Speakers at ABARES 2014's global focus session spoke around the theme of improving the competitiveness of domestic agriculture sectors through reduced regulatory burdens and better supply chain infrastructure. [ + ]

Tetra Pak has acquired Miteco, a leading provider of production solutions for soft drinks, fruit juices and liquid food. The company has a particular focus on carbonated soft drinks. [ + ]

AMA Vice-President Dr Steve Hambleton has called on the food industry to put its full support behind the proposed star rating system for food. [ + ]

Researchers from The Netherlands have found that dark chocolate helps restore flexibility to arteries while also preventing white blood cells from sticking to the walls of blood vessels. [ + ]

Tetra Pak's Tetra Evero Aseptic has been awarded a 2014 International Forum Packaging Design Award (iF award). The product is said to be the world's first aseptic carton bottle for ambient white milk. [ + ]

The plastic packaging industry in Japan is growing rapidly, with flexible and rigid plastic packaging demand set to increase by 6.9 billion packs between 2012 and 2017. [ + ]

Nominations are now open for the SCLAA's 2014 Supply Chain Optimisation Scholarship. The scholarship winner will receive a free place in the 2014 Supply Chain Optimisation course at the University of Queensland. [ + ]

Daily exposure to Bisphenol A (BPA), even at very low concentrations, has been shown to cause foetal abnormalities in primates, raising questions about its effects on human foetuses. [ + ]

It's what we've all been fearing: the hipster vegetable revolution is upon us. According to market research from AUSVEG, consumers are increasingly favouring obscure vegetables to spice up their midweek dinners. [ + ]

Japan, home of canned bread, square watermelons and jellyfish ice-cream, recently went one step further to create - wait for it - healthy cola. [ + ]

The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) has announced a new Traceability supplement as part of its Journal of Food Science. The supplement includes articles, summaries and a white paper. [ + ]

The New Zealand Institute of Food Science and Technology (NZIFST) is welcoming nominations for the 2014 NZIFST Food Industry Excellence Awards. The awards will be presented at the NZIFST Conference. [ + ]

Eating strawberries can lower your cholesterol, researchers have found, but you may need to eat quite a lot - in the order of half a kilo each day - to have the desired effect. [ + ]

Treating baby food puree with high-pressure thermal sterilisation (HPTS) instead of conventional thermal processing showed a reduction of furan, food scientists from the Technische Universität Berlin have found. [ + ]

Fonterra's new $120 million UHT milk processing facility will be up and running shortly, following 12 months of construction. The site's first Anchor UHT product is expected to roll off the line in March. [ + ]