The US Department of Agriculture has proposed a new “test and hold” procedure for meat and poultry products that aims to reduce the amount of “unsafe food” reaching the shelves. Under the proposal, the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) would be able to hold products from commerce until test results for harmful substances are received. Currently, when FSIS collects a sample for testing, the sampled products are requested but not required to be held until... ...Read more »

Western Australian Agriculture and Food Minister Terry Redman presented Alana Shedley with Young Professionals in Agriculture Forum’s top award at a function in Perth, hosted by the Department of Agriculture and Food and the Australian Institute of Agricultural Science and Technology. The award and accompanying prize money recognises the work of tertiary agriculture and natural resource management students who have completed an undergraduate degree. Redman said the State’s agriculture and food... ...Read more »

New Zealand-based beverage company Frucor, maker of V energy drink, has announced that its Managing Director, Mark Cowsill, will retire after 18 years with the company at the end of May 2011. Cowsill has been the guiding influence behind Frucor’s remarkable transition from a small New Zealand juice business, to an approximately $400 million international total-beverage business, purchased in 2009 by Japanese beverage giant Suntory. “This growth has been achieved through strong leadership... ...Read more »

Sales of organic products in the UK dropped by 5.9% in 2010, local certification body the Soil Association revealed yesterday. Organic sales fell to GBP1.73 billion (A$2.7 billion), with sales at multiple retailers – which account for 72.3% of total organic sales – sliding by 7.7% during the 12 months, the Soil Association’s Organic Market Report found. Additionally, the number of organic food producers fell as farmers and manufacturers felt the squeeze of increased competition... ...Read more »

Bakers Delight is set to put the ‘bun’ into fundraising this Easter, with bakers across Australia and New Zealand preparing to bake over 520,000 fresh hot cross buns on Saturday 9 April, to raise money for sick children at hospitals across the country. ‘Bundraiser’ Day will see all 630 Bakers Delight bakeries nationwide donate $1 from every six-pack of hot cross buns sold to raise over $128,000 to purchase essential medical equipment for the hospitals. Bakers Delight’s support in Victoria... ...Read more »

Lindt has recalled its 16g Lindor Milk Easter Egg after some of the products were found to have been filled with peanut butter instead of the labelled milk filling. The mislabelled eggs, which have a best before of 30 June 2011, have been distributed nationally through supermarkets and department stores, and are included in a large variety of Lindt’s Easter offerings, including the Lindt Lindor Assorted Egg Bags and Egg Tubes, the Lindt Gold Bunny and Friends Cube and Tin Tube, and Lindt Lindor... ...Read more »

Ants and termites may be the earthworms of dry-land agriculture, with a paper by scientists at CSIRO and the Univeristy of Sydney showing that the insects have a significant positive impact on crop yields in dryland agriculture. “Ants and termites perform the same ecosystem service functions in dryland agriculture that earthworms perform in cooler and wetter areas, but the potential for ants and termites to provide these benefits has received little attention until now,” said CSIRO’s... ...Read more »

New packaged liquor bottle shops in Victoria will be required to apply for planning approval after a change to planning permit requirements by the Victorian Government. “Bottle shops and retail outlets selling packaged liquor will no longer be exempted from the planning process,” Premier Ted Baillieu said. “The Coalition is delivering on its election commitment to require bottle shops to justify their presence in the community in the same way as other licensed premises. “This means local... ...Read more »

Woolworths today confirmed the retirement of CEO Michael Luscombe, and his replacement by the company’s Chief Operating Officer for Australian Food and Petrol, Grant O’Brien. Speculation began late last year that Luscombe, who helmed the company through the GFC and the post-stimulus-package slowdown, was planning to retire. Today’s announcement confirms that Luscombe will hand over the reins on October 1st – his fifth anniversary as CEO. The Board of Woolworths Limited has... ...Read more »

Nestlé CEO Paul Bulcke has said that a long-term rise in commodity prices would be “no bad thing” and suggested it would drive investment into the agriculture sector. Bulcke told an analyst event in London last week that beneath the recent volatility in commodity costs was an “underlying trend” of rising raw-material prices due, in part, to the growing world’s population. Food manufacturers have faced a growing raw materials bill in recent months and have looked to... ...Read more »