In the month leading up to this week’s Federal budget, a number of announcements have been made about Federal government funds being available on a selective basis for food-related projects. Recently,  the Australian Research Council announced that the Tasmanian-based sensory-monitoring technology company, Sense-T, would receive a significant funding injection from the Federal government for Sense-T’s Pathways to Market project. The Sense-T project would receive $2.5 million funding under the... ...Read more »

Several prominent Australian business leaders and food industry players met last week in Melbourne at a Global Food Forum to discuss the potential for expansion of Australian agriculture and food production to address future food security issues in Asia. Speakers at the Global Food Forum, which was hosted by The Australian newspaper in partnership with packaging company Visy, considered the predicted doubling of global food demand in the next two decades as an opportunity for Australia to increase... ...Read more »

More than half of US consumers agree that labelling food or other products organic is just an excuse for companies to charge more, according to research from US market research organisation Harris Interactive. A March 2013 ‘Harris Poll’, conducted by the market research organisation, found that more Americans are concerned about the current state and future of the environment in 2013 than in 2012 (38 per cent in 2013, compared with 31 per cent in 2012). But this did not necessarily translate... ...Read more »

A new report tabled in the South Australian parliament shows that despite overwhelming community support for a plastic bag ban in the State, sales of bin liners have increased by more 80 per cent in South Australia (SA). According to research conducted by the Ehrenberg Bass Institute for Marketing Science at the University of South Australia, the plastic bag ban, which was implemented in South Australia in May 2009, has seen the household purchase of bin liners increase from 15 per cent to 80 per... ...Read more »

Supermarket giant Woolworths this week announced plans to trial buying milk directly from dairy farmers in the Manning Valley in New South Wales. Woolworths says the trial of a direct relationship between the supermarket and dairy farmers is “seeking to give dairy farmers a better deal for their milk, end-to-end transparency from shed to shelf, the certainty of a longer term contract and a closer relationship to their consumers”. Woolworths wants to stock milk sourced directly from the Manning... ...Read more »

Australian supermarkets have been responding to growing consumer activism in favour of ‘sustainable’ fish and ‘free range’ eggs. The German-owned Australian ALDI supermarket group has announced that it will work with the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) to evaluate the sustainability of its seafood range in Australia. ALDI  says the partnership will enable it to develop programs and strategies to ensure the sustainability of the supply chain and meet its commitment to ‘source sustainably... ...Read more »

Australians will opt for celebrations at home and gifts of confectionary this Easter, according to research from business information analysts at market research company IBISWorld. Across the four-day Easter break, IBISWorld predicts Australians will spend more than $3 billion, which equates to $132.85 per capita. This is a slight increase on the $130.33 per capita in 2012. Chocolate Easter is the most significant holiday for the chocolate industry, with spending during the break about 50 per cent... ...Read more »

Australian restaurant franchise Mad Mex will introduce chicken approved by the RSPCA as a standard in their NSW and ACT restaurants. The Company says the initiative is part of ‘BiteMark’, its ongoing “commitment to healthy and responsible choices”. The RSPCA program, it says, will enable Mad Mex franchises to “deliver higher welfare chicken to Australians who want fresh, healthy and ethically sourced food, whilst showing how making responsible supply chain decisions can result in an ethical... ...Read more »

The University of Sydney will today launch a $20 million multidisciplinary research centre dedicated to tackling problems of food security and environmental challenges in Australia and the surrounding region. The Centre for Carbon, Water and Food, funded by the Federal Government and the University of Sydney, will be launched at a major event at the Centre’s new site in the south western Sydney suburb of Camden. The Centre has already attracted international interest. Two agreements with leading... ...Read more »

Swedish agricultural authorities have suggested the implementation of a “meat tax” to reduce greenhouse gases and encourage environmental sustainability. The Swedish Board of Agriculture last month suggested increasing the cost of meat products to reduce the average amount of meat consumed in Sweden. Marit Paulsen who is a member of the Board as well as the Vice President of the European Parliament’s agricultural committee, said that she would like to halve the amount of meat consumed in Sweden. Ms... ...Read more »