While the bad news for tomato-growers on Friday January 6, 2012 was that all Heinz tomato-sauce and ketchup ceased production in Australia, the big picture is that several massive investments in glasshouse tomatoes are creating opportunities for a new world-leading tomato industry in Australia. Many were disappointed by the Heinz closure of its Gigarre operation, which had been foreshadowed by Heinz  seven months earlier (as Australian Food News reported on May 27, 2011). Job loss concerns still... ...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 »

One of the world’s biggest food processors, Heinz, has moved to deprecate news reports suggesting hostility between Heinz and Australia’s leading supermarkets who are its major customers. Articles in both the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age this week claimed Heinz had “hit out at (supermarket) home brands” and had been “forced to rework strategy” because of the impact of growing home brand label presence in Australia’s supermarkets. Heinz told Australian Food News today that both... ...Read more »

Australia’s largest hunger relief organisation, Foodbank, is to launch a campaign called Bridge the Hunger Divide on Sunday 16 October 2011, to coincide with World Food Day. World Food Day is a United Nations initiative to raise awareness of global food insecurity issues such as hunger and poverty. Foodbank said it will be building a sculpture of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, made almost entirely out of donated food. The Foodbank initiative has been supported by: Aldi, Cerebos, SPC Ardmona, Coles,... ...Read more »

The Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) today urged the Federal Government’s Future Jobs Forum, at Parliament House, Canberra, to explore new ways of safeguarding jobs in Australia’s food and grocery manufacturing sector. The Future Jobs Forum was a meeting called by Prime Minister Julia Gillard to bring together representatives from business, unions, government and academia to discuss the challenges facing Australian industry over the next decade. Addressing the forum, AFGC Chief Executive... ...Read more »

Food manufacturing giant Heinz Australia is keeping its lips sealed over a rumour that it plans to introduce a Vegemite-flavoured baked beans product to its Baked Beanz range. Heinz Australia already manufactures its canned baked beans in a variety of flavours including Ham Sauce, Barbecue Sauce, Mild Curry Sauce and Sweet Chilli Sauce. However, Heinz Australia told Australian Food News today that it was unable to either confirm or deny the Vegemite rumour. The company’s Corporate Affairs Manager,... ...Read more »

Change made by food giant Heinz to the ingredients of its HP Sauce in the UK is reported to be causing uproar amongst fans of the sauce living in the UK. However, according to Heinz Australia, not a single complaint had been received in Australia, where the sauce is also popular, before today’s report. Heinz was directed by the UK government to lower the salt content of HP Sauce under a new health initiative. The salt level in the sauce has been reduced from 2.1g per 100g to 1.3g per 100g. In... ...Read more »

US-based global food company Heinz has reported a 6% decrease in net income to US$226.1m for the three months to 27 July 2011. The company’s results in emerging markets, including Asia, were stronger but results from developed Pacific markets were adversely affected by shrinking gross margins from house-branded competition within Australia, and the high Australian dollar impacting Australian-sourced exports. Heinz’s first-quarter report says costs relating to its global restructuring programme,... ...Read more »

Coca-Cola Amatil (CCA) may be preparing to bury the SPC Ardmona brand, reports the Weekly Times Now today. CCA’s board is due to meet on August 8 2011 to discuss the future of the brand. CCA’s managing director, Terry Davis, was quoted in the Weekly Times Now as saying that the review will determine the “right size of the food business”. The review might result in large job cuts at the SPC Ardmona plant in Mooroopna, which produces canned tomatoes, bulk-packed tomato pastes and crushed tomato... ...Read more »

HJ Heinz has entered the instant soup category in the UK with Heinz Squeeze & Stir, a concentrated purée soup. The soup is made from a concentrated purée available in lightweight, squeezable sachets, with a RRP of GBP0.59 (US$0.94). Consumers have to squeeze the soup into a cup, add boiling water and stir. The Heinz Squeeze & Stir range comprises Cream of Tomato; Mediterranean Vegetable; and Cream of Tomato with Basil and Minestrone lines. It will go on sale this month. Matthew Cullum,... ...Read more »