A research conducted by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and Harvard University has found that women who consumed a diet high in animal fat and cholesterol before pregnancy were at higher risk for gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes is a form of diabetes seen during pregnancy that increases the risk for certain pregnancy complications and health problems in the newborn. Moreover, the increased risk for gestational diabetes seen with animal fat and cholesterol appeared to be... ...Read more »

A government report published by the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) on 18 January 2012, has revealed that, despite being surrounding by tropical and temperate seas, Australia imports 72 per cent of its seafood. Australia produced a mere 241,000 tonnes of fish hauled over the 2009-10 year. This compares with Papua New Guinea producing a million tonnes of fish last year. The report, commissioned by the Australian Government’s Fisheries Research &... ...Read more »

Researchers from the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, in Spain, have found that the link between the consumption of fried food and risk of coronary heart disease may not be as strong as previous research suggests. The Spanish study published in the British Medical on Journal 24 January 2012, found that specific aspects of frying food, such as the oil used, together with other aspects of the diet are more important than the act of frying the food in itself. The study comprised 40,757 people (about... ...Read more »

McDonald’s has become the victim of public outbursts after critics of the company hijacked a promotional hashtag on Twitter created by the fast-food conglomerate. McDonald’s last week joined the social media bandwagon by releasing a campaign on Twitter featuring “paid-for tweets” – tweets which are sponsored advertising platforms that connect advertisers and large companies, I.E Mc Donald’s, to tweeters. This campaign was to appear at the top of all search results. The initial hashtag... ...Read more »

The Fair Work Ombudsman will prosecute the operators of an Eagle Boys pizza outlet in regional New South Wales for allegedly paying its employees just AU$9 an hour. Facing court is Stacborn Pty Ltd, which runs an Eagle Boys franchise at Cessnock. Court documents allege the company underpaid 17 delivery drivers and two shop assistants a total of AU$48,905 between October, 2008 and June, 2010. Five of the staff were under 18 at the time. The delivery drivers were allegedly paid a flat rate of AU$9... ...Read more »

Victoria-based wholesalers Ontrack Pty Ltd has recalled a batch of Walkers Chocolates of London Milk Chocolate Selection Fruit and Nut Selection due to undeclared brazil nuts and almonds. Food Standards Australia New Zealand has advised consumers with a brazil nut and/or almond allergy or intolerance not to consume this product. The product, imported from the UK, has been available to buy from Kmart stores nationally and is packaged in a 450g plastic jar. The products in question have a Best Before... ...Read more »

A recent national survey conducted by the Australian Food Safety Information Council has shown 8 percent of adult workers and an alarming 20 percent of children who take a packed lunch to work or school, make no attempt to keep their lunches cool. Council Chairman, Dr Michael Eyles says, “food poisoning bacteria can grow quickly during hot weather and in the healthier foods such as salad and cold meat that we pack for lunch these days.” The national survey concluded that while 79 percent of Australians... ...Read more »

The Victorian State Government has been heavily criticised for offering a grant to Singapore-based Olam International Limited for helping build its proposed “state-of-the-art” almond processing plant in Victoria. The criticisms come at the same time as the Australian Government is being criticised for inadequate support for Australian-owned companies, when foreign investment in the country’s food industry is at a record high. The Singapore based international Olam group bought 8,000 hectares... ...Read more »

One of Australia’s largest poultry producers, Turi Foods, has been ordered by the Federal Court of Australia, to pay AU$100,000 penalty after admitting to a misleading claim. In September 2011, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) instituted proceedings in the Federal Court against Turi Foods, which supplies La Ionica brand meat chickens in New South Wales and Victoria. The claim was that the chickens were “free to roam”. The ACCC alleged that Turi Foods made “false or... ...Read more »

Nestle has created a new brand, “Maison Cailler” as the launching pad for a new form of direct marketing. The campaign will create a new marketing channel that bypasses conventional retailers. Consumers will register online to order a box of Maison Cailler, with five different testing flavors, such as milk, caramel, nut, fruit, vanilla and cocoa flavors. Consumers then use a profiling system where they “discover their chocolate personality” by sharing their preferences online with friends. Within... ...Read more »