Nestle Australia’s chocolate favourites such as Kit Kat, Smarties and Club chocolate will now be sourced from “independently certified sustainable cocoa.” In what Nestle describe as an Australian-first, all cocoa for its retail confectionary business will be sourced from certified and sustainable farms which aim to eliminate the use of child labour and ensure a sustainable supply of cocoa. Nestlé Australia Business Executive Manager Confectionery and Snacks, Martin Brown said the 10-year “Nestle... ...Read more »

Australia’s largest bread maker, Goodman Fielder, has felt the pinch of Supermarket discounting during its half yearly results for 2012 – 2013. The results released today report a normalised net profit after tax of $41.2 million – down 4 per cent from the previous period. Revenue was also down 9 per cent to $1.2 billion, largely due to supermarket price discounting in the Australian bakery sector. Goodman Fielder CEO Chris Delaney said that he remained confident about Australian trading conditions... ...Read more »

Australian Food News recently reported on research finding that as much as half of the world’s food – amounting to two billion tonnes worth – is wasted every year. With predictions that food production needs to double to match global population growth, food security is a high priority in government discussions. Michael McCallum, from the Global Foresight Network, says that “business as usual will not create a sustainable food system.” The 3 Pillars Network has organised the... ...Read more »

Australia’s Woolworths supermarket chain has announced its commitment to have all the wild-caught fish it sells certified by the Marine Stewardship Council by 2015. Sydney’s famous Taronga Park Zoo has teamed up with Woolworths to launch a new program which aims to improve marine conservation in Australia. A spokesperson for Woolworths said that 100 per cent of Select canned tuna, which is 1.2million kg of tuna, will be ‘pole and line’ caught by the end of 2013, substantially reducing the... ...Read more »

The Australian farming and manufacturing sectors have expressed growing concerns about Australia’s booming gas export industry. While the energy and mining sector is generating billions of dollars that are underpinning the strength of the Australian dollar, this has led to the so-called “2-tier economy” with economic dislocation or slowdown for other parts of the Australian economy outside the energy and minerals export industry. Difficulties for local food producers and manufacturers have... ...Read more »

The Australian summer is renowned for the hazard of obtrusive Flies. Unlike dignatories who with a nonchalant hand-wave will acknowledge an awaiting crowd, most Australian are exponents of the Australian Wave, an emphatic backhanded flick to keep the flies off one’s face. Yet, if we listen to author Jason Drew,  a British born South African-based ‘environmental capitalist’  or ‘eco-entrepeneur’ who recently toured Australia giving lectures and radio interviews, the goodness of the Fly... ...Read more »

Australian salmon brand, Tassal has said that it has been selected to pilot test new international performance standards on its aquaculture farms. Initiated and coordinated by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) standards are set to be tested on Tassal’s farms in Macquarie Harbour, on the west coast of Tasmania, as part of a final review. The environmental and social standards for responsible aquaculture were developed with input from more than 2000 international... ...Read more »

Simplot’s John West has released a statement in response to the negative portrayal of it by Greenpeace in Greenpeace’s latest 2012 canned tuna guide issued last week. The Greenpeace document purports to provide an overview of canned tuna brands and their efforts to meet sustainable fishing practices. John West, which Greenpeace ranked towards the bottom of its list, has said that it takes its role in safeguarding ocean resources more seriously than Greenpeace suggests. Greenpeace’s 2012 canned... ...Read more »

Meat and Livestock Australia has launched a campaign designed to showcase the red meat industry’s environmental credentials. ‘Target 100’ is based on 100 environmentally related initiatives the industry is undertaking to ensure its cattle, sheep and goat production systems are sustainable. The aim of the campaign is for the Australian red meat supply chain to be entirely sustainable by 2020. The 100 initiatives include research, development and extension programs, sharing of ideas, and use... ...Read more »

SPC Ardmona, which runs one of  Australia’s few remaining   fruit-processing plants and cannery, has received a significant boost from two Victorian Government grants. Victoria’s Deputy Premier Peter Ryan and Minister for Manufacturing, Exports and Trade, Richard Dalla-Riva recently announced the approval to SPC Ardmona of grants of $3.9 million from the Victorian Government’s “Sustainable Process Development Project” as well as $500,000 for “New Product Development... ...Read more »