Stuart Shaw has been named as a new director to the APPMA board. Shaw is the innovations manager for Machinery Automation & Robotics (MAR). [ + ]

Don't believe the bad news: despite difficult market conditions around the world, Australia has more food and beverage acquisition targets than any other country in the Asia-Pacific region, a new report from Grant Thornton shows. [ + ]

Guidelines for sugar consumption vary between health organisations, leading to confusion about what's healthy and what's not. But it's not just consumers who are confused: contradictory studies leave experts scratching their heads, too. [ + ]

SPX and PeopleFlo Manufacturing have signed a technical and commercial agreement that will see the two companies collaborate on a project to develop new technology. [ + ]

Forget reduced fat: it's reduced sugar and reduced salt that consumers want. But it seems that what's on our shelves is yet to catch up with what consumers are looking for. [ + ]

The New Zealand Government has pledged to invest NZ$1.75 million in collaborative research projects with Singapore to develop food products with validated health benefits. [ + ]

Today at the Produce Marketing Association Fresh Connections conference in Auckland, CHEP will conduct a workshop on building better supply chains through collaboration and innovation. [ + ]

Flour miller Laucke has opened a $20 million specialist flour mill in central Victoria, The Australian has reported. [ + ]

Researchers from Universiti Teknologi MARA in Malaysia have developed a PCR kit that provides a sensitive and specific means of screening, detecting and identifying sarcocystis spp. [ + ]

The functional beverage industry looks set to grow, with revenue increasing by an estimated 2.5% in 2013-14 to reach $1.1 billion. This growth is expected to continue through 2018-19, with industry revenue growing by 11.4% to reach $1.3 billion. [ + ]

What's the difference between regular and supersized? Just the label, according to US researchers. New research conducted by the Cornell Food & Brand Lab suggests that portion labels impact our entire eating experience. [ + ]

False claims about honey products has cost food importer Basfoods $30,600 in penalties after the ACCC instigated legal proceedings against the company. [ + ]

To support women in the packaging industry, the AIP, in collaboration with Emberin, has launched the Ignite Packaging mentoring program. Over a 12-week period, the self-paced program enables participants to master new skills and techniques. [ + ]

oils+fats, the world's only trade fair for the oils and fats sector, will take place from 15 to 17 September in Munich, finishing two days before the start of Munich's world famous Oktoberfest. [ + ]

Applications are now open for two international fellowships worth $10,000 each. AgriFood Skills Australia and the ISS Institute are offering the fellowships to professionals in the agrifood sector. [ + ]