Consumer-oriented restaurant websites often grab the bulk of media attention, leaving business-to-business interaction as often the forgotten link. As a result, US-based foodservice consultants Technomic turned their attention to foodservice manufacturers’ sites, and asked their customers about their experience using them – finding several areas where there is typically room for improvement. Manufacturers’ web sites are visited regularly by restaurant operators, distributor sales... ...Read more »

Australia’s State and Territory leaders are urged to endorse new reforms today to streamline the nation’s transport and logistics networks and provide greater efficiencies for the food and grocery industry, the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) has said. The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) will consider a range of recommendations on national transport regulation reforms, endorsed by the AFGC and Australia’s transport leaders, including the establishment of a single... ...Read more »

Australia’s largest soft drink manufacturer has been awarded the prestigious Manufacturing Logistics Award at the Supply Chain & Logistics Association of Australia’s recent national awards ceremony in Melbourne. The award recognises the achievements of Coca-Cola Amatil’s supply chain remodelling program ‘Project Jupiter’, which the company says has “substantially improved order fulfilment efficiency, reduced distribution and transport costs, and cut greenhouse... ...Read more »

Speaking at the English Farming and Food Partnership’s (EFFP) sixth annual conference, Siôn Roberts EFFP’s Chief Executive warned that, despite signs that the economy will improve next year, the “new normal” for consumers of food is one that will be more constrained than over the last two decades. “The evolution of food prices is a complicated picture but one that will shape the food chain’s future dynamics. We’ve moved out of a period of over 20 years where... ...Read more »

The Federal Government’s Food and Health Dialogue, which will provide a ‘framework for government, health groups and industry to work collaboratively across the food supply chain to improve dietary intakes’, was formally announced this week by the Parliamentary Secretary for Health, Mark Butler. Chaired by Mr Butler, the Dialogue is part of a broader strategy to increase consumption of fruits, vegetables and whole grain foods; reduce the consumption of risk-associated nutrients,... ...Read more »

Australia’s food and grocery sector contributes more than $100 billion a year in turnover to the national economy and employs about 315,000 people with half in rural and regional areas, according to a landmark new report by the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) and KPMG. Launched by Federal Agriculture Minister Tony Burke in Canberra yesterday, the first-ever economic snapshot of the food and grocery sector called ‘State of the Industry 2009′ confirms the industry is Australia’s... ...Read more »

A comprehensive policy document was released by the European Commission today (28 October) flagging action to protect small food producers against large buyers, especially major retail chains. The ‘Communication on a better functioning food supply chain in Europe’ from Brussels warns: “Significant imbalances in bargaining power between contracting parties are a common occurrence.” To resolve this, the Commission is to draft sets of standard voluntary contracts, which would... ...Read more »

A major new report released last week in the UK reveals the sizeable opportunity which the retail sector can realise through improving data practices in the supply chain. The report, ‘Data Crunch’ by not-for-profit supply chain standards and solutions organisation GS1 UK, estimates that UK grocery retailers and suppliers can realise savings of at least £1 billion (A$1.77b) over the next five years as data inconsistencies are ironed out across the industry and pass the benefits to consumers... ...Read more »

Scarcity of natural resources will leave the consumer industry exposed to higher and more volatile pricing in little more than a decade. By 2020 it is estimated there will be one billion more consumers worldwide, resulting in a fundamental consumption imbalance with demand for natural resources outstripping supply. “Sustainability for Tomorrow’s Consumer”, a report published by the World Economic Forum in collaboration with Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, suggests that these pressures... ...Read more »

Global food manufacturer Kraft Foods is intending to halve its supplier base in a bid to slash costs by US$300 million per year, according to a Reuters report. Such a move would affect more than 30,000 companies. The news comes amid continued speculation that the owner of the Vegemite and Oreo brands will increase their offer for UK confectioner Cadbury. The plan was in the works long before the Cadbury proposal, with Kraft reportedly informing suppliers of the review back in March. Kraft’s... ...Read more »