Swiss-based Nestlé, the world’s largest food manufacturer, is to cut the sugar content of some of their most popular childrens’ foods. The announcement will officially be made later today with the release of their “Global Marketing to Children Principles” in Switzerland. Among the products to be reformulated is the renowned Milo brand, with the company reporting they will stamp out advertising to children of products which do not meet a set nutritional profile. All products... ...Read more »

The Australian Food and Grocery Council, Australia’s peak food and grocery manufacturing representative body, has welcomed recognition from the nation’s Environment Ministers that the National Packaging Covenant has played a significant role in increasing consumer packaging recycling rates by 16 per cent over the past three years. AFGC Chief Executive Kate Carnell said it was pleasing to see last week’s meeting of the Environment Protection and Heritage Council acknowledge the success... ...Read more »

IGA (Independent Grocers of Australia) has added Daily Intake Guide nutritional information to the front of their private label goods. The front-of-pack DIG labels appear on 200 lines of its current range, with a progressive roll-out underway. “IGA and Metcash are committed to providing shoppers with clear and useful information, and our Daily Intake Guide labelling is a major step in that process,” Metcash National Group Manager of Merchandise and Marketing, Gary Tempany, stated. Late... ...Read more »

Australia’s peak food and grocery manufacturing industry association, the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC), says that the introduction of the federal government’s Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS) must ensure that the domestic and international competitiveness of Australia’s food and grocery manufacturing sector is maintained.AFGC Chief Executive Kate Carnell believes that Australia’s world leading, $70 billion food and grocery manufacturing sector is at risk... ...Read more »

Australian food and beverage manufacturers have responded to community concerns regarding some food advertising during children programming by developing the Responsible Children’s Marketing Initiative. Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) Chief Executive Kate Carnell will today outline the food and beverage industry’s response to community concerns about advertising practices in the AFGC’s submission to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) on its revised... ...Read more »

The Australian Food and Grocery Council, Australia’s peak food and grocery manufacturing industry association, has welcomed the Rudd Government’s launch of the Measure Up campaign to tackle obesity in the community. AFGC Chief Executive Kate Carnell said that any additional tool to help educate the community about their health was always a welcome addition. The $30 million campaign will involve print and TV advertising imploring people to measure their waists to see if they are at high... ...Read more »

Peak retail industry body the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) has today criticised the Queensland Prevention Alliance’s call for a total ban of food and drink advertising directed at children. The Queensland Prevention Alliance, which includes the AMA (Australian Medical Association) Queensland, Cancer Council Queensland, Diabetes Australia – Queensland and the Heart Foundation, is set to campaign heavily to ban junk food advertising to children over the next few months. ARA... ...Read more »

The Australian National Children’s Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey has found that 72 per cent of 2-16 year old children were of a healthy weight, but 17 per cent were overweight, 6 per cent obese and 5 per cent underweight.The results of the 2007 survey were released today by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health and Ageing, Senator Jan McLucas; the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Tony Burke; and the Chief Executive of the Australian Food and Grocery... ...Read more »

Retailers Woolworths, Coles, and Franklins have today joined the Australian Food and Grocery Council in a push toward the Daily Intake Guide, with a plan to adopt the labelling system on private label products. The Daily Intake Guide is a front-of-pack food labelling system developed in consultation with dietitians and health experts to assist consumers in understanding what’s in a serve of a particular product and how it contributes to their daily diet. Australian National Retailers Association... ...Read more »

Health and consumer groups are calling for an overhaul of food packaging regulations following the release of new research carried out by Ipsos-Eureka Social Research Institute, which suggested the ‘traffic light’ labeling system would assist consumers in their decision-making process. The survey of nearly 800 shoppers from Newcastle and Sydney, commissioned by a group of health and consumer groups including the Cancer Council and CHOICE, found 81 per cent of shoppers could correctly identify... ...Read more »