While the recently released Australian Total Diet Study revealed mostly good news for acrylamide levels in Australian food and beverages, experts are urging the public to consume products containing acrylamide in moderation. [ + ]

Norco and PGS have delivered a trial shipment of nearly 1000 litres of fresh milk to China in a new cold chain 'pipeline'. The commercially viable cold chain pipeline will open the door for millions of litres of fresh milk exports to China each year. [ + ]

Pactum Dairy Group's new UHT milk facility in Shepparton was officially opened today. The facility's four lines include Tetra Pak processing and packaging equipment which will handle UHT milk for proprietary and private label customers in Southeast Asia. [ + ]

Flexicon Corporation has announced the opening of a new facility in Singapore as part of its expansion into south-east Asia. [ + ]

Marel has a new managing director of its Fish Industry Center. Sigurdur Olason will succeed Jon Birgir Gunnarsson, who is leaving the company, on 1 May 2014. [ + ]

Early bird registration for the 2014 AIP National Conference closes on 5 May. With 10 international speakers from seven countries and 40 speakers over two days, the conference will be held from 17-18 June at the Sofitel Wentworth, Sydney. [ + ]

Retail sales rose 5.8% in the March quarter and are expected to further strengthen, according to the 13th AFGC CHEP Retailed Index. The Index was also 5.8% higher in March 2014 than March 2013 with a turnover in excess of $23 billion. [ + ]

The AIP will offer a half-day training course on intellectual property, packaging and labelling (legal) on Wednesday, 14 May in Sydney. [ + ]

Despite having access to a plethora of fruit and vegetables year round, few of us manage to eat the suggested quota of vegetables each day. As consumers become increasingly health conscious, vegetable juices have gained popularity. [ + ]

Goodman Fielder has received a takeover offer from First Pacific Company and Wilmar International for $0.65 per share, valuing the shares at $1.27 billion. [ + ]

Recent research showed that the use of antibacterial soap results in a statistically significant reduction in the presence of Shigella on melon balls. The soap reduced Shigella on the hands and its subsequent transfer to ready-to-eat food. [ + ]

Yoghurt company Chobani has secured a US$750 million investment from TPG Capital to fund future growth, expansion and innovation. As part of the agreement, TPG will be represented on Chobani's Board of Directors. [ + ]

Research presented at the Society for General Microbiology's annual meeting shows that the disease-causing E. coli O157:H7 interacts directly with plant cells, allowing it to anchor to the surface of a plant where it can multiply. [ + ]

To help battle food waste, an alliance of US food manufacturers, retailers and foodservice operators has developed a toolkit to help businesses in the food sector keep food out of landfills and reduce food waste at the source. [ + ]

The texture of food plays a significant role in how calorie-dense consumers perceive it to be, with hard or rough foods perceived to have fewer calories, new research published in the Journal of Consumer Research has shown. [ + ]