Increasing personal wealth in developing nations is driving demand for processed foods, which will see global sales of food processing machinery reach $53.3 billion in 2016, according to The Freedonia Group. [ + ]

The latest AgTrends report from the Queensland Government confirms the devastating impact of the supermarket price wars that have resulted in milk selling for $1 per litre, according to the Queensland Dairyfarmers’ Organisation. [ + ]

Skye Naismith has been named the winner of the inaugural SCLAA Scholarship. Naismith is the general manager of Mt Gravatt Coach & Travel. [ + ]

Consumer watchdog Choice has criticised some food manufacturers for using brand names that imply naturalness and healthiness when their products are anything but. [ + ]

Sponsorship is now open for PAC.NZ’s 2013 Environmental Packaging Awards. The theme for the 2013 awards is Fast Forward. [ + ]

Dennis Mutton and Sandra Di Blasio have been elected to the Board of Directors of the CRC for High Integrity Australian Pork at its 2012 annual general meeting in Melbourne. [ + ]

Recent research has revealed what most of us suspected all along: fast food hasn’t got any healthier. Temple University research shows that the average calorie content of foods from eight US fast food outlets has changed only minimally. [ + ]

The Australian Waste & Recycling Expo Innovation Awards will reward forward-thinking waste and recycling innovations. The awards will celebrate products and projects that strive to perform beyond what is considered achievable. [ + ]

Cross-contamination is the theme of this year’s Food Safety Week. The Australian Chicken Meat Foundation has launched an online resource aimed at educting consumers about safe food handling practices. [ + ]

The global active, intelligent and smart food and drink packaging market is set to reach US$12.6 billion in 2012, according to a new report from Visiongain. [ + ]

Nancy Malik, a University of Technology Industrial Design student, has been announced as the winner of the AIP Scholarship as part of the 2012 Cormack Innovation Awards. [ + ]

Matthews Australasia has appointed Mark Dingley to the role of general manager of operations. Dingley joined Matthews in 1994 in customer service and was involved in developing iDSnet and its roadmap. [ + ]

A Norwegian study has found an association between allergies and triclosan levels in children’s urine. Increased levels of triclosan were associated with elevated levels of Immunoglobulin E and rhinitis in 10-year-old children. [ + ]

McDonald’s Corporation has announced its sales in the Asia-Pacific region are down 2.4%, with the company experiencing negative results in Australia, Japan and China. [ + ]

While Chinese might be Australia’s favourite ethnic cuisine, Australian consumers say they are less likely to buy wine and food labelled “Made in China”, according to recent Roy Morgan Research data. [ + ]