Victoria-based wholesalers Ontrack Pty Ltd has recalled a batch of Walkers Chocolates of London Milk Chocolate Selection Fruit and Nut Selection due to undeclared brazil nuts and almonds. Food Standards Australia New Zealand has advised consumers with a brazil nut and/or almond allergy or intolerance not to consume this product. The product, imported from the UK, has been available to buy from Kmart stores nationally and is packaged in a 450g plastic jar. The products in question have a Best Before... ...Read more »

Research findings published today by market researcher Newspoll suggest that almost half of Australians are ‘supermarket grazers’, who admit helping themselves to free produce while shopping in supermarkets. In Newspoll’s nationwide online survey of 1,214 adults between the ages of 18 and 64, almost half (46 per cent) of respondents said they taste food in the supermarket without paying for it. Younger Australians appeared to be the main culprits with the research suggesting that 18-34 year... ...Read more »

Australian swimming sensation and culinary king, Eamon Sullivan, is lending his support to macadamia growers by becoming the face of Australian macadamia nuts for the second year in a row. Macadamias are grown along the eastern seaboard of New South Wales and Queensland, from Nambucca Heads in the south through to Mackay in the north. About 60% of the Australian crop is produced in the NSW Northern Rivers district. There are approximately 850 macadamia growers in Australia, producing around 35,500... ...Read more »

Research by some Canadians published this week by the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that when it comes to lowering LDL levels (the so-called ‘bad cholesterol’), what you eat is more important than what you don’t eat. Certain cholesterol-friendly foods can be more effective in lowering levels of LDL, or ‘bad cholesterol’ than foods merely low in saturated fats, according to the Canadian researchers. Led by Dr. David Jenkins, research chair in nutrition and metabolism... ...Read more »

Australian almond processor Select Harvests, the world’s second largest almond manager, has announced a $19.5 purchase of Belvedere Orchards – 1500 acres of established almond orchards in NSW’s Riverina. The latest acquisition by Select Harvest, plus plans to plant new orchards in WA, are expected to bring the company’s total acreage to 13,100 – almost three times the 3400 acres it had in late 2009. In addition to its own orchards, Select Harvest manages 34,000 acres... ...Read more »

A collaborative agreement between CSIRO and two German organisations is providing Australian food companies with access to a new processing technology which uses low-energy electron beams rather than heat or chemicals to decontaminate food. The agreement – with the internationally respected Fraunhofer Institute for Electron Beam and Plasma Technology and service company, EVONTA-Service GmbH – aims to further scientific research into ‘low-energy electron beam processing’. “This is an... ...Read more »

Table of Plenty’s delicious dukkah range is just the thing to spice up your menu and impress your dinner guests – offering a taste of the exotic with the greatest of ease. Kate Weiss, founder of Table of Plenty, discovered dukkah whilst living in the Middle East and decided to begin producing her own version of the popular spice blend locally in Australia. “I have always been passionate about food and am fortunate to have travelled extensively – experiencing other cultures,... ...Read more »

Dymocks has announced another acquisition in the food industry, purchasing Melbourne-based nut and confectionary maker Paton’s. The purchase adds to Dymocks’ food portfolio, already including Arapala Macadamia Farms in NSW, and last year’s 80% share acquisition in sandwich bar franchise Healthy Habits. Patons, who specialise in macadamia chocolates, are a Victorian-based company distributing worldwide.  A spokesperson from Dymocks confirmed that the company will continue to operate... ...Read more »

American households without children spent considerably more on vitamins, liquor and wine than the average American household during the 52 weeks ending June 28, 2008, according to Nielsen data.’Households’ are often considered to be conventional families with children but the number of households without children has grown considerably over the last couple of decades. In Australia, couples without children are expected to outnumber couples with children at some point within the next... ...Read more »

Two meals of oily fish a week can do as much or more to reduce the risk of cognitive impairment and dementia as many of the so-called “smart” pills which claim to improve brain function, according to a CHOICE report. The benefits of omega-3 have been highlighted consistently over the past decade with many manufacturers looking to work omega-3 supplements into their food to capitalise on demand for functional foods. This has seen a wave of new products from yoghurt and ice-cream to even... ...Read more »