Turkey is becoming more popular with Australian consumers, with Newspoll research commissioned by Steggles revealing that one in four grocery buyers eats turkey at least once a month. [ + ]

Australian food industry experts have resolutely dismissed the idea of plain packaging for high-calorie foods as a solution to the nation’s obesity epidemic. [ + ]

Learning to store fresh produce correctly could help consumers extend the lifespan of their food, helping to reduce the amount of food that is thrown out each year, a new study commissioned by KitchenAid shows. [ + ]

Australian vegetables growers will have access to $100 million in energy-efficiency grants under a new policy announced by Greens leader Senator Christine Milne. [ + ]

Foodbank’s Greg Warren will outline the issue of food security in Australia and the increasing demand for food donations at the 20th HACCP Conference in August. [ + ]

Starting a new food business just got easier with the launch of an interactive web page, ‘Starting a food business’, which is part of the NSW Food Authority website. [ + ]

Short-chain fructooliogosaccharides (scFOSs) are low-kilojoule, non-digestible carbohydrates that are claimed can improve food taste and texture while aiding immunity, bone health and the growth and balance of bacteria in the digestive tract. [ + ]

Wiley has signed a contract with Cerebos Australia to expand and refurbish its warehouse at Seven Hills in Sydney. The upgrade will provide Cerebos with a larger, optimised warehouse space and address current logistics, safety and storage issues. [ + ]

New quality standards for spirulina, Brilliant Black PN and pomegranate juice are being proposed for the USP Food Chemicals Codex (FCC) 9th edition. [ + ]

According to Maria Said of Allergy and Anaphylaxis Australia, increasing numbers of people with food allergies mean food label standardisation is becoming even more important. Said will discuss this topic  at the HACCP Conference in Melbourne this August. [ + ]

The Australasian Bottled Water Institute has supported the ACCC’s position that bottled water products should not be labelled as organic. [ + ]

New research commissioned by AUSVEG will track consumers’ perceptions of vegetables. The research will be released as monthly reports, the first of which has just been released. [ + ]

Markem-Imaje has acquired thermal ink jet (TIJ) printing solutions manufacturer RSI Systems. The acquisition enables Markem-Imaje to offer TIJ solutions for printing codes that can be used for traceability, anti-diversion and promotional-coding printing applications. [ + ]

FSANZ is inviting submissions on an application to change the Food Standards Code to allow food derived from genetically modified soybeans. [ + ]

An acclaimed dairy expert has been announced as the new president of the AIFST. Dr Anne Astin was inducted on 14 July, following two years as AIFST president elect. [ + ]