Green Monkey Ltd has recalled throughout Australia all five varieties of its Green Monkey Organic Baby Food from Woolworths, Safeway and Thomas Dux Supermarkets due to the presence of small plastic pieces. Green Monkey Ltd, which is a New Zealand-based company, said the contamination is the result of a packaging fault. It has recalled the all flavours of its organic baby food, which is sold in a tear-top 100g pouch. The products in question all have Best Before dates up to and including 22/05/2013. A... ...Read more »

Victoria’s RMIT University is running an ‘Organic Food and Wellness’ Survey, to explore the health experiences of people who consume organic foods on a regular basis. Recent studies in the Netherlands showed 75 per cent of organic consumers reported health benefits after moving to an organic diet, including improvements in energy, psychological wellbeing, resistance to and recovery from illness and gastrointestinal complaints. The Survey aims to identify whether Australians who eat organic... ...Read more »

New Zealand-based milk producer Fonterra and UK-based First Milk today announced a joint venture to produce “premium” whey proteins for Fonterra’s growing food ingredients business in Europe. The two dairy farmer co-operatives will combine their intellectual property to develop dairy protein streams at First Milk’s Lake District creamery in Cumbria, England. Fonterra Europe’s Managing Director, Koert Liekelema said the venture is the first step in realising its goal of local European... ...Read more »

The largest processor of milk in the world, Fonterra, today confirmed there was no change to its opening season forecast payout for 2011/12 of A$7.15 – $7.25 before retentions. The New Zealand-based dairy co-operative forecasts a milk price of A$6.75 per kilogram of milk solids and a distributable profit of 40 to 50 cents per share. Fonterra Australia-New Zealand, a subsidiary of Fonterra, owns well-known consumer dairy brands Bonlac Foods Ltd, Brownes, Bonland Dairies and Murrumbidgee Dairy... ...Read more »

With the New Zealand-based dairy multinational Fonterra announcing a drop in profits from its organic dairy operations in New Zealand this week, Australian Food News has been investigating the current state of Australia’s organic dairy industry. Dr. Andrew Monk, convenor of the Biological Farmers of Australia (BFA) Standards Advisory Group says Australia’s organic dairy industry is a “small but growing industry”. “It faces a challenge in meeting the consistently growing demand for the product... ...Read more »

New Zealand-based dairy co-operative multinational Fonterra is cutting its dairy organic operations in New Zealand following a drop in profits. The dairy giant, which owns Australians brands Brownes Calcium Plus, Bega Cheese, Peters and Brownes, and Riverina Fresh, plans to reduce the number of organic suppliers. Fonterra employs 2,000 people in Australia, collects 21 per cent of Australia’s milk, and operates 11 manufacturing sites. “People less willing to pay the premium for organic products” Fonterra’s... ...Read more »

The latest offering in the organic yoghurt market, five:am, has launched with six new flavours and boasting a wholly natural manufacturing process, free of gluten, gelatin, preservatives, starches, artificial colours, flavours, stabilisers or sweeteners. Creator, surfer and long time yogi David Prior, said he was inspired to create a product that allowed him to have a clear ecological conscience during one of his early morning moments of clarity. “It’s just as much about what’s not in our food... ...Read more »

A settlement has been reached between supermarket giant Woolworths and local family organic food business Honest to Goodness over the supermarket’s use of the phrase in their recent marketing campaign, which features celebrity chef Margaret Fulton. In a public statement, the supermarket said the settlement was mutually acceptable. “In regard to the recent trade mark proceedings, the parties have reached a settlement on mutually acceptable, confidential terms and on a without admissions basis. ... ...Read more »

A new website, eFarmersMarket, is aiming to bring fresh Australian-made artisan food products to the doorstep of busy Australians everywhere. The website, launching this month, features a range of 750 all-Australian products, including messages from producers about their products and how they are produced. A huge variety of products are available, from an antipasto to sweets, with sections specifically for organic and gluten free products. eFarmersMarket endeavours to source all natural products... ...Read more »

Sales of organic products in the UK dropped by 5.9% in 2010, local certification body the Soil Association revealed yesterday. Organic sales fell to GBP1.73 billion (A$2.7 billion), with sales at multiple retailers – which account for 72.3% of total organic sales – sliding by 7.7% during the 12 months, the Soil Association’s Organic Market Report found. Additionally, the number of organic food producers fell as farmers and manufacturers felt the squeeze of increased competition... ...Read more »