A batch of imported tapioca chips sold in NSW grocery stores has been recalled due to higher than usual levels of naturally occurring cyanide in the ingredient cassava. The Lotus Brand Tapioca Chips product, imported by Ayers Rock Trading Pty Ltd, is sold in a 275g clear sealed plastic bag with yellow label. The recalled batch has the ‘expiry date’ of 01.12.12. The NSW Food Authority has advised consumers to not eat the product as it may cause illness. Consumers should return the product to the... ...Read more »

One of Australia’s key industrialists, Anthony Pratt, who is chairman of the leading Australian packaging business Visy Industries, has called upon the Australian government to work with Australia’s food industry to boost production. Speaking at a conference on food security yesterday in Shepparton, Victoria, Mr Pratt offered five ways he believes Australia can quadruple its food production: Accelerated depreciation should be introduced to encourage new manufacturing investments in food. Mr... ...Read more »

Australian wine is making a comeback in the U.S. market, according to market intelligence released today by the Australian Government statutory authority Wine Australia. Australia is already the second largest country of origin for imported wines into the U.S., behind France. Wine Australia’s market report for September 2011 showed Australian wine sales for the A$15-19.99 segment were up 23 per cent in the US and wine sales in the A$20+ segment were up 4.6 per cent. Wine Australia’s Regional... ...Read more »

New South Wales-based company Australia Poultry and Food Wholesalers has been fined A$236,000 plus legal costs for supplying pre-cooked chicken that was found to contain Listeria monocytogenes. The chicken was used in wraps that were supplied for inflight meals on the Virgin Blue airline. Listeria monocytogenes is dangerous for pregnant women, newborns, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems. Downing Centre Local Court, in Sydney, found that between December 2008 and June 2009, a food-borne... ...Read more »

Progressive Enterprises, a subsidiary of the Australian retail group Woolworths Limited, has bid farewell to the Woolworths brand in New Zealand, marking the final stage of transition to the new ‘Countdown’ brand. Woolworths Meadowlands was the last store in New Zealand to carry the Woolworths brand. The store reopened this week as a Countdown supermarket. In 2009 Progressive Enterprises announced plans to transition all its supermarkets to the Countdown brand. Over 60% of its 159 stores nationwide... ...Read more »

A new primary production and processing standard for seed sprouts has been approved by the Food Standards Australia New Zealand Board. FSANZ said the objective of the standard is to reduce the incidence of food-borne illness associated with seed sprouts by introducing food regulatory measures for sprouts processors. Measures in the standard include requirements for producers to identify potential hazards and implement control measures to address those hazards. Sprout producers must also have evidence... ...Read more »

The European Parliament and the Council of Ministers have given their approval for the use of steviol glycosides, a natural sweetener derived from the stevia plant, as an ingredient in foods and beverages in the European Union. The new regulatory policy will enter into force twenty days after it is published in the EU Official Journal.  This means that products sweetened with steviol glycosides could be available to consumers across Europe by as early as 3 December 2011. Steviol glycosides are considered... ...Read more »

McDonald’s Australia has boasted its healthier food credentials by announcing that from tomorrow its customers will be asked if they would like salad as an alternative to fries. McDonald’s announcement coincides with the start of kilojoule labelling on McDonald’s menu boards at point of sale. McDonald’s Australia CEO Catriona Noble said that by making the option of salad part of every ‘Extra Value Meal’, McDonald’s is making it “easier for customers to enjoy a serve of fresh vegetables”. Ms... ...Read more »

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has launched a guide for Australian businesses on attributing price increases or impacts to the carbon price cost. Discussing the ACCC’s role in policing claims attributing price rises to the carbon pricing mechanism, ACCC chairman Rod Sims said today that the new guide aims to assist businesses in understanding their rights and obligations. He said, “Business costs increase all the time, and businesses are free to set their own prices. ... ...Read more »

A clinical trial conducted at Swinburne University of Technology has found that increasing Vitamin B dietary intake could significantly reduce work-related stress. The results of the three-month trial, where participants were given a course of either high dose Vitamin B supplements or a placebo, have been published this week in the Australian journal ‘Human Psychopharmacology’. The study’s leader, Professor Con Stough from the Swinburne University of Technology, said at the beginning of the... ...Read more »