Welcome to the supermarkets of the future: self service checkouts, ‘Tap N Go’ card readers, new smartphone barcode scanning apps and trolleys complete with computers and GPS tracking.  They promise speed, convenience and even more information for customers and retailers. But just how useful are they? Consumer group CHOICE has reviewed these new innovations to see if they live up to the hype, by truly benefiting consumers and retailers. Self service checkouts allow consumers to scan,... ...Read more »

Australia’s first laser guided pork cutting robot has been installed, at a cost of $700,000, at Craig Mostyn Group’s Linley Valley Fresh pork processing works at Wooroloo, WA.Highly accurate laser imaging takes precise measurements of the carcase and programs the robot to cut based on the individual animal’s anatomical features, with cuts designed to maximise the production of high-value meat based on particular customer requirements. Project Manager Dean Romaniello, Senior Manager,... ...Read more »

The Coca-Cola Company, the world’s largest beverage company, and Chromocell Corporation, a company focused on using proprietary technologies to discover and develop novel flavor ingredients for the food, beverage, and ingredient supply industries, announced today that they are collaborating on flavor innovation research. This partnership agreement includes the discovery and development of sweetness enhancers, natural sweeteners and other flavor ingredients. This partnership is central to The... ...Read more »

The Australian Caper Company has scored a double win at the 2010 South Australian Premier’s Food Industry Awards, announced last week in Adelaide.Taking out the combination of the Peats Soil Creating Sustainability Award and the SARDI Leading Innovation Award was a special moment for company founder, Jonathon Trewartha. “With our products, you are eating the herb, the leaf and fruit of the plant. The crop not only creates vital rural jobs but is environmentally sustainable,” Mr... ...Read more »

A senior executive at food giant Cargill has said international food manufacturers should innovate more effectively to seize new markets, especially in the developing world.Cargill executive vice president Frank van Lierde was speaking at the first seminar of an event hosted by the CIAA in Brussels last Thursday (18 November), which debated the potential riches that could be earned by exports to emerging markets. Van Lierde said middle-class consumers in emerging markets were increasingly sophisticated.... ...Read more »

SABMiller, one of the world’s largest brewers, has predicted how its breweries may look in the future, given a range of different scenarios determined by the cost and availability of water and energy.Working with innovation consultancy, Innovia Technology, SABMiller envisioned four plausible business environments, based on the different uncertainties facing the brewing industry over the next 30 years. These scenarios informed thinking around how the ‘Brewery of the Future’ might look... ...Read more »

Nestle has recorded an increase in sales for the first nine months of the year, driven by double-digit organic growth in emerging markets. For the January to September period, group sales reached CHF82.8bn (US$85bn), representing growth of 6.1% on an organic basis and 4.5% of “real internal growth” – Nestle’s figure to measure the growth achieved without external funding and excluding pricing, currency exchange and acquisitions Nestle’s food and beverage operations... ...Read more »

Food franchises must evolve to remain competitive as consumers gravitate to products that can be customised to their individual tastes, an industry veteran says. Stan Gordon, executive chairman of Melbourne-based Franchised Food Company (FFCo), which owns Cold Rock Ice Creamery, said consumers were drawn to products which allowed them to express their individuality in an increasingly crowded and competitive marketplace. “Consumers are looking to be masters of their own ‘Youniverse’... ...Read more »

PepsiCo is to create a nutrition business unit to develop new products in a series of food categories. The US food and drink giant said yesterday (7 October) that it has set up a “global nutrition group” to “deliver breakthrough innovation” in fruit and vegetables, grains, dairy and functional foods. “The creation of this global nutrition group is part of our long-term strategy to grow our nutrition businesses from about $10bn in revenues today to $30bn by 2020,”... ...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 »