The Baillieu Government is delivering on its election commitment to enable all Victorian businesses to trade on Easter Sunday.Innovation, Services and Small Business Minister Louise Asher said all businesses will now be able to take advantage of high tourist numbers during the busy Easter period, especially businesses in regional areas. The Shop Trading Reform Amendment (Easter Sunday) Bill 2011 to be introduced to Parliament today will remove trading restrictions that prohibit some shops, but not... ...Read more »

One in five parents find it difficult to encourage children to consume three serves of dairy a day, a Newspoll Children & Dairy survey commissioned by dairy company, Fonterra, has found.Parents in NSW and Victoria find it the most difficult at 29 per cent and 25 per cent respectively. Teenagers are least likely to consume three serves of dairy, with 16 to 17 year olds at 26 per cent followed by 13 to 15 year olds at 24 per cent. Kim Tikellis, Fonterra’s Accredited Nutritionist says these... ...Read more »

Moccona is giving romantics a little help this Valentine’s Day with the launch of the free ‘Go Somewhere Special’ application, for iPhone users who are heading out on a date on February 14th. The iPhone application encourages people to embrace more romance and add an element of mystery when inviting their partner or a special someone on a date this Valentine’s Day. Through the use of augmented reality technology, the app will guide the chosen recipient to the date location with... ...Read more »

Sara Lee yesterday (8 February) posted a slump in underlying quarterly profits as rising commodity costs hit earnings.The US food group, which plans to split in two next year, booked net income from continuing operations of US$107m for its fiscal second quarter, which ended on 1 January. In the previous year’s second quarter, the figure stood at $298m. On a reported basis, Sara Lee’s net income was $882m, up from $376m a year ago. However, this year’s figure included a gain on the... ...Read more »

A venture run by Australian sugar processors Bundaberg Sugar and Maryborough Sugar Factory is to close a mill in northern Queensland. The Northern Milling Joint Venture, owned by Bundaberg and Maryborough, yesterday (8 February) announced plans to close its Babinda mill. The company said it will transfer operations to its Mulgrave and South Johnstone mills and that it would identify opportunities to “redeploy” as many of the 62 employees at the site “as practicable”. It added... ...Read more »

Peter Kean, currently Managing Director of Lion Nathan National Foods’ New Zealand and Global Wine businesses, has been appointed Managing Director of food and beverage company National Foods, from 1 April 2011, replacing Andrew Reeves, who will leave the business to become CEO at ABF’s George Weston Foods. National Foods is one of Australasia’s largest FMCG companies, employing over 4,000 people and producing category-leading brands in milk and dairy beverages, juice, fresh dairy, cheese... ...Read more »

A diet, high in fats, sugars, and processed foods in early childhood may lower IQ, while a diet packed full of vitamins and nutrients may do the opposite, suggests new research, published online in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. Researchers compared 4000 British children’s eating patterns from ages 3 to 8.5 to their IQ at age 8.5, and found that even after accounting for other factors, a processed diet at age 3 was associated with a lower IQ, even if the child’s diet... ...Read more »

Australia’s peak horticulture industry body, Growcom, today said it was time for governments to get down to tin tacks and provide the practical assistance needed by horticultural growers to get back to the business of growing fruit and vegetables. Chief Executive Officer Alex Livingstone said the organisation put the total damage bill from the Queensland floods and Cyclone Yasi to Queensland horticulture at well in excess of $500 million. That was made up of $225 million in lost fruit and vegetable... ...Read more »

The Australian Banana Growers’ Council (ABGC) has welcomed the announcement by Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Senator Joe Ludwig that Australia will not relax food quarantine arrangements in response to Cyclone Yasi. Banana growers across Far North Queensland, in particular Innisfail and Tully, have been the worst affected by Tropical Cyclone Yasi, which makes the second devastating weather event in the area in less than five years. ABGC President Cameron MacKay said the industry... ...Read more »

Australian-based coffee chain The Coffee Club has announced a new limited-edition ‘Taste of Thailand’ menu, combining fresh, seasonally-available produce with exotic Thai flavours. According to The Coffee Club Director John Lazarou, the new ‘Taste of Thailand’ menu features Thai-inspired meals created by learning the secrets of authentic Thai cuisine, a country where the chain has recently opened a series of outlets. “I am fortunate to have had regular visits to Thailand over the last few... ...Read more »