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 »

According to a report from Australian food law specialists FoodLegal, Australian beverage and food companies will need to watch closely what emerges from a recent American lawsuit. Foodlegal has reported that parents of a 13-year-old girl from Maryland, USA, have filed a lawsuit against Nestle USA, manufacturer of ‘Deer Park’ and ‘Poland Spring’ bottled waters with added fluoride, and also against Gerber Products Company, which manufactures baby food and infant formula products containing... ...Read more »

Nestlé has reported organic growth of 7.5 per cent, excluding exchange rates, and global profits of 15.1 per cent for the last six months, according to a half-year report released August 10 2011. The report says that Nestlé performed well in emerging and developed markets, growing 5.7 percent in the Americas, 5.8 per cent in Europe and 13.3 per cent in Asia, Oceania and Africa. The strong Swiss franc hit profits, lowering Nestlé’s real internal growth to 4.8 per cent. “Nestlé continued to... ...Read more »

Scientists at the Nestlé Research Center in Lausanne, Switzerland, have found that the antioxidant properties of decaffeinated coffee may benefit drinkers’ mood and cognitive state, even though the beverage contains no caffeine. The scientists conducted a pilot study on healthy elderly people to compare the cognitive and mood effects of soluble decaffeinated coffee with those of soluble caffeinated coffee and a coffee placebo. The decaffeinated beverages contained variable amounts of chlorogenic... ...Read more »

Nestlé has announced it will begin using bioplastic caps for its UHT and ready-to-drink milk brands in Brazil from today. The new caps are made from plastic derived from sugar-cane materials. The initiative is the result of Nestlé’s partnership with Tetra Pak and Braskem. “This is an innovating initiative that adds further value to our products,” said Ivan Zurite, President of Nestlé Brazil. “Our participation in this project is fully aligned with our global social responsibility platform... ...Read more »

An $18.5 million expansion of Nestlé’s Smithtown factory on the New South Wales Mid North Coast will create around 30 full time jobs and turn the site into the company’s production hub for its Nescafé Café Menu range in Australia. NSW Deputy Premier and Minister for Trade and Investment, Andrew Stoner, welcomed Nestlé Australia’s investment. “This is a significant boost for the local economy, both the Macleay Valley and the Mid North Coast more generally,” Mr Stoner said. “The... ...Read more »

Nestlé has confirmed it is in talks about a possible takeover of Chinese confectionery company Hsu Fu Chi.The world’s largest food maker said yesterday (4 July) that it was “engaged in preliminary confidential discussions” with the Chinese firm. Nestlé declined to comment further. In a notice to the Singapore Stock Exchange, Hsu Fu Chi had said yesterday (4 July) that it was in “preliminary discussions” in relation to a “possible transaction relating to the company,... ...Read more »

The Consumer Goods Forum has unveiled a new set of industry-wide resolutions designed to promote health and wellness. On the first day of its annual global summit in Barcelona today (15 June), the Forum committed to improving access to healthier products, providing “transparent, fact-based” information to allow consumers to make informed dietary decisions and promoting educational programmes that raise awareness of healthy lifestyles. The collaborative work to promote these resolutions... ...Read more »

Nestlé has launched a new addition to its Kit Kat range, the Kit Kat Chunky3, which features the brand’s signature wafer, topped with three breakable chunks containing three separate textures – fudge, crisp and sauce. The new chocolate bar will be available in three flavours – chocolate, caramel and cookies & cream. The new line was developed over two years from an idea sourced from the factory floor at the Nestlé factory in Campbellfield in Melbourne, which produces the majority... ...Read more »

Nestlé has added a hot cereal product to its Milo cereal range, Milo Oats. The microwaveable oats, with the addition of milk or water, are ready in 90 seconds. The new hot breakfast addition, launched at the beginning of winter, joins Milo and Milo Duo cereals in the range, all of which now bear the Heart Foundation tick. Milo and Milo Duo were reformulated late last year, along with almost all of the company’s cereal offerings. Milo Oats are available in 300g packs, containing 10 30g sachets,... ...Read more »