Industry News
RTE grain-based dessert purchases drop 24% in US
Who's eating all the pies? Not as many American consumers as you'd expect, apparently. Purchases of ready-to-eat grain-based desserts (RTE GBDs) such as cakes, cookies, pies, doughnuts and pastries fell by 24% in the US between 2005 and 2012. [ + ]
Reduce water use in food production, engineers urge
How much water is in your food? Not the actual liquid content, but how much water does it take to produce the sandwich you had for lunch? A UN Water study suggests that each person 'consumes' between 2000 and 5000 litres of water through their food each day. [ + ]
New APAC headquarters for robot company
Universal Robots (UR) has announced plans to open its Asia-Pacific headquarters in Singapore. This will be the sixth global office for the company. [ + ]
China turns to potatoes as staple food
After relying on rice and wheat for millennia, China could soon turn to a new staple: potatoes. The country's Ministry of Agriculture announced that by 2020, 50% of the country's production of potatoes will be consumed as a staple food. [ + ]
Tasmanian organic certifier merges with ACO
A Tasmanian organic certifier is merging with the country's largest organic certification body. Tasmanian Organic-dynamic Producers (TOP) has announced that it will merge with Australian Certified Organic (ACO). [ + ]
HFCS more toxic than table sugar, study shows
High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has just received another blow to its already tarnished reputation: researchers have found that it is more toxic to mice than table sugar. [ + ]
O-I names new COO; European president resigns
Owens-Illinois (O-I) has announced several leadership changes, naming Andres Lopez president of glass containers and chief operating officer, and announcing the resignation of Erik Bouts, president of O-I Europe. [ + ]
Cardia secures seven new patents
Cardia Bioplastics secured seven new patents in 2014 for its Cardia Compostable, Biohybrid and PPC-starch resin and finished products from Patent and Trademark Offices in Japan, Australia, New Zealand and China. [ + ]
Coles slapped with $10m penalty for unconscionable conduct
Coles has been ordered to pay $10 million plus costs after being found guilty of unconscionable conduct in its dealing with suppliers. It will also be forced to establish a formal process to provide redress for the more than 200 affected suppliers. [ + ]
Seafood country of origin labelling could extend to restaurants, fast food outlets
Recommendations to extend seafood country of origin labelling to restaurants and fast food outlets have been welcomed by the Australian Made Campaign. The recommendations were made by the Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee. [ + ]
ISFR document on complying with the Nutrition, Health and Related Claims Standard
The Implementation Subcommittee for Food Regulation (ISFR) has developed a document on how to comply with the Nutrition, Health and Related Claims Standard (Standard 1.2.7) in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code. [ + ]
tna launches Arabic website for Middle East clients
Packaging and processing solutions company tna has launched a new website in Arabic for its clients in the Middle East region. Customised for the needs of the region, the new website is located at www.tnasolutions.ae. [ + ]
Grain science conference to attract scientific and technical experts
In September 2015, international and Australian scientific and technical experts will meet at the 65th Australasian Grain Science Conference. [ + ]
Recycling rebates available for small businesses
The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) is giving small businesses an early Christmas present: up to $25,000 in government rebates for recycling. [ + ]
Tasmanian vegie growers to collectively bargain with processors
Tasmanian vegetable growers could gain permission to collectively bargain with vegetable processors Simplot and McCain if a draft determination issued by the ACCC goes ahead. [ + ]
