Australia’s broadcasting regulator, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), said today that it will not be making any immediate changes to the Children’s Television Standards in response to concerns about junk food advertising aimed at children. The ACMA released a report today which examined the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC)’s ‘Responsible Children’s Marketing Initiative’ and the Quick Service Restaurant Industry (QSR)’s initiative for Responsible Advertising... ...Read more »

Global food and beverage conglomerate, Kraft Foods, has announced it is cutting around 200 jobs at UK confectioner Cadbury. Kraft has said it intends to divide its business into two independent companies by the end of 2012, and has also announced this week that its current CEO and Chairman, Irene Rosenfeld will head the conglomerate’s planned high-growth global snacks business (which will include the Cadbury brand). It was Irene Rosenfeld who drove Kraft’s hostile takeover of Cadbury in 2011. The... ...Read more »

Research released in a report today by global information services company, Experian, has found that almost six out of ten Australian consumers (59 per cent) have stopped buying four or more brands as a result of what the report describes as “ineffective marketing”. Experian’s report, titled ‘The Future of Multichannel Marketing: Marketer and Consumer Perspectives’, examines the opportunities available to marketers to minimise the impact of poorly targeted communications. In the food sector,... ...Read more »

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) today called for submissions on an application to change the Food Standards Code to allow for food derived from hemp. FSANZ is considering an amendment to the Food Standards Code that would permit the use of processed hemp seed products as food, subject to specified maximum levels of delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), but not the sale of whole or viable hemp seeds. FSANZ Chief Executive Officer, Steve McCutcheon said, “The assessment confirms low THC... ...Read more »

Coca-Cola South Pacific today revealed its new ‘One Calorie Burnt in a Moment’ campaign for diet Coca-Cola. The potentially controversial new campaign targets young females as the brand works to “connect with a new generation of women”. The campaign will showcase a series of “cheeky moments” in which one calorie can “easily be burnt”, and emphasise the link to Diet Coke having less than one-calorie in every 200mL. Pamela Wyatt, Marketing Manager for Diet Coke said the campaign... ...Read more »

A London-based market research company has outlined four trends that it believes will shape the way foodservice operators develop menu options during 2012. The four trends are identified by Mintel Group are: Slow it down: Fast food restaurants are returning to more time-intensive preparation methods for their menu items. As such, items described as “hand-made” or “home-style” are popping up on restaurant menus. Consumers are prepared to seek more from their dining experience... ...Read more »

Australia’s leading online commerce enablers are predicting this week will be the busiest online shopping week Australia has ever seen. PayPal, eBay and Australia Post have forecast their busiest online shopping day this year will be on Sunday 11 December 2011. According to PayPal’s Secure Insights report, eBay, PayPal and Australia Post predict a surge in spending this week as Australian consumers seek to save time and money by shopping for this year’s Christmas presents online... ...Read more »

Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC)’s chairman Rod Sims has announced that the ACCC will not appeal the Full Federal Court’s decision to allow Metcash’s acquisition of the Franklins supermarket business. In a media statement released today, Mr Sims said that the ACCC took action to block the proposed acquisition by Metcash of the Franklins supermarket business because it considered that such an acquisition was likely to result in a substantial lessening of competition in the... ...Read more »

The collapse of global olive oil prices and the volatile market conditions for olive oil producers from Europe and North Africa are being blamed for one of Australia’s largest olive oil producers, Kailis Organic Olive Oil Groves Group, going into receivership, according to the receivers, KordaMentha. Others are saying that the financial woes encountered by the company are partially self-made and attributable to a failed managerial investment scheme, creating refinancing difficulty. Kailis Organic... ...Read more »

A University of Sydney survey has found that only 54 per cent of Australians aged between 18 and 24 know the recommended daily amounts of fruit and vegetables to eat each day. The survey of 106 university students aged 18 to 24 was published in the Dietitians Association of Australia’s journal, Nutrition and Dietetics. Many of the survey’s participants also did not know the correct serving sizes for three (grapes, carrots and lettuce) of the four foods tested in the study – although... ...Read more »