A new front-of-pack labelling (FoPL) system that uses a ‘health star’ rating, has been approved by Australian and New Zealand Ministers responsible for food regulation, with plans for further examination of how the system would apply to dairy products. The ‘Health Star Rating’ system, which was developed over 18 months as part of a collaborative process between Australian public health and consumer groups, industry and government, was approved at the Legislative and Governance Forum of Food... ...Read more »

Australian food industry representative body the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) has warned the Australian government that “serious flaws” remain and need to be resolved if an effective Front-of-Pack nutrition labelling system (FoPL) is to be implemented. However, the new system has been tentatively welcomed by Australia’s confectionary industry. General Australian industry representative body, Ai Group, which also worked with the committee to develop the system, said the results... ...Read more »

Chicken meat has maintained its place as Australia’s most popular meat, ahead of all red meats, and its popularity is expected to continue, according to a recent report from the Australian Bureau of Agricultural Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES). ABARES found that Australians ate more chicken meat in 2012-13 than the combined total of beef and lamb. In 2012-13, Australians ate an average of 44.6 kg of chicken meat per person, compared to 32.8 kg of beef and 9.5 kg of lamb. Chicken consumption... ...Read more »

Flavoured milk consumption is predicted to grow at more than double the rate of white milk globally between 2012 and 2015, according to new research from food processing and packaging company Tetra Pak. Tetra Pak said that flavoured milk, which is currently the second most widely consumed Liquid Dairy Product (LDP) after white milk, is forecast to increase by a compound annual rate of 4.1 per cent between 2012 and 2013, rising from 17 billion litres to 19.2 billion litres. Developing countries will... ...Read more »

New research from an Australian business review website shows that Australians may no longer be won over by a bargain or a freebie. The results of survey of more than 1,800 Australians by the Word of Mouth Online (WOMO) website showed that Australian consumers are now more concerned with premium quality of service and a higher value of product. WOMO asked survey respondents to prioritise influential factors that would make them use a business again. The survey covered three key service categories:... ...Read more »

Victoria’s Cartel Coffee Roasters has been named as Champion Australian Roaster in the inaugural Australian International Coffee Awards (AICA). New Zealand’s Toasted Espresso has been named as Champion International Roaster. Announced at the opening day of the 2013 Melbourne International Coffee Expo (MICE2013) in May 2013, the Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria (RASV) presented two champion roaster trophies and three best in class trophies to local and international coffee roasters as part... ...Read more »

Researchers at an Australian university, Swinburne University of Technology, have found that the polyphenols in dark chocolate increase calmness and contentedness. At the same time, global market research of chocolate consumption shows some very interesting trends. Mood link trial The research, which was published in the May 2013 issue of the Journal of Psychopharmacology, found that participants who drank a high dose concentration of cocoa polyphenols reported greater calmness and contentedness... ...Read more »

Coconut water has taken the global beverage industry by storm, growing by 540 per cent between 2008 and 2012, according to new findings from global research organisation Mintel. New product launches containing coconut water were dominated by North America, with 35 per cent of global coconut water introductions in 2012, up from just 17 per cent in 2008. Europe followed with 34 per cent of new products launched in 2012, up from 13 per cent in 2008, while Asia Pacific accounted for 14 per cent in 2012,... ...Read more »

A high fat diet appears to increase levels of daytime sleepiness, according to a new study presented at the 27th annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies LLC on 4 June 2013. The findings, undertaken by researchers at the Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey Pennsylvannia, show that higher fat consumption was associated with increased objective daytime sleepiness, while higher carbohydrate intake was associated with increased alertness. There was no relationship between protein... ...Read more »

Fewer Australians are buying margarine than they were five years ago, but the two most popular brands, Flora and Meadow Lea, have remained favourites, according to new findings from market research organisation Roy Morgan Research. In 2012, 39 per cent of Australians aged 14 or over bought margarine in an average four-week period, down from 42 per cent in 2008. But margarine is still the most popular table spread, according to the research, ahead of butter. Flora remained the most popular brand,... ...Read more »