The 2011 winner of top-ranking TV show Masterchef Australia, Adam Liaw will walk the warehouse floor of Foodbank Victoria to select and use canned foods donated to Foodbank to create a live cooking experience. As previously reported by Australian Food News, Foodbank Victoria is running in conjunction with the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival on 3-4 March an innovative food donation activity, where families and friends have been invited to donate cans to “a Map of Victoria’s hunger”. A week... ...Read more »

Cocoa, an antioxidant-rich raw ingredient for chocolate is “set to become a major force in the market for functional and healthier food”, according to Julian Mellentin, director of UK consultancy, New Nutrition Business. His company is a leading provider of analysis and insight into the global nutrition business. He said that cocoa was at a tipping point, as a result of scientific convergence and technological process, corporate strategy, consumer awareness and consumer desire for foods that... ...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 »

One of Australia’s leading public health research bodies, The George Institute, has launched a new smartphone app which gives a Traffic Light rating based on the amount of total fat, saturated fat, sugars and sodium per 100 grams – green for ‘low’, amber for ‘medium’ and red for ‘high’. The new app, called ‘FoodSwitch’, is able to rate 20,000 packaged food products found in Australian supermarkets. The initiative is part of a new partnership with Bupa, one of Australia’s... ...Read more »

EU researchers believe that whey protein’s future potential as a packaging material could reduce or replace the use of petrochemicals in food packaging. Researchers working on the EU’s “Wheylayer” project have developed a whey protein layer to replace a petrochemical-based polymer layer in packaging. The natural ingredients in the whey extend the shelf life of food products, and the whey protein layer is biodegradable. Currently, transparent multilayer films, in which each... ...Read more »

Australian restaurant chain Eagle Boys has launched what it claims to be Australia’s first profiterole pizza, the ‘Profiterizza’. Eagle Boys CEO Todd Clayton said, “At Eagle Boys we’ve focused on developing a real taste menu made from flavoursome ingredient combinations. We know our customers are always looking for something different to satisfy their tastebuds. The Profiterizza contains Bavarian custard, strawberries, chocolate fudge and patisserie crème filled profiteroles. Eagle Boys... ...Read more »

Australia’s largest dairy processor, Parmalat, in conjunction with packaging giant Tetra, has launched a new white milk carton. Parmalat, which fields fresh white milk brands Pauls Full Cream, Rev and Skinny Milk in Victoria, claims the new packaging is the “first significant innovation in fresh white milk packaging for 10 years”. Parmalat’s Rowville processing plant, in Victoria, has been undergone a A$2.2 million refit to allow a shift from existing gable top cartons to the... ...Read more »

SPC Ardmona has announced the release of three new fruit snacks aimed at kids of all ages into supermarkets across Australia. The Coca-Cola Amatil subsidiary said the three snacks, SPC Fruit Squeezies, SPC Fruit Crush-Ups and SPC Power Pulp, are designed specifically to make fruit fun for kids of all ages, from preschoolers to teens. “According to the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating, kids aged four to 18 should eat between one and five serves of fruit each day. However the latest National... ...Read more »

Australian snacks manufacturer Snack Brands have announced a new offering in their CC’s corn chip brand, featuring two flavours in one bag. The new 2 Flavour Smash chips will include the brand’s popular Tasty Cheese and Sour Cream & Chilli corn chips mixed in one packet. CC’s brand manager Tom Mayson said that the launch has strengthened CC’s reputation as the innovator in the Australian corn chip segment. “Two flavours of corn chip in one bag is a first for the... ...Read more »

Nestlé has launched a new addition to its Kit Kat range, the Kit Kat Chunky3, which features the brand’s signature wafer, topped with three breakable chunks containing three separate textures – fudge, crisp and sauce. The new chocolate bar will be available in three flavours – chocolate, caramel and cookies & cream. The new line was developed over two years from an idea sourced from the factory floor at the Nestlé factory in Campbellfield in Melbourne, which produces the majority... ...Read more »