Minimising the power consumption of industrial and commercial processes is gaining increased focus with rising oil and coal prices, as well as impending emission trading systems in Australia and elsewhere. The power consumed by large industrial refrigeration plant often makes up the major portion of site power used on refrigeration-intensive sites, such as food processing plants.

Households throw away billions of dollars of edible food each year. To overcome this massive waste of food, energy, water and resources, Australians need to develop the proper infrastructure - waste reduction, re-use, recycling and composting services - and support those businesses which collect and process these materials and manufacture and sell zero-waste products.

Glass packaging manufacturer Owens-Illinois, has launched a black glass in the Asia-Pacific marketplace following consumer research indicating a strong preference for this colour.

International Food Partners Ltd (IFP) has released a sealing technology for flexible packaging that is claimed to be able to save food manufacturers thousands of tonnes of film per year, while also improving seal integrity.

Fish processing company V Hukkanen Oy is launching its Kalaneuvos marinated salmon strips in microwaveable and ovenproof Stora Enso DeLight modified atmosphere packaging. The board package replaces the aluminium tray that was used previously.

Taking delivery of fresh salads direct from growers, packaging in see-through retail packs for supermarkets and other retailers and then despatching for arrival in fresh condition for retail shelves as ready-to-eat is a highly disciplined operation.

Low kJ beverages with added protein are claimed to improve endurance times in cyclists more than higher energy drinks.

Redpoint Bio is utilising proprietary assay technology and rats for the discovery of natural taste modifiers.

Is the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry or the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research responsible for the Australian food industry? The answer is, apparently, both.

Mars Petcare Australia has implemented a customised compressed air system from Champion Compressors, optimising production, reliability and energy efficiency.

The field-proven technology of monobloc machine synchronisation can now be used for packaging functions as well: Krones has also come up with a monobloc solution for the dry end. The Ergobloc D (for Dry) combines field-proven standard machines with innovative new designs to create a holistically harmonised system for end-of-the-line packaging and palletising. It can be used for canning lines, non-returnable-glass lines and non-returnable-PET lines in all speed categories.

Three safe and sanitary robotics solutions have reformed a dangerous work environment for a meat processor.

A recently developed system that uses air, rather than water, to blast peels off fruit could reduce water use by 80%.

The Tasman Tank Co, which produces more than 200 large industrial and municipal tanks a year, says advances in specifying, design, protective coatings, manufacture and installation need to be understood to get the best results for particular industries and applications. The company says these changes are particularly important to the resources, energy and ‘green’ environmental processing industries.

Results from a New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) study looking at chemical residues in fresh, unwashed produce has found no health or food safety concerns.