All Australians have been shocked and saddened by the impact of the floods in Queensland this week, and many businesses and individuals have shown incredible generosity in their donations of time, money and goods to the affected communities. Coles customers have now donated over $1 million to help the victims of the Queensland flood disaster.  Coles Operations Director Stuart Machin said the customer donation tally was in addition to the $1 million Coles has donated to the QLD Premier’s Disaster... ...Read more »

Tourism Victoria has unveiled the tenth edition of its official The Wine Regions of Victoria guide and, for the first time, it is also available in iPhone app format.The Wine Regions of Victoria app brings information about Victoria’s 22 wine regions and more than 240 wineries to wine lovers’ fingertips anywhere, anytime. Featuring enhanced mapping functionality, the new app also offers instant access to winery contact details; including websites, phone numbers and addresses, a ‘wineries... ...Read more »

The EU has issued data it claims will play down fears that the abolition of milk production quotas in 2015 could flood markets with cheap milk and drive some producers to the wall.In a food commodity forecast to 2020 released yesterday, (13 January), the Commission concludes said the end of quotas was projected to have a “limited impact on milk deliveries at the aggregate EU level”. It said milk production should actually remain below the last 2015 quota cap, with production falls caused... ...Read more »

Stevia firm PureCircle nearly doubled its sales in the third quarter as its table-top sweeteners won market share in the US and France. In a trading update yesterday (13 January), the firm recorded sales of US$995m for the quarter compared to $488 in the comparable period of 2009. The company said it is expecting to report sales of $13m in the first half to 31 December. For the full-year, analyst consensus estimates are in the range $69m to $78m. “The company will benefit from having more... ...Read more »

Food relief agency Foodbank is calling for assistance with its critical role in Queensland’s emergency support efforts, with its warehouse in the Brisbane suburb of Morningside due to reopen tomorrow after evacuation yesterday. The organisation said that its industry donors have dug deep in response to a call for extra supplies and, so far, have committed 400,000 kilograms of food and groceries, worth close to $3 million, with more pledges coming in daily. Donations include all the basic supplies... ...Read more »

If you want to lose the kilos you’ve put on over Christmas, you may be interested in knowing that the hormones related to appetite play an important role in your likelihood of regaining weight after dieting. A new study confirms that people with the highest levels of leptin and lowest levels of ghrelin are more likely to put the centimetres they lost back on again. Doctors often have to deal with patients who, after sticking to a slimming diet, have regained the kilos lost in just a short time... ...Read more »

Coles and Woolworths supermarkets have been forced to close around Queensland after panicked customers descended on shops looking to stock up on essentials. Woolworths spokesperson Clare Buchanan told the Australian that floodwaters and staff shortages had forced the closure of nine Woolworths supermarkets in Brisbane and Ipswich, along with several Big W stores, 30 Dick Smith stores, 50 BWS and Dan Murphy liquor outlets and 10 Caltex petrol stations. In Ipswich, the Fernvale, Ipswich Riverlink,... ...Read more »

Over 7 million Australians – 41% of the population – purchase instant coffee in an average month, and the market is firmly dominated by Nescafe, according to the latest figures from Roy Morgan. 24% of buyers of non-decaf instant coffee purchased Nescafe, followed by 10% for its nearest competitor, Moccona. Budget brand International Roast came third at 4%, followed by supermarket brands and Riva at 2%, and Robert Timms, Bushell’s and Jarrah on 1% each. According to Roy Morgan, compared... ...Read more »

Australian consumers could soon be buying food and drink based on whether it suits their genetic make up as interest in new technology soars, according to consumer research agency Datamonitor. Research by the independent market analyst has revealed that more than half (51%) of Australian consumers now find the idea of using information about their genes to provide nutritional and diet-related advice to be appealing. “Consumers have always wanted food and beverages which cater to their individual... ...Read more »

Cargill’s profits more than tripled in the second quarter of its fiscal year, the US agribusiness giant said yesterday as the company benefited from rising commodity prices. The company booked net earnings of US$1.49bn for the three months to 30 November, up from $489m a year ago. As well as the benefit from higher commodity prices, Cargill was also lapping last year’s second quarter, when profits from The Mosaic Co. were hit by lower crop fertilizer prices. Neverthless, excluding its... ...Read more »