The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has accused some of Australia’s best-known chicken brands of making misleading promotional claims for sell their chicken products. The ACCC has instituted proceedings in the Federal Court against Baiada Poultry Pty Ltd and Bartter Enterprises Pty Ltd which supply chickens nationally under the Steggles brand, as well as Turi Foods, which supplies La Ionica brand meat chickens in New South Wales and Victoria, and the Australian Chicken Meat... ...Read more »

The popularity of smartphone shopping is changing retail horizons. New smartphone applications have been launched in Australia in the past month by major Australian food retailers. Multinational food giant Tesco has launched the world’s first ‘virtual shop’ in Korea during the same period. Australian Food News reports have included new smartphone apps launched by Australia’s two largest supermarket chains, Coles and Woolworths, as well as a new smartphone app from Australia’s largest pizza... ...Read more »

The Federal Government’s Takeovers Panel has rejected accusations from multinational brewer SABMiller that statements published in Foster’s Group Limited’s full year results were “misleading” and “deceptive”. SABMiller’s submission to the Takeovers Panel had raised issues about certain forward-looking financial statements and a pro forma net debt in the Foster’s results presentation. On 17 August 2011, SABMiller announced that it intended to make a conditional off-market takeover... ...Read more »

A research paper published today by University of Southern California (USC) claims to explain why many people with bad eating habits continue to eat unhealthy foods – even when the food doesn’t taste good. The researchers gave people about to enter a cinema a bucket of either just-popped, fresh popcorn or stale, week-old popcorn. Those who didn’t usually eat popcorn at the cinema ate much less stale popcorn than fresh popcorn. But those who indicated that they typically had popcorn at the... ...Read more »

Scientists from the Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics (ACPFG) have produced rice with high enough iron levels to meet daily recommended requirements for iron intake. The ACPFG claims the fortified rice provides an inexpensive and sustainable solution to the micronutrient malnutrition problems that currently plague people in developing countries. Scientists based at the Universities of Adelaide, Melbourne and South Australia, and Flinders University, genetically modified rice to increase... ...Read more »

Australia’s largest ASX-listed dairy company Bega Cheese has won the contract to supply the entire range of Coles’ home-branded cheese products. The contract, announced yesterday, will involve Bega Cheese manufacturing and packaging natural cheddar, processed cheddar and mozzarella products for Coles, Australia’s second-largest retailer, under a five year contract. Initial anticipated volumes are set to be 19,000 tonnes a year. Bega Cheese’s Chief Executive Aidan Coleman said,... ...Read more »

The volume of grapes crushed for wine in the Murray Darling and Swan Hill regions fell by more than 20 per cent in the 2011 vintage, according to a survey published today by the Victorian Department of Primary Industries (DPI). The Murray Valley, incorporating the Murray-Darling and Swan Hill wine regions, contributes up to 25% of Australia’s wine production for worldwide brands such as Deakin Estate, Jacob’s Creek, Lindemans, Tall Poppy, Trentham Estate and Zilzie. The DPI’s survey... ...Read more »

Australia’s largest pizza company, Domino’s Pizza, has launched an Android app which allows its customers to place an order using their smartphone. Domino’s CEO Don Meij said the pizza chain’s Android app has been designed and developed in Australia. Any customer with an Android device can place an order with Domino’s using the app. Through a turn-style menu, the app allows Domino’s customers to customise their own pizza, place an order, choose pick-up or delivery, and track... ...Read more »

A new export certification system for Australian meat, announced this week by Federal Agriculture Minister Joe Ludwig, comes into effect on 1 October 2011. The new system is a co-regulatory arrangement between the industry and government and is known as the Australian Export Meat Inspection System (AEMIS). The Federal Government is subsidizing the introduction of the new system with A$25.8 million over three years but the meat industry must bear the full cost from 2013. Minister Ludwig claimed, “The... ...Read more »

Unilever Australasia has appointed Sydney-based advertising agency Whybin\TBWA to work across the local branding its multi-million dollar ice cream account in Australia. Unilever Australasia is the Australian and New Zealand subsidiary company of Anglo-Dutch multinational Unilever. The Australian subidiary owns the Streets Ice-cream brand. Whybin\TBWA will commence work immediately on Unilever’s Magnum, Cornetto and Splice brands. The appointment was made without a pitch. Paul Bradbury, CEO... ...Read more »