxin crisis in Saxony, and the Commission fears “a further price decline”. German pig farmer group Interessengemeinschaft... ...Read more »