Mike Lightfoot has been appointed CEO of Milmeq after current CEO Matthew Wall announced his intention to retire at the end of 2012. [ + ]

Packaging trends and innovations will be key topics of conversation at the AIP’s first NSW Technical Dinner for 2013. [ + ]

The Australian Beverages Council, on behalf of the country’s energy drinks industry, has responded to the AMA’s calls for greater regulations on energy drinks. [ + ]

Demag Cranes Group has become Terex Material Handling & Port Solutions following Terex’s purchase of a majority share of the company in August 2011 and a domination and profit and loss transfer agreement in April 2012. [ + ]

Summing up the food labelling debate in Australia, AFGC CEO Gary Dawson likened it most appropriately to a piece of food that looks dry on the outside, but is hot and spicy when you bite into it. [ + ]

Archer Daniels Midland has made a revised non-binding proposal to GrainCorp to acquire its outstanding shares for $12.20 per share in cash. [ + ]

The Food and Drink Federation has launched a free guide to help food and drink companies identify and manage supply chain risks. Suitable for small and large companies, the guide forms part of an approach to sustainable sourcing. [ + ]

The VTT Technical Research Centre in Finland has developed a technique that enables the production of the PGA monomer glycolic acid from bio-based materials more efficiently than before. [ + ]

Ferrier Hodgson has reportedly received more than 100 expressions of interest from potential buyers looking to purchase part or all of the Gourmet Group business, which includes brands such as Rosella, Aristocrat and Waterthins. [ + ]

The Federal Government’s decision to establish and Anti-Dumping Commission has been welcomed by the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC). [ + ]

An international team of scientists has completed the first comprehensive analysis of the bread wheat genome. The analysis could help develop new strategies for breeding and improving wheat crops. [ + ]

The Foodplus program has been approved for co-funding from the Primary Growth Partnership. The program will investigate how to generate more value from beef carcases. [ + ]

The food safety sector looks set to boom in the coming years, with a new study from the Freedonia Group suggesting that demand for food safety products will rise 8.4% per year to $18 billion in 2016. [ + ]

APPMA has welcomed IDM Instruments and Lantech Asia Pacific as the association’s two newest members. [ + ]

Science writer Julian Cribb warns of a series of ‘tipping points’ - points of no return that the global food system will reach in the next 50 years unless there is a radical change to farming systems, cities and the world diet. [ + ]