A report by the ABC’s Four Corners has sparked renewed outrage over the export of live Australian cattle to parts of the world without animal welfare protections. The report, which features evidence from Animals Australia of cattle being tortured in an Indonesian abbatoir, and other cattle suffering prolonged deaths from cut throats, prompted Agriculture Minister Joe Ludwig today to suspend export to the three abbatoirs in question. The government has also appointed an independent reviewer... ...Read more »

The Queensland Dairyfarmers’ Organisation today warned that the state’s dairy farmers are expected to fall short of producing enough milk to meet the State’s drinking milk demand this year, and said that this trend was being worsened by artificially low milk prices set by Coles and Woolworths. Impacts from the Queensland flood, Cyclone Yasi and farmers exiting the market mean that the 2011 milk yield may be down as much as  490 million litres. “The supermarkets are creating a situation... ...Read more »

Mars Chocolate Australia has announced that it will source enough Rainforest Alliance Certified cocoa to cover the production of its iconic Mars Bar, which will bear the Rainforest Alliance treefrog logo. The move follows Cadbury’s switch last year, when the company began purchasing enough Fairtrade cocoa to cover the production of its Dairy Milk blocks. Mars Chocolate Australia said that chocolate lovers want to know that their special treat not only tastes delicious, but has been produced... ...Read more »

Swiss food group Nestlé has unveiled a new baby formula “capsule system”, BabyNes, which consists of a range of single-serve capsules to feed infants from birth up to three years of age.The new system went on sale in Switzerland last week. The company said that it has been working on the product for the past six years. The machines will be sold for CHF249 (US$284.7), while capsules will cost CHF49 to CHF55 for 26 capsules. Nestlé said the product offers consumers convenience, hygiene... ...Read more »

The European Food Safety Authority has criticised a request by the European Commission for a re-evaluation of the safety of the sweetener aspartame.The Commission’s request comes despite the fact that EFSA reviewed the latest studies on aspartame last month and scheduling a full evaluation in 2020. “When we evaluated scientific studies on aspartame recently, we didn’t see anything glaring that would lead us to believe people should change their daily intake,” said an EFSA... ...Read more »

The Australian Food and Grocery Council, together with not-for-profit barcode standards body GS1 Australia, have called for industry support for their new smartphone app, GS1 GoScan, which will allow extended labelling of products via barcode scanning by consumers. Initially available for iPhone, GoScan has the capacity to list accurately a large amount of “real time” product data to consumers, including ingredients, nutritional content, RDI information, dietary statuses such as Kosher/Halal/Organic... ...Read more »

Fonterra, the world’s largest dairy exporter, has forecast that its payout for farmers could slide in 2011/12 after a “record” 12 months in the current financial year.The New Zealand dairy giant yesterday (24 May) predicted that its payout for the year starting on 1 June would be lower than the current year, when it expects to pay NZ$8.00-8.10 before retentions. The forecast for the current year – when Fonterra expects to see record production – comprises a milk price... ...Read more »

In a shakeup of its Australian operations, Heinz has announced it will move its beetroot, sauces and some of its meals from factories at Girgarre, Brisbane and Wagga Wagga, to its facility in Hastings, New Zealand, while investing $25 million in its Echuca baby food plant and beverage production in Brisbane. “Heinz operates a number of factories across Australia and New Zealand.  Our decision to consolidate manufacturing is a critical step in our plan to become more competitive in a challenging... ...Read more »

Unilever has confirmed the French launch of a version of its Magnum ice cream that contains alcohol. The new Magnum Minis, which will be released under its Heart Brand ice cream label, are available in two flavours – one with Italian liqueur limoncello and the other with Irish cream. The product comes to market after “very positive trials”, Unilever said. The product is pitched as offering an after-meal gourmet moment with a tinge of alcohol and targets new ice cream customers,... ...Read more »

Heinz has launched a new campaign for its iconic baked beans, asking Australians what “Beanz Meanz” to them. The campaign harks back to the equally iconic “Beanz meanz Heinz” advertising campaign, which ran from 1967 for thirty years, and features celebrities and ordinary Australians talking about their memories of Heinz Beanz. The campaign is supported by a competition, featuring $100,000 cash prizes for the ten best stories associated with Heinz Beanz, to be submitted online... ...Read more »