Nestlé has launched a new addition to its Kit Kat range, the Kit Kat Chunky3, which features the brand’s signature wafer, topped with three breakable chunks containing three separate textures – fudge, crisp and sauce. The new chocolate bar will be available in three flavours – chocolate, caramel and cookies & cream. The new line was developed over two years from an idea sourced from the factory floor at the Nestlé factory in Campbellfield in Melbourne, which produces the majority... ...Read more »

US food group Cargill has announced a shake-up of its senior management, naming current CFO David MacLennan into the new role of president and chief operating officer.The company’s chairman and CEO, Greg Page, said yesterday that the moves would better position the company for growth, “particularly in the world’s fastest growing economies”. Additionally, Sergio Rial has been promoted from senior vice president and regional director for Latin America to executive vice president... ...Read more »

Parmalat has recalled its one-litre plastic bottles of Pura Milk full cream with a use-by of 15 June, after the company said it believed the batch had been contaminated with “a small amount” of food-grade sanitiser. The milk was distributed in NSW and the ACT only, in IGA and Foodworks supermarkets, service stations (such as Mobil and Caltex), hospitals and corner stores in metro and regional areas. The company said that the contamination “would result in the product having a metallic... ...Read more »

Woolworths Limited has announced plans to roll out contactless payment facilities across all its brands. The payment system allows customers to use a Visa payWave card to leave the checkout without needing to enter a PIN or signature for transactions up to $100. Woolworths said the system would make the shopping experience quicker and more convenient, and help reduce time spent waiting in checkout queues. “We know how much our customers love to embrace new technologies and services that help make... ...Read more »

Overweight girls lose more weight and can better stay on a healthy diet if they eat sugar-free, low-fat desserts several times weekly, as opposed to their choice of dessert once a week, according to a new study by the Athens University School of Medicine. “Dieters commonly splurge on dessert once a week, usually choosing fattening items,” said lead investigator Antonia Dastamani, MD, PhD, a pediatrician and research fellow at Athens University School of Medicine. “However, we found... ...Read more »

Unilever and Ahold have become among the first companies to acquire certificates for sustainable soy.The purchase – made by a number of Dutch companies under the local Initiative for Sustainable Soy (IDS) – was of the first batch of soy certified by the Round Table on Responsible Soy (RTRS). The RTRS was set up in 2006 to draw up criteria for the sustainable cultivation of soy, which is used in animal feed and in a swathe of food products. The companies, which also include dairy processor... ...Read more »

Federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Senator Joe Ludwig, today announced that the Government has suspended the export of live cattle to Indonesia “until new safeguards are established for the trade”. The move has been welcomed by animal welfare groups RSPCA and Animals Australia, whose investigation of cattle treatment in Indonesian abbatoirs led to a shocking report by ABC TV’s Four Corners, sparking nationwide outrage at the treatment of Australian cattle. The... ...Read more »

Grocery distributor Metcash reported an increase in net income for 2010, which it attributed to the “steady performance” and “resilience” of its independent retail customers. The group said yesterday that net income rose 6.1% in the year ended 30 April to reach $241 million Revenue was up 7.4% to reach $12.5 billion, while wholesale revenue rose 7.4% to $12.36 billion. “We are pleased to once again announce another creditable result, particularly given the challenging... ...Read more »

The ethnic cuisine arm of Associated British Foods, AB World Foods, today announced plans to extend its Patak’s Indian sauce range with a Hot & Spicy line. The manufacturer said that it is launching the range in response to consumer demand for hotter food. According to the manufacturer, research has found that British consumers are eating food over 400 times hotter than during the 1960s, “reflected in the 20% rise in sales of hot food products over the last year,” and in the... ...Read more »

Packaging and labelling company ProScales has announced the launch of its new deli labelling system, AdPro, which prints shopper-marketing directed ads on deli labels. The company says its new technology has shown significant improvement in customer purchasing patterns, after being trialled at Adelaide gourmet retailer Il Mercato. AdPro, a software package, allows a variety of existing hardware to print extra information on deli, bakery and pre-pack labels, such as promotional offers, competitions... ...Read more »