McDonald’s newly appointed global chief executive Don Thompson includes ‘fragile consumer confidence’ in Australia as one of the factors that slowed growth in the Asia Pacific region for the company. This was in contrast to the previous year when Australia was one of the best performing countries for the global McDonald’s group. McDonald’s has just issued its global results for the US fiscal second-quarter. It reported a profit of $US1.35 billion, which was down from $US1.41 billion... ...Read more »

One of Australia’s largest food producers, SunRice, has announced a strong financial result for the 12 months ending 30 April 2012. SunRice Ricegrowers Limited, trading as SunRice, is Australia’s leading branded rice food company, with products marketed in close to 60 countries around the globe. Consolidated revenue for the year reached $1 billion for the first time, up 24% on the previous year’s AU $809 million. Consolidated profit after tax for the period was AU$33.9 million, up 158.9% compared... ...Read more »

Australian retail trade saw a moderate improvement in the June 2012 quarter, with an increase of 3.3 per cent in overall activity as measured by the AFGC CHEP Retail Index. However, the Index predicts the upswing in activity will not last. The index uses CHEP transactional data based on pallet movements and is a lead indicator of Australian Bureau of Statistic (ABS) Retail Trade data. The figures predict retail trade to be 3.5 per cent higher in June 2012 (with a turnover of $21.3 billion) compared... ...Read more »

American congressmen have presented a ‘common sense’ alternative  to replace current US federal menu labelling laws. The proposed Common Sense Nutrition Disclosure Act of 2012 comes in response to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) regulations regarding calorie labelling on menus and menu boards in chain restaurants, food establishments and vending machines. Congressmen John Carter, Henry Cuellar and Ruben Hinojosa proposed the bill with the support of representatives from the convenience... ...Read more »

Australia’s sizzling culinary scene was celebrated last night with the inaugural The Australian Hot 50 Restaurant Awards. The Awards recognise Australia’s top restaurants and rich culinary talents, with prizes being awarded across a number of categories. These included Hottest Design, Hottest Chef and Hottest Classic. The coveted top prize of Hottest Restaurant went to Sydney newcomer Momofuku Seiōbo. The People’s Choice award went to Melbourne’s Hare & Grace. The judging panel represented... ...Read more »

Australian supermarket giant Coles has revealed it is the major customer of Australia’s newest mushroom farm taking almost 100 per cent of its production – around 50 tonnes per week at full production will be acquired by Coles from the $10 million Parwan Valley Mushrooms production facility near Bacchus Marsh in Victoria. Australian Food News previously reported the official opening of the facility in mid June 2012. The move by Coles could signal a more direct vertical shift into agribusiness... ...Read more »

A report released by the New South Wales Office of Environment & Heritage reveals that the young are amongst the biggest wasters of food. According to the report,  people aged 18-24 in NSW dine out regardless of what is at home in the fridge, have a poor understanding of best-before dates and have impulsive and lazy shopping habits. The report also shows that this age group wastes between $24.90 and $26 of food every week, contributing to the $2.5 billion of food thrown away in the State of... ...Read more »

Australia’s original chocolate cafe, Max Brenner, is continuing to spread its unique culture across Australia with a series of marketing partnerships with hotels. Building on its already strong brand presence, thanks to its 28 Chocolate Bars located throughout the States of New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory, Max Brenner has teamed up with a selection of premium hotels to extend its existing marketing platform. The hotels that currently have special deals... ...Read more »

Two prominent academics in nutrition have voiced differing views to Australian audiences on the causes of the current upsurge in obesity. The World is Fat Dr Barry Popkins, author of the controversial but critically acclaimed book The World is Fat has been interviewed on various ABC channels. According to Dr. Popkins, one of the biggest contributors to the sharp rise in calorie intake has been the number of snacks and meals people eat per day, rather than serve size. The other contributing factor... ...Read more »

Australia’s National Food Plan Taskforce has invited public submissions in response to the National Food Plan green paper. Australia’s first National Food Plan aims to better integrate all aspects of food industry policy. The green paper discusses a number of options and potential directions that could be adopted by the Australian government. The Australian government is seeking feedback on these and other ideas to complete its white paper food report. How one can participate Public consultation... ...Read more »