Australia is presently suffering a severe shortage of CO2 required for soft drinks to bubble. Ironically, the Australian Federal government recently passing a law to impose a carbon tax (still to come into effect) and this law aims to discourage production of carbon dioxide (CO2). In actual fact, the current shortage is  a consequence of necessary State government protective measures responding to non-comformances with environmental safety laws  by an upstream supplier to the CO2 plant.The temporary... ...Read more »

This article has been written as a special briefing for Australian Food News readers on an important topic. The author Joe Lederman is the Managing Principal of FOODLEGAL.  He is  both a specialist lawyer and strategic consultant for food suppliers. He has expertise in food regulatory compliance and marketing law and is involved in all food sectors.   Experts from the World Health Organisation and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation are warning governments around the world... ...Read more »

Australia’s peak egg body, the Australian Egg Corporation Limited (AECL), today launched a marketing campaign to promote caged egg production as having the lowest carbon footprint of all the main protein foods. AECL Managing Director, James Kellaway, said the findings of a study undertaken by the AECL suggested that caged eggs are the “highest quality protein food with the lowest emissions”. The AECL study, based on the green house gas emissions from three egg farms over one year, found that... ...Read more »

Coles supermarket chain has responded to reports that its new ‘Active Retail Collaboration’ supply chain scheme constitutes uncompetitive behaviour. Coles’ Active Retail Collaboration technology provides a breakdown of the estimated amount of stock it will require from any particular supplier at any point of the year. However, recent media reports claim that some Coles suppliers believe the scheme’s primary focus is making money rather than streamlining the supermarket’s supply chain. Coles... ...Read more »

New research from Michigan State University has shown what anecdotal evidence has long suggested: that headlines about food poisoning outbreaks and tainted foods affect consumer spending and purchasing decisions. Consumers are not only quite attuned to food safety issues, but they also have significantly changed their shopping habits because of them, according to Chris Peterson, director of MSU’s Product Center for Agriculture and Natural Resources. Similar patterns also are evident among food... ...Read more »

All stakeholders have a “duty to work together” to deliver safe food, delegates at the Global Food Safety Conference were told overnight, with the industry needing to unite in order to shore up consumer confidence in the food supply chain. In welcoming a record-breaking 675 delegates from 39 countries to the conference, Managing Director of The Consumer Goods Forum*, Jean-Marc Saubade, said consumer confidence had been shaken the world over, following a series of high-profile food safety... ...Read more »

Heinz has appointed Bob Ostryniec to the newly created position of Chief Supply Chain Officer – which will see him “drive worldwide initiatives to leverage the Company’s global scale, reduce costs, improve gross margins and enhance productivity”. Mr Ostryniec joined Heinz in July, 2003 as Group Vice President, Supply Chain for Heinz North America. He was promoted to Chief Supply Chain Officer for Heinz North America in May, 2005. “Bob’s appointment reflects his... ...Read more »

The Agriculture Council of the European Union is looking at ways to improve the food supply chain to ensure value is more evenly distributed across the chain and food price fluctuations are not as severe. Speaking in a press conference at the end of the Council, which was held on Monday, Spanish Minister for the Environment Elena Espinosa said that all the ministers had welcomed the ideas raised. According to the Spanish minister, several states, including Spain, have a price observatory, although... ...Read more »

A supermarket ombudsman could cost UK consumers “millions of pounds” in higher prices and hand negotiating power to the largest food makers, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) has warned. Consumer minister Kevin Brennan this morning announced (13 January) that he had accepted the UK Competition Commission’s recommendation for a body to enforce the Groceries Supply Code of Practice, which will involve the creation of an ombudsman. Reacting to the Government’s plans, the BRC... ...Read more »

The UK’s Conservative Party has pledged to set up a supermarket ombudsman in a bid to curb and outlaw abuses of power and unacceptable practices by retailers. Speaking at the Oxford Farming Conference, Shadow Environment Secretary, Nick Herbert said a future Conservative government will create a ombudsman as a dedicated unit in the Office of Fair Trading. “Supermarkets deliver real benefits but some aspects of the way they treat their suppliers can harm consumers as well as producers,”... ...Read more »