Canned food has received the tick of approval after an analysis of more than 40 scientific studies found that canned foods are a good way to help people increase their fruit and vegetable intake, regardless of geography or income level. [ + ]

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. [ + ]