Organic meat processors could have a new weapon in the war on Listeria growth on meat. A study published in the Journal of Food Science shows that antimicrobials extracted from pecan shells protect meat against Listeria growth. [ + ]

A partnership between the New Zealand wine industry and the Ministry for Primary Industries is aiming to make the country the world’s leading producer of high-quality, reduced-calorie and lower-alcohol 'lifestyle' wines. [ + ]

Consumers will happily pay more for eco-labelled vegetables, new research published in Vegetables Australia magazine has shown. [ + ]

The Kakadu plum will be studied as part of a University of Western Australia-led project to explore the native fruit's viability as a cash crop for Indigenous communities. [ + ]

Food ingredients Europe (Fi Europe) 2013 has closed with record attendance: almost 25,000 attendees visited the event in Frankfurt between 19 and 21 November. [ + ]

Taylors Wines has won two gold medals at the 2013 Printing Industry Craftsmanship Awards, a gold medal at the 2013 Australian Packaging Design Awards and an award at the 2014 Worldstar World Packaging Organisation Awards. [ + ]

Research has shown that caffeinated beverages increase the heart’s contraction rates, leading researchers to suggest that children and people with cardiac arrhythmia should avoid these drinks. [ + ]

Ferrero Group has announced the establishment of a $70 million hazelnut production facility in the Riverina region, which has been launched by Agri Australis, a subsidiary of the Ferrero Group. [ + ]

Australian Olive Association testing has found that of 106 imported oils representing 40 different brands, 77% of oils tested failed the Australian Standard AS 5264-2011 and 93% of brands tested failed the standard for at least one product of their brand range. [ + ]

The Journal of Food and Chemical Toxicology has retracted a controversial article which claimed to have found evidence that genetically modified (GM) maize is toxic when consumed by rats. [ + ]

Industry experts are concerned that increased awareness of food production methods could be for naught if there's no-one left to produce food in Australia. [ + ]

Cambodia faces a dilemma: 80% of the population lacks reliable access to electricity, a situation which could be remedied by developing dams for hydropower. However, in developing such dams, the country's own ecosystems and food security are under threat. [ + ]

The Australian Made Campaign has welcomed Alf Cristaudo to its board of directors. Cristaudo is the former chairman of Canegrowers Australia and recently completed his terms as director of the National Farmers’ Federation. [ + ]

How important is trade from Australia to Indonesia? Then again, how important is trade from Indonesia to Australia? The answer is probably not very. [ + ]

The holiday period is never a good time to embark on a new diet. However, low-carb diets appear to be making a resurgence, according to new research from Mintel. [ + ]