A new study, published in the 7 February 2012 issue of the journal Respirology, has drawn a link between high soft drink consumption and increased risks of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). A team of researchers led by Dr Zumin Shi, of the University of Adelaide, conducted research on consumption of soft drinks from March 2008- June 2010. The researchers used computer-assisted telephone interviewing nearly 17,000 participants aged 16 years and older in South Australia between... ...Read more »

While Australian environment ministers reported on December 15, 2011 the substantial costs of a national Container Depositing Scheme (CDS), Australia’s leading recycling company Visy is advocating against a similar scheme for Victoria. As previously reported by Australian Food News, the Northern Territory (NT) has now implemented its own “Cash for Containers” recycling scheme, modelled on South Australia (SA)’s Container Deposit scheme, which has been operating since 1977. Although there... ...Read more »

Food production revenue for the State of South Australia in 2010-2011 increased by almost a quarter from the previous year, achieving a record AU$13.7 billion in food industry revenue. The figures have been published on the State’s annual ‘Food Scorecard’, compiled by the SA government department, Primary Industries and Regions SA (PIRSA). The scorecard shows that food production has reached a record AU$4.36 billion compared to $3.5 billion in 2009-10 – an increase of 24 per cent. According... ...Read more »

The mandatory recycling and labelling scheme for beverage containers (“Cash for Containers”) in the Northern Territory came into operation on 3 January 2012. The Northern Territory scheme has been modelled on South Australia’s but with some changes claiming to make the NT Cash for Containers scheme more transparent and efficient than the SA counterpart legislation. This scheme aims to reduce litter from streets, increase recycling and help reduce the amount of rubbish going to the rubbish... ...Read more »

Australian governments have been investigating the concept of a Container Deposit Scheme that will encompass the whole country. Currently, the Northern Territory is due to implement its own CDS system on 3 January 2012. In South Australia, Australia’s first Container Deposit Scheme began operating operating in the State of 1977. An investigation by Australia’s Environment Ministers has now found that the cost of a national Container Deposit Scheme (CDS) would be between A$1.4 billion and A$1.8... ...Read more »

Researchers at the University of South Australia are claiming that at least two billion dollars could be slashed from the annual healthcare budget if Australians increased their dairy intake. According to researchers from the university’s Health Economics and Social Policy Group, an estimated 65 per cent of Australians currently consume less than the recommended serves of dairy foods (milk, cheese, yoghurt and custard). Professor Leonie Segal said the potential healthcare savings equate to the... ...Read more »

South Australian juice-maker Nippy’s has unveiled plans to spend A$10 million on increasing its packaging capacity and expanding its milk processing operations at Waikerie and Moorouk in the Riverland region. The Riverland adjoins the Murray River near South Australia’s border with Victoria. Nippy’s, which is owned by the Knispel Group, has been awarded a State Government grant of A$2.61 million to help with this expansion. Managing Director of the Knispel Group, Jeff Knispel, said the... ...Read more »

A group of grocery stores in a remote far northwest region of South Australia will be allowed to work together to improve the supply of food under a ruling by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). The Mai Wiru Stores Group, in the remote Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands, will collectively negotiate terms and conditions with suppliers of essential grocery and supermarket items through a collective bargaining arrangement. Collective bargaining refers to two or... ...Read more »

The South Australian Health Minister, John Hill, has announced new results from the Children, Youth and Women’s Health Service showing a decline in the percentage of four year-old children in South Australia who are overweight or obese. In 2003, 20.1 percent of four year-olds were overweight or obese; in 2009 that had fallen to 18.3 percent. The Children, Youth and Women’s Health Service measures the height and weight of 4-5 year-old children to monitor the weight status of preschool children... ...Read more »

Feijoas: they say you either love them, or don’t know what they are. Devotees of this South American sub-tropical fruit, also known as the pineapple guava, will know how difficult it is to find them, short of growing them yourself. Popular for a long time in New Zealand, this tart, distinctively-flavoured fruit is gaining in commercial popularity in Australia, but few fruit-growers have adopted the humble shrub most commonly found in front gardens. Best known in Australia as a flavouring in... ...Read more »