The NSW Food Authority has continued its crackdown on dodgy diet foods, issuing fines to two Sydney-based companies for advertising food for sale claiming it had weight loss properties and providing advice that was of a medical nature in their advertising and information. Both companies were advertising what is commonly known as ‘Latin Seed’ or ‘Slim Seed’,  Aleurites moluccana, which they described as a South American seed they claimed was able to reduce body weight. These claims were investigated... ...Read more »

The Commonwealth Government today launched its ‘Swap it don’t stop it’ campaign – a call to make easy, small, healthier lifestyle choices to reduce the risk of illness and disease. The ‘Swap it don’t stop it’ campaign features Eric, an animated blue balloon character, designed to be likeable but overweight. The campaign echoes the popular ‘Life: Be In It’ campaign of the 1980s, featuring Norm, a similarly likeable but overweight cartoon character. On television, in print... ...Read more »

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has announced it will oppose the proposed acquisition of P&N Beverages Australia Pty Ltd by Asahi Holdings (Australia) Pty Ltd. Asahi owns Schweppes Australia Pty Ltd, the second largest manufacturer of carbonated soft drinks (CSDs) in Australia and the largest manufacturer of cordial. Its products include the Schweppes and Pepsi range of soft drinks, as well as the Cottee’s range of cordial. P&N is the third largest manufacturer of... ...Read more »

Unilever has announced the release of a new icecream product under its Streets Magnum brand: the Streets Magnum Temptation Fruit. The icecream features a vanilla centre with dark chocolate chunks, cranberry pieces and berry sauce. The single serve icecreams will be packaged in the Temptation signature ‘jewellery box’ rather than a more standard icecream wrapper, designed to add a sense of indulgence and prestige to the icecream. Encased in Magnum’s renowned milk chocolate shell, Magnum... ...Read more »

Mark Twain called it “the most delicious fruit known to man.” But the cherimoya, or custard apple, and its close relations the sugar apple and soursop, also have lots of big, awkward seeds. Now new research by plant scientists in the United States and Spain could show how to make this and other fruits seedless. Going seedless could be a big step for the fruit, said Charles Gasser, professor of plant biology at UC Davis. “This could be the next banana — it would make it a lot... ...Read more »

The Department of Environment and Resource Management has removed a three metre saltwater crocodile from a pit at Australia’s largest sugar mill, the Sucrogen-operated Victoria Mill, at Ingham. The crocodile fell into the three-metre deep pit on Sunday after it came up from the creek behind the mill, which was very high due to wet weather. The production manager at Victoria Mill, Rob Stobie, told the ABC that this is the second crocodile sighted in the area in the past few days. “The... ...Read more »

Italy’s number one selling frozen pizza, Dr. Oetker, has fast become one of Australia’s favourites since entering the market with its range of Ristorante frozen pizzas. Dr. Oetker Ristorante pizza entered the Australian market 12 months ago, selling in all Coles supermarkets nationwide. Its Mozzarella pizza recently became the number one selling frozen pizza in Coles. The German company expanded even further last month with the acquisition of Simplot’s frozen pizza business in Australia.... ...Read more »

Fonterra, the world’s number on dairy exporter, has decided to open up its globalDairyTrade auction site to allow other processors to sell dairy products on the platform.The New Zealand-based company, which launched the site in 2008, said dairy companies including Arla Foods and FrieslandCampina had helped develop a “draft set of market rules” to allow more than one seller to use the platform. However, so far, no other company has decided to join Fonterra on the site. Fonterra is... ...Read more »

Heinz has launced a new beetroot and apple blended juice, designed to give sports enthusiasts a nutritious and naturally rich source of dietary nitrate.  Dietary nitrate is shown to help boost endurance and stamina. Scientific research into the health benefits of beetroot suggests that the high dietary nitrate levels found in beetroot may help boost endurance and stamina by allowing muscles to use oxygen more efficiently. The launch of GO BEET has been welcomed by athletes and professional sports... ...Read more »

Europe’s food safety watchdog has revised its Acceptable Daily Intakes (ADIs) for a group of caramel colours used in food production.The European Food Safety Authority’s panel on food additives and nutrient sources said that it has set a group ADI covering all caramel colours of 300 mg per kg of body weight per day, with the acception of caramel E150c, which will have a more restrictive ADI of 100 mg/kg bw/day. In a statement released this afternoon (8 March), the panel concluded that... ...Read more »