The global meat industry is growing. The consumption of fresh meat worldwide has increased by some 3% a year over the past five years. And, as a result of the increasing development of the highly populated threshold countries and the growing importance of meat in the diet, consumption is set to continue to rise further in the coming years. Since meat products always contain spices and condiments and since technically effective additional substances are also used, the mood among suppliers of ingredients and additives is also buoyant overall. [ + ]

Contaminated industrial plants cost billions every year. Special coatings can prevent the build-up of contaminants. Researchers are now able to adapt ultrathin coatings for an extremely wide range of applications - even inside pipes in food processing equipment. [ + ]

Minced beef and chicken are by far the riskiest meat and poultry products in the American food supply and pose the greatest likelihood of hospitalisation, according to a new report by the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Furthermore, according to the non-profit group's analysis of more than 33,000 cases of foodborne illness connected to products regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, chicken nuggets, ham, and sausage pose the lowest risk of foodborne illness. [ + ]

Perth’s first specialist mushroom wholesaler has added a second Toyota forklift to his fleet on the strength of Toyota’s dual-fuel capability and service support. [ + ]

Whether on a display panel, in a magazine, on a label or packaging, 2D barcodes attract attention, albeit for not being part of the aesthetics. Rather, you notice them because they interfere with the main picture. More often than not, they have not been blended into the global representation and therefore appear as an out-of-place element. [ + ]

Exposing packaged liquids, fruits and vegetables to an electrical field for just minutes might eliminate all traces of foodborne pathogens on those foods, according to a Purdue University study. [ + ]

Safety, quality and hygiene are, more than ever before, top priorities in the meat-processing sector. Consumers expect and demand safe products made using perfectly hygienic methods. [ + ]

Energy in the form of electricity and gas is as essential to a food company as its staff, machinery and ingredients, which is why securing supply of both commodities at the lowest possible costs is paramount. [ + ]

Infor has announced a deal with iconic Australian company Peters Ice Cream to implement a complete ERP system in just seven and a half months. [ + ]

For the last 50 years the Australian Institute of Packaging has followed this credo: To serve as an independent professional body of packaging specialists; To promote professional standards of competency through education and training; To advance and promote the standing of packaging specialists as a profession; To serve and establish the confidence of the community in the packaging profession; To aim towards professional qualifications for all Members; To uphold professional integrity and ethics within the profession of packaging. And its continued existence is a testament to the institute’s success. [ + ]

The Australian Packaging and Processing Machinery Association (APPMA) is Australia’s national organisation that has been representing the packaging machinery industry for 30 years. It spread its wings in 2010 and now represents the processing industry and other allied industry groups as well. [ + ]

New research from Harvard University helps to explain how waterborne bacteria can colonise rough surfaces - even those that have been designed to resist water. [ + ]

Researchers have discovered the secret of potato chips - why it is that once you pop, you can’t stop - and have even come up with a complicated-sounding name for the phenomenon: hedonic hyperphagia. [ + ]

NIZO food research and Medimetrics have joined forces by developing a technology to sample from the small intestine in a non-invasive way. The small intestine plays a crucial role in digestion and immunity. Building proof of the effects of nutritional and probiotic interventions based on small intestinal content is now within reach. [ + ]

Cape Cod Potato Chips was faced with a conundrum: how do you squeeze higher output from the same floor space without changing product quality or ruining the charm of a popular tourist destination? [ + ]