Cargill, a leading agribusiness company, believe that their new taste tissue imaging system will help food and beverage companies deliver better-tasting products to consumers. Cargill has received a patent for the breakthrough technology in taste tissue imaging and taste modification, and claim the system is superior to the cell screening technology currently available in the flavor, food and beverage industries. The patented technology will allow Cargill to effectively discover taste modifiers -... ...Read more »
A multi-country study into the future of retailing reveals technology’s potential impact on how consumers shop and how retailers engage their customers. The new research suggests that, among Canadian Internet users who have primary responsibility in their household for shopping, more than half believe that networked refrigerators and online devices will be available to prepare shopping lists and order goods that require replenishing. TNS’ “New Future In Store” report reveals... ...Read more »
Woolworths, Australia’s largest supermarket operator, has today announced full year sales of $47b, representing a 10.7% increase on last year. Woolworths advised that their food and liquor operations had a 7.9%* sales increase for the year, with inflation for the year of 2.9%. Fourth quarter inflation (2.9%) was seen to drop on the back of a deflation in fruit and vegetable prices, and was markedly lower than the figure of 4.5% registered during the third quarter. Woolworths CEO Michael... ...Read more »
Wipak has created new films in their Walothen range which they believe offer a sound alternative to conventional coated films and increase efficiency. Walothen C 25 XLS E is an uncoated film that is capable of sealing at a temperature as low as 65° Celsius. The low-temperature sealing BOPP grades increase productivity during the packing process, according to Wipak. Packers can reduce costs and increase their output as secondary packaging (such as a carton) is no longer required and the packing equipment... ...Read more »
High-tech ice-cream and freeze-dried kiwifruit were on the menu at yesterday’s opening of a $25 million food pilot plant at Massey University - reportedly the most advanced facility of its kind in Australasia. The complex will be used for research and teaching as well as for commercial purposes, enabling companies to benefit from both the state-of-the-art equipment and the expertise of the largest cluster of food technologists in New Zealand. More than 100 visitors from across the... ...Read more »
Food manufacturers are to gain access to a new analyzer, which can efficiently determine moisture and fat levels in meat products. CEM Corporation, a leading global provider of laboratory instrumentation, has announced that AOAC International, a non-profit scientific association, has approved Official Method 2008.06, which utilizes microwave energy for direct moisture analysis and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectrometry (NMR) to determine fat content in raw and processed meat and meat products. The... ...Read more »
NCR, a leading global technology solutions company, has today announced that prominent Australian retail food brand manager and franchisor, Retail Food Group Ltd, will deploy over 1,000 NCR RealPOS point-of-sale (POS) touch screen terminals. The high-tech terminals, which integrate NCR’s POS terminals with Task Retail Technology’s Xchangexec software suite, allow for the creation of “bounce back” vouchers by individual stores, customised in-store promotions, product ordering... ...Read more »
Over 70 of the most influential intellectuals and industry representatives in the food and pharmaceutical sectors converged on Melbourne’s Federation Square on Friday 27 June 2008 for the Pharmafood Forum organised by InnovationXchange. Speakers at the conference discussed a broad range of issues for the food and pharmaceutical industries and, in particular, the growing overlap between the two industries as consumers increase their demand for foods which serve a functional purpose. A... ...Read more »
The self-service revolution is upon us, as Australian consumers demand greater choice and retailers begin to understand the considerable benefits of the new technology. It is changing the way businesses operate and interact with consumers; with supermarkets, airlines and banks key symbols of the trend. The introduction of ATM’s some 40 years ago can be attributed to the growth of self-service options, but it has only been in the past 5-10 years that self-service technology has really taken... ...Read more »
The United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS), Mars, Incorporated, and IBM are combining their scientific resources to sequence and analyze the entire cocoa genome. Sequencing the cocoa genome is viewed by the organizations as a significant scientific step that may allow more directed breeding of cocoa plants and potentially enhance the quality of cocoa - the key ingredient in chocolate. The collaboration hopes to enable farmers to plant better quality... ...Read more »