I love a sunburnt country, A land of sweeping plains, Of ragged mountain ranges, Of droughts and flooding rains. I love her far horizons, I love her jewel-sea, Her beauty and her terror – The wide brown land for me! - My Country by Dorothea Mackellar – 1885-1968, written in 1904 The end of December 2011 brought flooding rain to northern Australia for the second year running – not as far south or extensive so far as last year, but very wet in the Top End (the top half of the Northern... ...Read more »

The  Victorian regional city Ballarat will be the place many Australians will be on Saturday, January 21 2012 as they sample craft beers from all over Victoria plus a few more. The one-day Ballarat Beer Festival  extravaganza will be showcasing  a multitude of craft beers from some of Victoria’s  world-class microbreweries. Amongst them will be beers from : Bridge Road Brewers; Broo Lager; Buckleys Beer; Coldwater Creek; The Good Brew Co; Hawthorn Brewing; Holgate Brew House; King Street Brewhouse;... ...Read more »

A US-based food and restaurant consultancy has released its food and dining trend predictions for restaurants and hotels in 2012.   Leading US restaurant and hotel industry consultants, Baum + Whiteman’s predictions for 2012 include:   If economic crises continue, cheaper marketing for fast food chains will dominate the market. Cultural flavours and recipes will be combined into a combined cheaper mix. More varieties of meats will be introduced from ethnic areas to mainstream dinner... ...Read more »

Global snacks giant Kraft Foods Inc has announced  that it will be launching more than 70 new products during 2012 in the U.S. ‘Meal solutions’ Kraft Foods is unveiling “meal solutions” that include Kraft Sizzling Salads Dinner Kit, Kraft Fresh Take and Velveeta Cheesy Skillets Dinner Kit, complete with a new range of cooking sauces including Zesty Fajita and Teriyaki Ginger, and salad dressings such as Barbecue Ranch and Toasted Sesame. A Kraft Foods press release said, “The Kraft... ...Read more »

Coca-Cola Amatil (CCA) has reported that its new technologies for the self-manufacture of lighter PET plastic beverage bottles delivered a reduction in the carbon footprint of each bottle by 22%. This is said to be equivalent to 1700 cars being removed from Sydney roads per year. CCA’s claims are set out in a detailed Corporate Responsibility Report issued this week by the company. The Corporate Responsibility Report ironically coincides with recent financial reporting by CCA that  featured its... ...Read more »

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), which is the Australian government regulatory agency for medicines, legal drugs and complementary health products, has issued a public safety advisory to notify consumers (or potential consumers) of  serious risks that a product known as Lipro Diet Pills may pose to health. The TGA points out that the commercial supply of Lipro Diet Pills in Australia is illegal. However a number of people in Australia appear to have bought the product, seemingly through... ...Read more »

The National Australia Bank (NAB) in its latest Rural Commodities Outlook  wrap  issued on 22 December 2011 has reported that apart from the weakening global economy, there is also a very strong production response hitting world agricultural commodity markets. Australian rural production  is on track for  massive winter crops in 2012 because of good rains adding to downward pressure on prices.  At  the same time, sugar and cotton production growth in Australia have also been part of the general... ...Read more »

ABC news service has reported that Western Australian grown oysters “will be off the menu this Christmas due to a harmful bacteria”. WA’s only aquaculture oyster producer is Ocean Foods International in Albany. According to its Farm Director Gareth James, the shellfish have ingested the E Coli bacteria, which has washed into waterways due to recent heavy rainfall, and are therefore not fit to eat for this Christmas. Mr James said a closure at this time of year is out of the ordinary but  it... ...Read more »

A free smartphone app, developed by the Western Australian State government agency Consumer Protection and called iShopWA, is now available for shoppers in the State of Western Australia to easily access information about their rights under the new Australian Consumer Law. WA’s Commerce Minister Simon O’Brien said this would be the first Christmas that West Australians have the protections of the new laws, and it was important that they knew their rights regarding refunds, warranties and lay-bys. “Many... ...Read more »

A mince pie worth £3,000 (A$4,700) has set a new world record for being the most expensive mince pie, according to World Records Academy. Designed by Andrew Stellitano, who runs food design firm Astarism, in London, the pie contains platinum leaf, a solid platinum coin, holy water from Lourdes to bind the pastry, vanilla beans and cinnamon from eastern spice markets and highly prized ambergris sugar derived from sperm whale secretions. The expensive pastry was brushed with Eggnog and gilded with... ...Read more »