A group of food importers and retailers has been investigated by the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) for importing and selling Korean food illegally. Mr Tim Chapman, General Manager of AQIS Quarantine Operations, said AQIS officers intercepted a shipment of prohibited food from Korea which it says did not meet Australian food safety standards. “On further investigation, AQIS identified a number of importers who had routinely imported food containing meat and dairy products that... ...Read more »

Senior food industry executives from companies including Unilever, GlaxoSmithKline and Asda have headed to the picturesque UK town of Windsor for this year’s Food and Drink Innovation Dialogue to discuss a variety of factors affecting innovation in our sector. Delegates have analysed the impact that issues including the economic downturn, ethical consumerism, the rivalry between brands and private label and the demand for clean-label products have had on NPD. Here are some of the more... ...Read more »

The Northern Territory Government will spend $1.4 million extra to support Indigenous horticulture and forestry projects in the Northern Territory. NT’s Primary Industry Minister Kon Vatskalis said supporting Indigenous horticultural enterprises and working with those interested in sustainable forestry developments had the potential to create more jobs and provide regional development opportunities in the Territory’s remote areas. “Our horticultural industry in the Territory was valued... ...Read more »

The Ardagh Group has announced that it has begun manufacturing the first Australian-made aluminium beverage bottles at its facility in Taree, NSW. Ardagh said it took the decision to extend the Taree aluminium portfolio from aerosols to aluminium bottles after its research identified an opportunity to enter a niche, but growing, market segment. “Aluminium bottles offer some specific advantages to beverage brand owners,” said Ardagh Group business development manager Sion Orritt. “The... ...Read more »

Australia may be considered the lucky country, but many households face “food insecurity” or the limited ability to access adequate amounts of nutritional-appropriate foods, according to new research by Queensland University of Technology (QUT). In a Brisbane study of more than 500 households, health researcher Rebecca Ramsey, from QUT’s Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, found one in four households (25 per cent) in areas of Brisbane had insufficient access to food. “Globally... ...Read more »

An overwhelming majority of EU citizens want the fish they buy to come from sources that are sustainable and not overfished, according to an independent poll commissioned by WWF and carried out in 14 EU countries. With 88% of respondents believing it is important that fish products on sale within the European Union come from non-overfished stocks, WWF believes a clear signal is being given to the European Union that ambitious reform of the failing Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) is urgently needed.... ...Read more »

Fonterra announced this week that cheddar cheese would be offered for sale on its globalDairyTrade electronic trading platform from the 19 July event. The addition will expand the range of products available on the platform to seven, including Whole Milk Powder, Skim Milk Powder, Butter Milk Powder and Anhydrous Milk Fat. Fonterra will begin offering Milk Protein Concentrate and Rennet Casein from the 17 May event. Ian Palliser, Director of Optimisation, Trading and Sourcing, said adding cheese was... ...Read more »

This year’s Food and Drink Innovation Dialogue, held in the UK town of Windsor this week, has heard what factors are affecting NPD in our sector. The likes of Heinz, United Biscuits, Baxters Food Group and Mead Johnson Nutrition have headed to the event to discuss issues including reformulation and the EU health claims legislation. Here are some of the more notable soundbites. Innovation and Reformulation “What work can be done to look at the influence of reformulation? Satisfying... ...Read more »

Australian almond processor Select Harvests, the world’s second largest almond manager, has announced a $19.5 purchase of Belvedere Orchards – 1500 acres of established almond orchards in NSW’s Riverina. The latest acquisition by Select Harvest, plus plans to plant new orchards in WA, are expected to bring the company’s total acreage to 13,100 – almost three times the 3400 acres it had in late 2009. In addition to its own orchards, Select Harvest manages 34,000 acres... ...Read more »

The Greens today celebrated the victory of their number three candidate Jeremy Buckingham over former One Nation leader Pauline Hanson in the NSW Upper House. The Greens today took a third place in the NSW Upper House, with Jeremy Buckingham, an Orange City Councillor, stone mason and sustainable agriculture expert, was declared elected along with sitting MP David Shoebridge and Byron Shire Mayor Jan Barham. They join Upper House MPs John Kaye and Cate Faehrmann who were not up for election and Jamie... ...Read more »