AUSVEG has been called to appear before a Senate Inquiry on Australian Government Procurement. The organisation has been asked to submit a series of recommendations on how to improve the government's procurement practices. [ + ]

A Queensland food importer has been fined for failing to undertake required testing. B&E Packaging imported 1500 kg of cooked and peeled prawns from Vietnam but released the prawns before the correct inspection, testing and authorisation process was conducted. [ + ]

GS1 Australia has entered into a multiyear agreement with 1WorldSync. The agreement will reportedly provide GS1's supplier and data recipient user bases with a 'next generation' platform for the enhanced delivery of the GS1net Australasia data pool. [ + ]

Nuts and seeds accounted for more than 37% of snack food launches in 2013, with savoury or salty snacks taking the remainder, new data from Innova Market Insights shows. However, the popularity of nuts varies markedly from country to country. [ + ]

AFGC has welcomed the introduction of the Omnibus Repeal Day (Autumn 2014) Bill into parliament, claiming it marks the start of the government's regulatory reform that will reduce the regulatory burden on businesses. [ + ]

Tenda Nutritional Foods has become the first company to launch an infant formula bearing the inSight brand in the Chinese market. [ + ]

Australia's new automation, control and instrumentation conference, ACI Connect, to be held on 9 and 10 April, has attracted a high-quality list of speakers and trainers. The 25% early-bird conference discount closes this coming Friday 21 March. [ + ]

A joint initiative of Fonterra and China's National Dairy Industry and Technology System, the China-New Zealand Dairy Exchange Centre aims to support the sustainable development of the dairy industry in both countries. [ + ]

The Tasmanian Fruit and Vegetable Taskforce has been announced by Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce. The task force aims to develop an industry-led growth plan for the sector. [ + ]

While many of us cite the health benefits of dark chocolate as the reason for our addiction to the stuff, the exact reason for these health benefits has remained a mystery for many years - until now. [ + ]

The Industrie Forum Design eV (iF) has presented SIG Combibloc with an iF Design Award for its combidome product. The combidome carton pack combines features of a carton pack and a bottle. [ + ]

Thai consumers are embracing processed foods, with consumption of prepared meals expected to increase at a CAGR of 9.8%. Packaging manufacturers can take advantage of this by producing light, easy-to-use, convenient packaging. [ + ]

Forget use-by dates - what if the packaging could tell you if a product was safe to eat? Researchers have developed a smart tag that can tell whether the product inside has spoiled without the need to open the container. [ + ]

FSANZ is calling for comments regarding a Dow AgroSciences application to permit food derived from a genetically modified herbicide-tolerant cotton line. [ + ]

A sweetener that doesn't raise blood sugar? While it sounds too good to be true, it isn't - researchers are suggesting that a sweetener created from the agave plant could lower blood glucose levels and help obese people lose weight. [ + ]