Australian national grocery wholesaler, Metcash, has reported a 14.3 per cent decline in profit to A$94.4 million for the six months to 31 October 2011. Metcash’s executive Andrew Reitzer said that challenging operating conditions have persisted due to reduced consumer confidence, highly value-conscious consumer, and continuing deflation. The profit decline takes into account “significant items and discontinued operations” associated with the company’s Franklins acquisition. Excluding these... ...Read more »

A new Meat Standards Australia (MSA) symbol that identifies beef that has met an independent consumer standard for tenderness, juiciness and flavour, has been rolled out to butchers and fresh food retailers across Australia. Featuring Australia’s traditional colours, the green and gold ‘MSA graded’ symbol will be positioned as a quality mark, indicating that brands have been graded to meet MSA standards. The MSA grading system was developed by the beef industry in 1999. Nearly 90,000 consumers... ...Read more »

A lack of motivation and attention of consumers prevents nutritional information on food labels from impacting positively on food choices, a European study has found. The study was part of the ‘Food Labelling to Advance Better Education for Life’ (FLABEL) project, which provides research on consumer behaviour and nutrition labels to help guide industry players and policy-makers in Europe. The FLABEL consortium is comprised of academic experts, retailers, and not-for-profit organizations in the... ...Read more »

Victoria’s meat safety regulator, PrimeSafe, has shut down a Victorian abattoir after it was shown video footage of inappropriate treatment of pigs. The case has prompted calls by animal welfare group Animals Australia for CCTV to be introduced to abattoirs in Australia. Based on the footage it received, PrimeSafe has ordered the L. E. Giles & Sons abattoir, in Trafalgar, Victoria, to cease all operations pending an investigation. In a statement published on its website on 29 November 2011,... ...Read more »

The Full Federal Court has upheld a primary Federal Court judgment which allows Metcash to acquire shares in the Franklins chain of supermarkets, from Pick n Pay Retailers. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) had appealed the earlier Federal Court judgment of Justice Emmett, refusing the ACCC’s application to stop Metcash from acquiring the Franklins supermarket chain. The Full Court has ordered that the ACCC pay Metcash’s legal costs. Once it has acquired the 80 Franklins... ...Read more »