When planning meals for large groups of people from different cultures, ready-made meals can help with solving issues with menu planning. Prepared meals are also designed to have a longer shelf life, especially in freezers, and therefore can provide flexibility with menu planning. For example, when residents in aged care do not like menu items, using complete prepared meals is a useful strategy to provide meal solutions. [ + ]

Skin-tight vacuum seals protect products from freezer burn, so consumers can store products in the fridge or freezer. They also minimise product shrinkage and waste and extend shelf life. [ + ]

Getting shoppers to choose your ready meals rather than another brand's, or to even select some ready meals at all, is not simple. Phillip Adcock, managing director of Shopping Behaviour Xplained, looks at the difficulties consumers face as they shop in their local supermarkets. [ + ]

Whose reputations suffer as a result of the contaminated sprouts incident in South Australia and the Northern Territory? [ + ]

Men who consume diets high in fat are more likely to feel sleepy during the day and to report sleep problems at night, and are also more likely to suffer from sleep apnoea. [ + ]

The expanding middle class in Asia could result in an increase in Australia's wheat exports income from $5.7 billion to $7 billion by 2030. [ + ]

FoodTech Queensland will be a great place to find out all about the latest technologies and new developments that are crucial to the food and beverage processing industry. [ + ]

A closed loop supply chain and a strong contact network in Asia are behind the success of an emerging premium food company from South Australia. [ + ]

More evidence that replacing butter with vegetable oils does not decrease the risk of heart disease has emerged. In fact, it may be that linoleic acid-based dietary interventions are more harmful. [ + ]

For food manufacturers and distributors seeking to improve workflow and efficiency from their sales force onward, the bottom line is that cloud-based SaaS solutions will allow them to nimbly adapt and respond to customers at a fraction of the time and cost of modifying their ERP system. [ + ]

It is estimated that by 2050 an extra 265 million tonnes of protein will be needed to feed the world's population. This means that current production levels will have to be raised by about 50%. [ + ]

How Thailand's bureaucratic policies and organisations affect the development of its rice economy. [ + ]

Perhaps it's time review the 'quick dunk and cursory wipe on a dodgy towel' hand hygiene protocol that is being followed in your facility. [ + ]

Opson V, an INTERPOL-Europol coordinated initiative, saw more than 10,000 tonnes and one million litres of hazardous fake food and drink seized. [ + ]

German engineers are developing inexpensive conveyor rollers that can communicate with each other, improving conveyor speed and reliability. [ + ]