ALDI’s new Ocean Rise White Tuna, released last week, is the first brand of canned tuna in Australia awarded the Marine Stewardship Council’s MSC Ecolabel. The sustainable Pacific Albacore tuna is a white-meat tuna, with a mild taste. The MSC ecolabel certifies sustainably fished ocean products, including fish and seafood. MSC certified fishing must be sustainable for the fish population, limit unintentional capture of other species in the fishing process, and conform to a Code of Conduct... Read more »
Fairtrade Labelling Australia & New Zealand today confirmed premium organic chocolate maker Green & Black’s will be going Fairtrade Certified across the vast majority of its block chocolate and beverages range this year. The move continues on a steady push toward Fairtrade by confectioners over the past year, with the likes of Cadbury and Nestlé committing to Fairtrade cocoa for their Dairy Milk and Kit Kat brands, respectively. And, with cocoa production tainted over the past decade... Read more »
A farm in Tasmania’s north has begun producing heart shaped strawberries that are in heavy demand ahead of Valentine’s Day. Josh Engwerda, a 22 year-old engineering graduate from Melbourne, forged the idea while gardening at home, with his inspiration coming from square shaped watermelons found at prohibitive prices in Japan. “I’d seen square-shaped watermelons in Japan and then I was gardening with my strawberries and something just clicked,” he said, according to... Read more »
Pro-Visual Publishing is encouraging members of the restaurant and catering industry who did not receive their copy of the 2009/10 edition of Restaurant and Catering Australia’s Guide to Food Safety and Hygiene to get in touch with them to receive the free chart. This year’s Guide, which was sent out to coincide with November’s Australian Food Safety Week, explores correct and appropriate procedures that assist in good workplace hygiene and food safety. It also delves into the topic... Read more »
The drive for efficiency gains has stepped up another gear in the food industry as companies look for that edge over their competitors. And new software is presenting firms with the prospect of achieving that aim. Highlighting the profitability gains that could yet be reaped by the industry, a recent report from the UK identified the potential for billion dollar savings for the sector by improving data practices within the supply chain. And Stefan Joneck, Founder and CEO of customer management and... Read more »
Golden Eggs, Western Australia’s largest egg production and manufacturing company, is donating 20 cents from every one of its specially marked packs of 800 gram jumbo eggs to Make-A-Wish Australia. The mission of Make-A-Wish Australia is to grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. Since its inception in 1985, Make-A-Wish Australia has granted in excess of 5500 wishes around Australia, and is looking forward... Read more »
Jindi, located in the heart of the Victorian dairy belt and renowned for its award-winning Brie, has expanded its retail offering this month with the introduction of eight new variants in response to changing preferences of cheese consumers. The four new blues, washed rind Rustic Brie and more complex flavoured, premium Reserve range have been developed by veteran cheese artisan, Normandy-born Franck Beaurain, in new state-of-the-art facilities which almost perished in the fires that ravaged Gippsland... Read more »
Lean Cuisine has enhanced their range with the development of four meal variants that each help target specific areas of nutritional concern including; protein, fibre, wholegrain and calcium. The Everyday Wellbeing range extends Nestlé’s successful Lean Cuisine brand and is designed to maintain their focus on the health conscious consumer. The health and wellbeing trend may have taken a back seat over the past year while economic conditions stole the limelight, but industry analysts are predicting... Read more »
New research from the UK has suggested that emulsions containing up to 60 per cent water could see the introduction of low-fat chocolate formulations. University of Birmingham researchers were able to produce stable cocoa butter water-in-oil emulsions containing up to 60 per cent water, which did not cream on storage, according to a FoodNavigator report. The research, to be published in the upcoming November issue of the Journal of Food Engineering, discovered that the cocoa butter in the emulsions... Read more »
Flavour is supreme and some health conscious consumers that turn to lower sodium foods may have difficulty enjoying the healthier versions of their favorite foods. However, Japanese researchers suggest that dried bonito flakes made from fish may accentuate the salty taste of products, according to a study in the Journal of Food Science, published by the Institute of Food Technologists.The World Health Organization has strongly recommended an average salt intake of less than 5g per day, but many consumers... Read more »