When fitting out its new Ravenhall site, Melbourne wholesaler Flavorite Marketing had very particular requirements for its multiple temperature-controlled zones. Brady IPS was selected for the project based on its reputation of producing quality work.

You know, I don't blame CCA/SPC for trying to score $25 million in federal funding plus a further $25 mil from the Victorian government. After all, what company wouldn't like an extra $50 million? Cadbury in Hobart has been promised $16 million and the car industry has received billions - this makes $25 million for SPC Ardmona's appeal sound cheap. [ + ]

The federal government has rejected the bid by the embattled food processing company SPC Ardmona for $25 million, in a victory for the Liberal economic "dries" and "a marker" for industry policy. [ + ]

96% and a stellar audit rating did not stop a US rockmelon farm from selling contaminated melons that killed 33 people. How much responsibility should the auditor bear? [ + ]

Leading Australian poultry company Baiada Poultry plans to integrate a customised version of Battelle's software modelling program PRIA to help manage the risk of Salmonella and Campylobacter outbreaks.

Following the success of its Jammie Dodger biscuit, Burton's Biscuit Co decided to market a Chocolate Dodger version. Flexicon provided a conveying solution that copes with the difficult-to-handle powders involved. [ + ]

While taste, texture and mouthfeel are crucial to food enjoyment and acceptance, almost invariably the first way a food is sensed is by its smell. If it smells good we are much more likely to eat it. But it seems our sense of smell is much more refined than we realise - we can even detect dietary fat levels by smell! [ + ]

The Queensland fruit fly is a notifiable insect in NZ because it could seriously impact on the country's horticultural industry. So finding just a single male Queensland fruit fly in a surveillance trap has caused the NZ Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) to place controls on the movement of whole fresh fruit and some vegetables out of a specific area of Whangarei. [ + ]

Food microbiologist Professor Thomas McMeekin AO, of the University of Tasmania (UTAS), is in the running to be named Australian of the Year for 2014. [ + ]

Reducing the plastic component of the overall package is a great environmental initiative; however, in today’s competitive market the opportunity to save money in the actual packaging cost is very appealing.

Leading US soup maker Campbell Soup Company plans to upgrade to the newest version of Terra Technology's Demand Sensing solution. Campbell’s says the upgrade will enable its forecast accuracy to better meet the needs of retailers and consumers. [ + ]

With a gap as short as 15 minutes between blowing and filling a PET bottle, producing containers of consistent quality is imperative. Container defects can cause serious and costly disruptions that can have a knock-on effect through the entire processing plant. [ + ]

As energy and raw materials become more expensive and consumers become more environmentally conscious, confectionery and snack manufacturers have to adjust. Their products now have to stand out from the crowd without extravagant packaging that drives up costs. Luckily, packaging producers and machine manufacturers can help with material-saving packaging solutions and more efficient production lines.

One of New Zealand's leading poultry processors has nominated Loscam as its preferred pallet provider. Turk's Poultry Farm has signed an agreement with Loscam for managed pooled pallets across the country. [ + ]

While the norm for many years has been for fruit and vegetable growers to put a simple UPC barcode on boxes of produce, these methods are no longer sufficient. Consumers and regulators demand that the entire supply chain be able to trace and account for where fresh produce is grown, where it is going and how long it remains at any point along the way. [ + ]