Woolworths’ has stepped its Christmas campaign up a notch with scented advertising to run in News Limited’s mX community newspaper and Reed Pacific Media. Press advertisements will run in mX this week to promote its pavlova with a strawberries and cream fragranced advertisement. Fruit Cake scented advertisements are expected to follow later in the week. To coincide with the scented print ads, Sydney’s Town Hall features a strawberries and scream scented wall advertisement. Additional Woolworths’... ...Read more »

Retailers and chocoholics are looking forward to the results of a technological breakthrough that could see the development of heat-resistant chocolate. Global chocolate company Cadbury has filed a patent for a new chocolate that can resist heat for up to 40 degrees Celsius. The new chocolate will allow easier storage and transport, and enhance sales in the summer months when the temperature exceeds 33.8 degrees Celsius, the melting point of chocolate. A patent for a chocolate bar that will not melt... ...Read more »

A partnership in using “peak shift vending machines” has been announced in Japan by Coca-Cola Co Japan and Fuji Electric. The new machines will reduce daytime power consumption by 95 per cent by shifting power use from peak-demand periods. The initiative has been instigated by concerns in the aftermath of power shortages experienced after the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster following the earthquake and tsunami in March 2011. The innovative new machines shift the use of power from peak-demand... ...Read more »

Google is launching a credit card concept that will make payment by ‘one tap of the finger’ a reality. Grocery shopping with just your finger print and your smart phone may sound the way of the future, but is in fact just around two years away according to Google and other smart phone innovators, who plan to take on the big banks with the launch of the first Google credit card. Google is reported to be launching the credit card initially in the US and UK, with potential to expand to Australia... ...Read more »

Four Million uniquely individualised bottles of Absolut Vodka will go on sale this month, made possible with machine modifications by Ardagh Group packaging company, which is claiming ‘packaging history.  Ardagh Group modified its bottle decorating machinery to produce 4 Million bottles with each bottle having an individual colour coating, pattern and label number. Ardagh Group, under instruction by Pernod Ricard’s Absolut Vodka Company, altered the entire production line to ensure no two bottles... ...Read more »

In light of the recent public footage of questionable abattoir practices within Australia, Coles have suggested CCTV cameras may be the way of the future for its farmer suppliers. If the recommended approach is proceeded with farmers may soon see the addition of surveillance cameras in their dairy and sheep sheds if they want to continue supplying produce to Coles. Spokesperson for Coles Head of policy and quality for supermarkets recently stated that cameras may become permanent fixtures in farmers... ...Read more »

Nestlé is using zero gravity research to develop its understanding of the foam technology used in its products. The study could help Nestlé scientists create better air bubbles in chocolate, coffee, dairy and pet food. Scientists at the Nestlé Research Center in Switzerland are working with the European Space Agency (ESA) on foam experiments designed to produce the ‘perfect’ bubble. Bubbles are added to products, such as chocolate mousse and coffee froth, to make the right texture or consistency. The... ...Read more »

A world-renowned Israeli environmental scientist and hydrologist, Dr Daniel Hillel, whose work has been behind some of the leading Israeli irrigation technologies that are used throughout Australia, has been awarded the 2012 World Food Prize. The World Food Prize, an international award created in 1986 by Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Norman Borlaug and General Foods, recognises the achievements of individuals who have advanced human development by improving the quality, quantity or availability of... ...Read more »

A new supermarket scanner, created by Japanese electronics manufacturer Toshiba Tec, is able to identify objects without the use of a barcode. Instead of using a laser scanner, Toshiba’s ‘Object Recognition Scanner’ recognizes the food product itself using a high speed camera which discards the image’s unwanted background. In a media statement, Toshiba said,“Ordinarily, with a camera, the surroundings would appear as well, but with the Object Recognition Scanner, only the... ...Read more »

An Australian-first obesity study will use the internet and mobile technology to try and help teenagers lose weight. Participants will be recruited from across Melbourne and will have their height, weight, blood pressure and waist circumference measured both when they join the study and also after three, six and 12 months. The study is being undertaken by the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute (MCRI), a health research organisation based in Victoria. Researchers are recruiting 550 Victorian teenagers... ...Read more »