The Australian Government’s Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) has defended itself following media reports on a US ban on certain uses of a class of antibiotic in livestock. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an order on 4 January 2012 prohibiting certain uses of the cephalosporin class of antimicrobial drugs in cattle, swine, chickens and turkeys effective 5 April 2012. Antibiotic use in animals is a potential problem for human medicine because antibiotic resistance... ...Read more »

The Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) has again called upon the Australian Government to take action to help Australian food manufacturers cope with “immense pressures” on their business. The AFGC’s call coincides with last Friday’s closure of Heinz Australia’s tomato sauce factory in Girgarre, Victoria. Despite the Girgarre closing, Heinz Australia continues to manufacture in the Goulburn Valley region through its baby food factory in Echuca. AFGC Chief Executive Kate Carnell... ...Read more »

The Australian Government has today announced the first round of its A$99 million ‘Action on the Ground’ program to support farmers as they adjust to Australia’s new carbon tax regime. Action on the Ground is funding farmers over the next six years to trial and demonstrate on-farm practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions such as methane and nitrous oxide or increase soil carbon. The program is a part of the Carbon Farming Futures Fund under the government’s A$1.7 billion Land Sector... ...Read more »

The latest study by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health, in the USA, has raised fresh debate over the regulation of Bisphenol A (BpA), a chemical compound often used as protective lining on the inside of cans containing food or beverages. The Harvard study’s findings were published on 22 November 2011, in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The researchers say their study is one of the first to quantify BpA levels in humans after ingestion of canned foods. Exposure... ...Read more »

Australia is facing a huge glut of potatoes. Prices for potatoes for the Australian domestic market will soon drop below  farm production costs. Greengrocers and supermarkets are acquiring potatoes at bargain prices. We are constantly reminded by the Australian Government and its consultant experts that the world is running out of food. They tell us that Australia needs to produce more food for the impending famine faced by the world. Yet, we already have the scenario of many countries currently... ...Read more »

Potato growers across Australia are threatening to plough surplus potatoes back into the ground or leave them to rot in what is reported to be one of the biggest potato gluts in Australian history. Australian potato grower and Chairman of the Australian Potato Industry Advisory Committee, David Nix, has seen double the tonnage of potatoes on his farm in Atherton, Queensland, compared to last year. Mr Nix told Australian Food News today, “This year has brought a wave of excess potatoes across... ...Read more »

The Canadian Government has announced it will reform the way it regulates energy drinks in Canada. Energy drinks are non-alcoholic beverages characterised by the addition of ‘energy enhancing’ ingredients. These may include a number of water-soluble B vitamins, amino acids and other substances, and caffeine. The proposed Canadian legislation includes: A cap on the amount of caffeine that can be included in an energy drink at 180 mg per single serving. In addition to current labels that... ...Read more »

Australian public health organisations have co-signed a letter from consumer advocacy group CHOICE, urging Federal Government to adopt the Traffic Light front-of-pack food labelling scheme. Signatories to the letter, sent to the Australian Government’s Ministerial Council responsible for labelling law and policy, include Public Health Association of Australia, Australian Medical Association, Diabetes Australia, Cancer Council Australia, Obesity Policy Coalition, The Australian New Zealand Obesity... ...Read more »

  The regulation of Australia’s live export industry will be substantially reformed, following the publication of an independent review late last week. The ‘Farmer review’ was commissioned by the Australian Government in response to broadcasts of shocking video footage of animal cruelty in Indonesia. The regulatory changes recommended by the review will be implemented wholesale, on a domestic and international level, to ensure Australian livestock exported for slaughter are treated... ...Read more »

In a world first, Denmark has introduced a tax on food products high in saturated fats. Despite the move sparking fresh calls for a similar tax law to be introduced in Australia, food industry opinion-makers are divided. The new tax law, implemented in Denmark on Saturday 1 October 2011, aims at discouraging unhealthy diets as well as offsetting the economic costs of obesity in Denmark. The law imposes a tax of 16 Danish Krone (A$2.96) per kilogram of saturated fat on meat products, certain dairy... ...Read more »