The 2nd National Sustainable Food Summit, will take place in Sydney on 3-4 April, 2012, and a pre-conference on the 2 April. The summit is being promoted by Three Pillars Network, will gather over 340 delegates including primary producers and members of the business, government, education, public health, community and not-for-profit sectors came together in Melbourne to share ideas that could inform a vision for Australia’s food system in 2030. The summit will also focus on the limits and challenges... ...Read more »

Researchers from North Carolina State University and West Virginia University have developed a new technology that can reduce air pollutant emissions from some chicken and swine barns, and also reduce their energy use by recovering and possibly generating heat. Specifically, the research team designed, built, and evaluated a proof-of-concept unit that incorporates a biofilter and a heat exchanger to reduce ammonia emissions from livestock barns, while also tempering — or heating up —... ...Read more »

Global snacks giant Kraft Foods Inc has announced  that it will be launching more than 70 new products during 2012 in the U.S. ‘Meal solutions’ Kraft Foods is unveiling “meal solutions” that include Kraft Sizzling Salads Dinner Kit, Kraft Fresh Take and Velveeta Cheesy Skillets Dinner Kit, complete with a new range of cooking sauces including Zesty Fajita and Teriyaki Ginger, and salad dressings such as Barbecue Ranch and Toasted Sesame. A Kraft Foods press release said, “The Kraft... ...Read more »

The Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE), has called for a ban on the sale of premixed alcohol and energy drink (AED) products in Australia. Research into consumption habits, commissioned by FARE and undertaken by Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre, found that young people in Australia are regularly consuming between three and five alcohol and energy drinks a night, and some drinking as many as ten. Turning Point’s lead researcher, Amy Pennay, said that mixing alcohol and energy... ...Read more »

New research from Harvard University, in the U.S., has shown that cooked meat provides more energy than raw meat. The researchers claim their findings suggest cooking played a pivotal role in human evolution by increasing the energy content of some foods. Conducted by Rachel Carmody, a student in Department of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the research also raises... ...Read more »

Australia’s largest pizza company Domino’s Pizza announced today that it will display kilojoules content details on all its menus nationally. In a statement released today, CEO Don Meij said that the introduction of kilojoules counts on its menu boards, online ordering site and mobile devices was a positive step towards offering customers greater choice. The news comes just days after Australian fast food chain Hungry Jacks made a similar announcement. “We are serious about ensuring our customers... ...Read more »

McDonald’s UK is the latest multinational chain to display the calorific content of items on its UK menus. Australian Food News can reveal that McDonald’s Australia plans to follow suit by displaying the kilojoule content of items on its restaurant menus across Australia later this year. McDonald’s UK is supporting a UK government initiative to tackle obesity by introducing calorific content information to its UK restaurant menus. Others supporting the UK initiative include KFC, Pizza Hut and... ...Read more »

New research on obesity, published today by the world-renowned medical journal The Lancet, has revealed that, for decades, dietitians and doctors have been basing weight-loss advice on mistaken assumptions. The results of one study reveal how most weight-loss programs have overemphasized the importance that energy intake has on weight-loss. A research team led by Kevin D. Hall, PhD, of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases in Maryland, USA, found that whereas patients... ...Read more »

A landmark new partnership to improve the sustainability of Australia’s $102 billion food and grocery manufacturing industry in Victoria has been signed today between the Victorian Government and the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC). Under the innovative Sustainability Covenant, Environment Protection Authority (EPA) Victoria, Sustainability Victoria and AFGC will commit up to $500,000 over three years to support food and grocery manufacturers in Victoria to produce food and grocery products... ...Read more »

Dairy farmers across Australia could soon be turning effluent into energy thanks to a new invention being developed under the Victorian Government’s $28 million Smart SMEs Market Validation Program. Launching the Creative Innovation 2010 Conference today, Innovation Minister Gavin Jennings said turning waste into products such as biofuels would benefit the environment, agricultural producers and Victoria’s economy. “Under the $28 million Smart SMEs Market Validation Program Victorian... ...Read more »