The Kellogg Company is attempting to utilise consumer insights collected from virtual shopping to enhance the packaging of its breakfast cereals. Consumers are now more demanding than ever, private label is placing greater pressure on ‘national brands’ and the economic crisis is softening demand and reducing impulse purchases. As a result, virtual shopping has become an increasingly popular tool for brand marketers in the US, in particular, as the ability, and tools used, to understand... ...Read more »

Recently released research by KPMG International and CIES reveals that, far from regarding corporate responsibility as a cost, many leading retailers and manufacturers see sustainability as: • a driver of innovation that can help build growth and profitability • integrated into the core business • driven by business need rather than formal requirements • having a neutral or positive impact on the bottom line • playing a crucial role in recruitment and retention The report, ‘KPMG/CIES... ...Read more »

Karpati Water, a Sydney-based company, has come up with an innovative way of producing high quality drinking water from fruit. The method utilised in making water from fruit incorporates the process of making fruit concentrates. Fruit concentrates are typically made from steaming the fruit, with 3 out of 4 litres ’steamed’ off to make the end product. Karpati Water, however, is made from a ‘pressure-chilling’ process, which reportedly retains the high quality fruit water and makes... ...Read more »

Adult tastes are influencing kids’ food like never before as parents want their children’s food to resemble their own in key ways, according to the Kids’ Food Culinary Trend Mapping Report from the Center for Culinary Development (CCD) and Packaged Facts. The report profiles “kid-adult fusion” trends that are behind product innovation in the growing kids’ food market. “From manufacturers of exciting new foods for babies and toddlers to restaurant operators... ...Read more »

PakSense, Inc., an innovator in sensory solutions for packaging, announced at the recent Produce Marketing Association’s annual Fresh Summit convention that it will release a wireless version of its award-winning temperature monitoring label in December. The PakSense Ultra Wireless Label will enable users to wirelessly download time and temperature information and analyze data before unloading a perishable product from a container. PakSense Ultra Wireless Labels are activated and applied to... ...Read more »

The winners of the prestigious 2008 IGD Food Industry Awards were recently announced, highlighting achievements in a wide range of areas from sustainability, health and wellness, supply chain excellence, and outstanding performance of small businesses. “All of the finalists show that, even in challenging times, innovation and best practice are at the forefront of the food and grocery industry. These awards recognise the best in class, and demonstrate some of the most exciting new thinking... ...Read more »

The Counter, a rapidly expanding American burger chain that enables consumers to build their own burgers, is coming to Sydney in December. At the innovative restaurant consumers are given a clipboard upon entry and asked to choose the ingredients they desire on their burger from an extensive list. The selection process begins with the decision of the type of burger - Angus beef, grilled chicken, turkey or veggie. Then one of ten cheeses, four out of a range of 28 toppings and one of 18 sauces can... ...Read more »

The CSIRO Food Futures Flagship has developed an automated instrument for accurately predicting glycemic index (GI) and resistant starch (RS) in food products. The prototype device is an in vitro (bench top) robotic machine that acts as an ‘artificial gut’ to process large numbers of food samples for a fraction of the time and cost required by the standard in vivo (human) method. The device has been validated as a rapid and reliable predictor of the GI and RS content of foods. Its principal... ...Read more »

The world’s largest dairy exporter, Fonterra Co-operative Group, has opened its new research and development centre - the Chicago Technical Centre (CTC) - in Chicago, Illinois.Fonterra has invested US$2.4 million in the state-of-the-art facility, which applies New Zealand intellectual property and technology to the benefit of both the New Zealand and US dairy industries. Customers will be able to come in and physically see the processes and taste the products, as Fonterra’s technical... ...Read more »

Kellogg Company, the world’s largest cereal manufacturer, has reported third-quarter 2008 sales growing 9% to US$3.3b - driven by price increases and the trend toward more people eating at home. “The Kellogg business model and strategy continue to give us the ability to offset inflationary headwinds while hitting our targets and delivering sustainable, dependable performance in these very volatile times,” said David Mackay, Kellogg’s chief executive officer. Mr Mackay noted... ...Read more »