Australian supermarket Coles has announced that some popular Australian brands will among a list of 40 new products to be added to its ‘Down Down’ savings list. The latest ‘Down Down’ price reduction features some iconic brands, including Vegemite, Old El Paso, Milo and Kellogg’s Cornflakes. The latest ‘Down Down’ campaign will feature rock band Status Quo with a unique version of the song ‘Whatever You Want’. The popular brands will receive their own version of the song in the... ...Read more »

Coca-Cola Amatil Limited (CCA) announced at its Annual General Meeting on 7 May 2013 that it expected to see a decline or 8 to 9 per cent in earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) for the first half of the 2013 financial year. Speaking at the meeting, Terry Davis, CCA’s Group Managing Director, said the first four months of trading had delivered “mixed results”, but that the Company expected to see a return to earnings growth in the second half. “In Australian beverages, the grocery channel... ...Read more »

Australian beef graziers yesterday held a crisis summit in Richmond in North-west Queensland to address ongoing low cattle prices. The low prices have been attributed to a “flooded market” because of poor seasonal conditions, a strong Australian dollar and the cumulative effect of the 2011 suspension of live cattle exports to Indonesia. According to Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA), cattle prices in Queensland in the week ending 2 May 2013 averaged 305 cents per kg cwt, while the Eastern Young... ...Read more »

The recent first quarter trading update from Japanese-owned Australian food and beverage manufacturer Lion shows a volume increase of 14 per cent in the beer, wine and spirits category for the quarter ended 31 December 2012, despite an overall slowing of the category’s market. Lion said the alcohol sales volume increase came because of its acquisition of international premium and craft brands. But the Company reported that its dairy and drinks category faced challenges in the first quarter, and... ...Read more »

Australian fruit cannery SPC Ardmona has called on the Australian government to put in place emergency tariffs on cheap imported fruit and tomatoes in an attempt to save the local industry. The Australian newspaper reported that SPC Ardmona Managing Director Peter Kelly had written to Australian Agriculture Minister Joe Ludwig asking him to activate protection measures permitted under World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules where a surge of imports causes or threatens to cause damage to a domestic injury. “The... ...Read more »

Australian industry groups are offering support to 170 Goulburn Valley fruitgrowers after food processing company SPC Ardmona said it would not be taking their produce from 1 May 2013. The Company, which is a subsidiary of Coca Cola Amatil (CCA), said the high Australian dollar and competition from cheaper imported products have left it no choice. It forecast a reduction of up to 50 per cent in intake for some fruit categories for the 2014 season. Australian Food News reported in February 2013 that... ...Read more »

More than half of US consumers agree that labelling food or other products organic is just an excuse for companies to charge more, according to research from US market research organisation Harris Interactive. A March 2013 ‘Harris Poll’, conducted by the market research organisation, found that more Americans are concerned about the current state and future of the environment in 2013 than in 2012 (38 per cent in 2013, compared with 31 per cent in 2012). But this did not necessarily translate... ...Read more »

According to the ‘Australian Food Statistics 2011-12’ report released recently by the Australia Government, Australia’s dairy exports were worth $2,311 million in 2011-12. Japan has been by far Australia’s most valuable dairy export market, with total dairy exports to Japan in 2011-12 valued at $491 million. Singapore is also currently a valuable dairy export market, with $227 million worth of Australian dairy products going there in 2011-12. Indonesian opportunities In 2011-12, Australia... ...Read more »

Limiting the sale of soft drinks to small sizes could actually increase consumption, rather than decrease it, says a new US study published on 10 April 2013 open-access academic research site PLOS ONE. The researchers from the University of California found that participants in a behavioural test study consumed significantly more soft drink when they were able to buy it in bundles of two servings. The study’s authors, Brent M. Wilson, Stephanie Stolarz-Fantino and Edmund Fantino, said that the... ...Read more »

Australian Food News recently reported that the total value of food and liquor retailing in Australia grew by 4.2 per cent in 2011-12, to $135.8 billion, according to ‘Australian Food Statistics’, a yearly report compiled by the Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) from data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). But the report found that a more detailed analysis of the data showed a more complex picture than what was suggested by the overall figures. Food... ...Read more »