The New Zealand Food & Grocery Council (FGC) has strongly rebutted an allegation that vegetables from China have been entering Australia via New Zealand without being labelled as of Chinese origins. A report televised on 19 September 2011, by Australia’s Today Tonight show on the Chanel 7 network, had claimed that a loophole in an international trade agreement was allowing Chinese vegetables to enter Australian supermarkets while avoiding chemical testing. The report alleged that New Zealand... ...Read more »

The State of Western Australia’s Commissioner for Children and Young People (WACCYP), Michelle Scott, has called for public debate on raising the legal drinking age in Western Australia to 21. Alcohol abuse by young people is the focus of a report, ‘Speaking Out About Reducing Alcohol-Related Harm on Children and Young People’, released today by the WACCYP’s office. The report is based on a consultation Ms Scott commissioned in June this year involving almost 300 young people aged 14 to 17... ...Read more »

Australian scientists have announced their finding of a crucial molecular link between eating a high fat diet and developing Type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body becomes less able to produce and use insulin. The disorder is associated with a high-sugar, high-fat diet combined with lack of exercise. The research was undertaken by Dr Laybutt and PhD scholar Mia Akerfeldt of the Sydney’s Garvan Institute. Their findings suggest a gene, known as Id1, appears to be the “master regulator”... ...Read more »

Dairy multinational co-operative Fonterra has announced a record-breaking year in profits, despite its consumer business profits in New Zealand and Australia dropping. Fonterra’s revenue for the year ended July 31 was NZ$19.9 billion, a 19 per cent increase on the previous year. The dairy giant announced a payout of NZ$8.251 per kilogram, before retentions, comprising a farm gate milk price of NZ$7.60 per kilogram of milk solids for the year ended 31 July 2011. The payout is NZ$1.55 ahead of the... ...Read more »

Health researchers at Deakin University, Victoria, have announced findings that suggest a poor diet may be a risk factor for mental health problems during adolescence. The findings, published this week in the journal PLoS One, suggest diet quality can be used to predict mental health in adolescents over time.  For the study, the researchers analysed data collected from over 3000 Australian adolescents in 2005 and again in 2007. Participants filled in detailed questionnaires about their normal diets... ...Read more »

Australian Food News recently reported on Chinese vegetables allegedly entering Australia via New Zealand, without being labelled as being of Chinese origin. Queensland farming organization Growcom called for New Zealand to cooperate on tighter Country of Origin Labelling (‘CoOL’) to comply with the mandatory Australian CoOL requirements. New Zealand exempts itself from the Country of Origin Labelling (‘CoOL’) requirements of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code. By contrast with... ...Read more »

Multi-national brewer SABMiller has agreed with Foster’s Group Limited a recommended cash offer to Foster’s shareholders at A$5.10 per share, which values Foster’s equity at approximately A$9.9 billion. The agreement is the culmination of a long-running series of negotiations between the two companies, with SABMiller recently mounting pressure on the Australian brewer. As part of the transaction, Foster’s will pay its shareholders a return of capital of A$0.30 per share prior... ...Read more »

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has invited submissions on an application for a processing aid to reduce the risk of the food poisoning bacteria Listeria. The move follows a fresh outbreak of a deadly strain of Listeria monocytogenes in the U.S. as reported this week by Australian Food News. FSANZ Chief Executive Officer, Steve McCutcheon, said EBI Food Safety Ltd has applied for permission to use a bacteriophage preparation called P100 as a processing aid for ready-to-eat foods to reduce... ...Read more »

Research conducted by the research-house Innova Database group has revealed a shift over the past few years in the way dairy products are marketed. According to the research, dairy product development and marketing in Australia and elsewhere has become more sophisticated. There are more ingredient blends, not only with calcium, but also vitamin D, vitamin K2, lysine, prebiotic fibres and isoflavones in dairy (or dairy substitutes). These are claimed to help boost calcium absorption and bone formation. While... ...Read more »

The National Heart Foundation of Australia today announced it will be ending its Tick licensing program in the takeaway food environment. Heart Foundation CEO Dr Lyn Roberts said, “We knew working in this area would be a bold move – and it was – but our work behind the scenes has seen massive improvements across the food supply chain, including healthier oils now being used in many takeaway and catering food outlets. “This even led to a change in the type of canola grown by Australian... ...Read more »