The Northern Territory Government will spend $1.4 million extra to support Indigenous horticulture and forestry projects in the Northern Territory. NT’s Primary Industry Minister Kon Vatskalis said supporting Indigenous horticultural enterprises and working with those interested in sustainable forestry developments had the potential to create more jobs and provide regional development opportunities in the Territory’s remote areas. “Our horticultural industry in the Territory was valued... ...Read more »

The UK’s Food and Drink Federation has called on the food industry to take a holistic approach to reducing waste and improving efficiency. Speaking today at the Westminster Food and Nutrition Forum, FDF director of sustainability and competitiveness Andrew Kuyk said that, to date, food manufacturers have taken an approach to sustainability that focuses on reducing waste and improving resource efficiency within their own operations. “This has been an easy sell,” he suggested. “Resource... ...Read more »

Mars Petcare has announced the introduction of a new line of sustainably-fished pet food products, endorsed by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), in the UK. Selected packs from Mars Petcare’s Sheba and Whiskas lines in the UK are now MSC-certified, offering consumers a choice of more sustainable pet food products for the very first time. In April last year, Mars Petcare – the world’s largest petcare business – committed to using only sustainably sourced fish by 2020. Working with... ...Read more »

A report commissioned by the UK government on how to improve environmental labelling on food products has outlined the difficulties of producing a single “green” label. The report by the University of Hertfordshire, the Food Ethics Council and the Policy Studies Institute today (7 February) revealed that the number of different environmental labels on food – covering issues such as carbon emissions and water use – has been growing. The number of labels, the report noted, has... ...Read more »

Food industry players and sustainability experts will come together in April this year at Melbourne’s Etihad Stadium for the National Sustainable Food Summit, a two-day independent forum focusing on food policy developments for Australia. Examining food security and resilience, and how these relate to the National Food Plan, the summit will be held in conjunction with Meat & Livestock Australia, The Australian Food & Grocery Council, WWF, Sustainability Victoria, The Global Foresight... ...Read more »

Sara Lee Corp has announced a new five-year initiative aiming to triple its purchases of sustainable coffee, expand partner programs and support the market for sustainable tea. The company, currently divesting itself of many of its product lines to focus on its coffee business, is speculated to be considering splitting its coffee and processed meats businesses. “Sara Lee’s long-term goal is to use only certified coffee and tea in all products worldwide, and this new aggressive five-year plan... ...Read more »

Queensland’s Runcorn State School’s tuckshop has been stocked with more environmentally friendly food products after year 7 student Nicholas Buddle discovered noodles on sale contained palm oil from farms which replace habitat of the threatened orangutan. Queensland’s Climate Change and Sustainability Minister Kate Jones presented Nicholas with the top award at today’s inaugural Green Lane Diary Environmental Hero Awards, held at the Queensland Museum. “Nicholas has shown real leadership... ...Read more »

Food and personal care giant Unilever said it will increase prices on some of its products in a bid to recoup higher commodity costs. A spokesperson for the firm told just-food that globally, its prices will increase between now and the end of this calendar year, partly due to an increase in input costs. “For 2010 overall, we are expecting commodity cost inflation of about 2%,” the spokesperson said. “Every business within the consumer goods industry will be affected by these volatilities... ...Read more »

Global consumer goods company Unilever today announced plans to decouple future growth from environmental impact. At the London launch of Unilever’s Sustainable Living Plan, CEO Paul Polman explained: “We have ambitious plans to grow the company. But growth at any price is not viable. We have to develop new ways of doing business which will ensure that our growth does not come at the expense of the world’s diminishing natural resources.” He also announced plans to help over 1 billion people... ...Read more »

A landmark new partnership to improve the sustainability of Australia’s $102 billion food and grocery manufacturing industry in Victoria has been signed today between the Victorian Government and the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC). Under the innovative Sustainability Covenant, Environment Protection Authority (EPA) Victoria, Sustainability Victoria and AFGC will commit up to $500,000 over three years to support food and grocery manufacturers in Victoria to produce food and grocery products... ...Read more »