Introducing a tax on saturated fat in foods is “regressive” and is not the way to reduce obesity levels in Australia, the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) warned today. Yesterday, Australian Food News reported on Denmark being the first country in the world to introduce a tax on processed food products high in saturated fats. In a statement released today, the AFGC said food taxes in Australia are “regressive” as they penalise people who are least able to afford it. AFGC Chief Executive... ...Read more »

Palm oil Bill unworkable and will cost industryA palm oil Bill – which compromises the nation’s food and grocery labelling system – is unworkable in its current form and must be referred to a House of Representatives Committee for further discussion and examination, the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) urged today. The Australian Food and Grocery Council today called the recent Palm Oil labelling bill, passed in the Senate with amendments last week, “unworkable”,... ...Read more »

The Senate has passed an amendment to the Food Act requiring that products containing palm oil be explicitly labelled, rather than described as ‘vegetable oil’. The bill was passed by Coalition votes, and driven by Greens senator Rachael Siewert and Independent senator Nick Xenophon, both of whom have been vocal in their campaigns on the subject of palm oil. Most of the world’s supply of palm oil, an extremely common ingredient in foods and food additives, is produced in Malaysia... ...Read more »

Chocolate and cocoa supply giant Barry Callebaut has announced plans to strengthen its offering of healthier confectionary alternatives, with plans to reduce saturated and hydrogenated fats, and practically eliminate the use of trans-fatty acids. The company, which supplies many of the world’s largest food companies with their confectionary raw materials and ingredients, said that it was developing healthier confectionary applications in response to growing demand for products with lower saturated... ...Read more »

SA Health Minister John Hill has announced moves to require all major fast food retailers in South Australia to display kilojoule information on their menu boards, websites, leaflets and menus. The new regulations (under the Food Act 2001) would require food chains with 20 or more stores in SA, or 50 or more stores nationally, to state the kilojoule content of each item clearly and legibly alongside the price of the product, as well as prominently featuring the average adult daily energy intake of... ...Read more »

Queensland Deputy Premier and Minister for Health Paul Lucas tabled an agenda paper at a Ministerial Meeting in Adelaide on Friday, calling for a nationally consistent plan for reducing intakes of energy, saturated fat, sugar and salt from fast food. Lucas said it was time to get serious about developing a national approach to the issue. “In 2009, 1.6 billion meals were served by fast food outlets in Australia. Alarmingly, that means 4.5 million Australians visited a fast food outlet every day,”... ...Read more »

New South Wales Premier Kristina Kenneally yesterday announced that menus for fast-food outlets across NSW will be required to display kilojoule information on their printed and menu boards, as of February 1st 2011. Businesses such as major fast food, bakery, coffee and doughnut chains will now be required to ‘clearly and legibly’ display the kilojoule content on their menu board, as well as prominently featuring the average adult daily energy intake of 8700 kilojoules. The kilojoule... ...Read more »

A Heart Foundation investigation into margarine and butter has shown that butter has, on average, 20 times the trans fat levels of margarine. “This news will come as a big surprise to many people who choose butter believing that it’s ‘natural’ and therefore healthier – but it simply isn’t the case,” said Susan Anderson, the Heart Foundation’s National Director Healthy Weight “Butter is mostly made of the fat that raises your bad cholesterol levels – saturated fat at... ...Read more »

Chocolate giant Mars Inc has cut the saturated fat content across its brands in the UK. From September, Mars will cut the saturated fat in its Mars, Snickers, Milky Way and Topic bars by 15%, the firm said yesterday. The move is part of a EUR10m investment by the firm and will see the removal of around 600 tonnes of saturated fat per year from its brands, the chocolate maker said. Fiona Dawson, managing director, Mars Chocolate UK said: “Having been the nation’s favourite for 78 years,... ...Read more »

Following a public consultation in the summer of 2009, the Food Standards Agency has today recommended that food manufacturers reduce saturated fat in foods such as biscuits, cakes, buns, chocolates and added sugar in soft drinks.The Agency also wants to see more smaller single-portion sizes available in some of these foods, which contribute much of the saturated fat and calories in our diet. The Agency is encouraging industry to: * reduce saturated fat in biscuits, cakes, buns and chocolate confectionery *... ...Read more »