Australian frozen food manufacturer Patties Foods Ltd (Patties Foods) has announced the appointment of Mark Smith as a Non-executive Director and Chairman of the Board, following the retirement of Christopher Riordan. Mr Smith has extensive global experience in the manufacturing and fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) sectors across Australasia, the US, the UK and the Asia Pacific. He is a Non-executive director of Australian transport and logistics company Toll Holdings Ltd and consumer and industrial... ...Read more »

Global confectionary giant Cadbury has relaunched its Dairy Milk blocks range in Australia with “significant enchancements”. The enhancements include the introduction of new rounder-shaped chocolate pieces, the inclusion of whole nuts in all nut varieties of the product, and a new-look resealable pack. Ben Wicks, Cadbury Dairy Milk’s General Manager for Marketing Chocolate, said Cadbury Australia has made these changes following extensive research and input from Australian consumers. “The... ...Read more »

Dairy processor Warrnambool Cheese and Butter Factory Company Holdings Limited (WCB) and Kraft Foods Australia have announced that they have entered into a long term supply agreement that will see the production of specially formulated cream cheese for export markets. Under the agreement, Kraft Foods Australia will produce the cream cheese under WCB’s Sungold brand. The product will be exported to Japan, China, Singapore, Malaysia and the Middle East. Effective from the second quarter of calendar... ...Read more »

A study undertaken by staff at the University of Campinas in Brazil has found that chocolate melting in hot climates may no longer be a problem. Just published in the January issue of the European Journal of Lipid Science and Technology, the study concludes that the use of hardfats in products containing cocoa butter may be sufficient to alter the chemical structure such that chocolate could become heat-resistant. The study assessed the fatty acid and triacylglycerol compositions of a number of fully... ...Read more »

Retailers and chocoholics are looking forward to the results of a technological breakthrough that could see the development of heat-resistant chocolate. Global chocolate company Cadbury has filed a patent for a new chocolate that can resist heat for up to 40 degrees Celsius. The new chocolate will allow easier storage and transport, and enhance sales in the summer months when the temperature exceeds 33.8 degrees Celsius, the melting point of chocolate. A patent for a chocolate bar that will not melt... ...Read more »

Just as another well-known business family controls the Mars chocolate global empire while having global petfood interests, the Australian equivalent is now the Queensland-based Quinn family.  Over the past decade, the Quinns have taken their V.I.P. petfood business to the position of Australia’s No. 1 producer of fresh chilled petfood and also have developed strong overseas markets in Canada, Korea, Japan, and the USA.  (  Mars Incorporated is an American manufacturer of confectionery with... ...Read more »

Cadbury has launched a television, print and digital campaign to support new varieties of its dairy milk Mousse range – a chocolate experience designed especially for women. The two new Mousse flavours  -  Raspberry Chocolate and Double Chocolate  -  are the next two products described as coming from the mythical land of Joyville, made especially for women. The two new 15 second television commercials – one for each flavour – were developed by Saatchi & Saatchi Sydney and... ...Read more »

The iconic Australian chocolate and confectionery brand Darrell Lea has been placed into voluntary administration by its directors. The company, started 85 years ago by the same family from a small factory under the first arch of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, now has 69 stores owned or licensed across Australia, whilst its well-known products are sold in more than 1,800 retail outlets in Australia, New Zealand and the United States. The business employs about 700 people. Insolvency specialists PPB Advisory... ...Read more »

Australian Food News has surveyed a number of new marketing campaigns being launched by different Australian food groups to coincide with the forthcoming London Olympic Games. The Opening Ceremony of the XXXth Olympiad of the modern era will be held on Friday 27 July, 2012 at the new Olympic Stadium, built during the past three years in London’s Docklands. The Opening Ceremony alone is expected to have an international viewing audience of four billion people, creating one of the world’s greatest... ...Read more »

The Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) has reviewed its inspection regime for imported cocoa powder, cocoa butter and cocoa liquor at the request of inspecting officers and importers. As a result, the regime has been streamlined, reducing delays and industry costs. Previously, every imported container of cocoa products required inspection but the industry argued that the evidence proved that the biosecurity risk was low. Now, based on review of all records from the... ...Read more »