Action by the New South Wales Food Authority has led to the cessation today of slaughtering at an abattoir on the outskirts of Sydney. The location of the abattoir remains undisclosed by the New South Wales Food Authority. The action by the Authority followed its examination of disturbing video footage of acts of gross animal mistreatment. The video had shown the slaughter of sheep, cattle, goats and pigs that allegedly breached the Food Regulation 2010 and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act... ...Read more »

The 2nd National Sustainable Food Summit, will take place in Sydney on 3-4 April, 2012, and a pre-conference on the 2 April. The summit is being promoted by Three Pillars Network, will gather over 340 delegates including primary producers and members of the business, government, education, public health, community and not-for-profit sectors came together in Melbourne to share ideas that could inform a vision for Australia’s food system in 2030. The summit will also focus on the limits and challenges... ...Read more »

Australia’s most talented chocolatiers and pastry chefs will descend on the Foodservice Expo on 27-29 May, 2012 at Moore Park, Sydney to compete for a spot in a prestigious World Chocolate Masters competition. The World Chocolate Masters, an initiative by Cacao Barry and Callebaut Chocolate, is the world’s premier culinary competition devoted solely to the art of chocolate. During the Australian Qualifier, the talented pastry chefs will go head-to-head as they create a range of chocolate masterpieces. The... ...Read more »

Major state-owned company of China, Bright Foods Company, is reportedly opening a permanent office in Sydney, signaling an intention to expand its Australian operations. The reports come after the Chinese food group’s acquisition of a 75% stake in Australian food manufacturer Manassen Foods has been approved by the Australian Foreign Institute Review Board. Bright Foods is one of China’s largest dairy producers and a major manufacturer and distributor of consumer food products. The company... ...Read more »

Three Sydney restaurateurs have won a lengthy defamation battle against The Sydney Morning Herald over a scathing review of their restaurant published by the newspaper. On 30 September 2003, the Sydney Morning Herald published a review of the Coco Roco restaurant in King Street Wharf, in Sydney, written by the newspaper’s chief restaurant reviewer, Matthew Evans. Mr. Evans’ review, headlined “Matthew Evans fails Coco Roco”, referred to “unpalatable” food and claimed the restaurant... ...Read more »

Scientists from the University of Sydney, Australia, claim to have found the first scientific evidence that dietary protein plays an important role in human appetites. According to the Dr Alison Gosby and Professor Steve Simpson, from the university’s School of Biological Sciences, including enough protein in our diets, rather than simply cutting calories, is the key to curbing appetites and preventing excessive consumption of fats and carbohydrates. In their study, 22 participants were put on... ...Read more »

A University of Sydney PhD student has discovered that a patient’s diet and cookery styles impacts on the required doses of medicines commonly used to treat illnesses such as depression and psychosis. Vidya Perera, a final year PhD student in the university’s Faculty of Pharmacy, found that people from South Asia could need lower doses of these medicines because they are likely to have lower levels of CYP1A2, an enzyme that metabolises drugs. Vegetables such as cabbages, cauliflower and broccoli... ...Read more »

A brand new event is launching in Sydney this December that will bring Australia’s favourite cooking show to life and is set to be the hottest ticket in town for anyone in the food and beverage industry – MasterChef Live. With the phenomenal success of the last two television series, the new live event will build on the power of the MasterChef brand with a festival of cooking to be held from 10-12 December at the Hordern Pavilion and Royal Hall of Industries at Moore Park. Encompassing... ...Read more »

This Saturday August 7, The Sydney Morning Herald Growers’ Market will feature SBS TV’s Gourmet Farmer, chef and author Matthew Evans. Evans will be on stage at 8.30am and 9.30am to present cooking demonstrations inspired by market produce. He’ll be joined by the Crave Sydney International Food Festival director, Joanna Savill. Signed copies of his latest book, The Real Food Companion, will be on sale too. The monthly Growers’ Market is a chance to sample fresh, seasonal produce... ...Read more »

Some of the biggest names on the world food scene are heading to Sydney this October for the Crave Sydney International Food Festival, including some of the hottest stars from the World’s Best Restaurants list.Festival Director Joanna Savill today announced the extraordinary line up fronting the World Chef Showcase, one of the festival’s signature events. The World Chef Showcase is presented by Etihad and held at Star City Hotel. This must-see event sees remarkable chefs and food personalities... ...Read more »