Two more Italian tomato exporters investigated for dumping
20 January, 2015Vegetable producers and processors have welcomed an announcement that the Anti-Dumping Commission will investigate the alleged dumping of canned tomatoes in Australia by two Italian importers.
The great bottle battle - Coke vs Pepsi
19 January, 2015 by Chris Round, Caroline Judd, Simon Casinader*Coke took Pepsi to court in Australia, alleging that the release of Pepsi's glass 'Carolina Bottle' infringed the rights and reputation of Coke's iconic glass 'Contour Bottle', or its outline or silhouette. Read about the great bottle battle and how you can protect your shapes based on the Federal Court of Australia decision in The Coca-Cola Company v PepsiCo Inc & Ors (No 2) [2014] FCA 1287.
Labelling review recommends 'per serving' information be scrapped
15 January, 2015The independent review of labelling has issued a recommendation that proposes the declaration in the nutrition information panel (NIP) of amounts of nutrients per serving be no longer mandatory unless a daily intake claim is made.
Tasmanian organic certifier merges with ACO
08 January, 2015A Tasmanian organic certifier is merging with the country's largest organic certification body. Tasmanian Organic-dynamic Producers (TOP) has announced that it will merge with Australian Certified Organic (ACO).
Coles slapped with $10m penalty for unconscionable conduct
07 January, 2015Coles has been ordered to pay $10 million plus costs after being found guilty of unconscionable conduct in its dealing with suppliers. It will also be forced to establish a formal process to provide redress for the more than 200 affected suppliers.
ISFR document on complying with the Nutrition, Health and Related Claims Standard
22 December, 2014The Implementation Subcommittee for Food Regulation (ISFR) has developed a document on how to comply with the Nutrition, Health and Related Claims Standard (Standard 1.2.7) in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code.
Seafood country of origin labelling could extend to restaurants, fast food outlets
22 December, 2014Recommendations to extend seafood country of origin labelling to restaurants and fast food outlets have been welcomed by the Australian Made Campaign. The recommendations were made by the Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee.
COAG report rejects container deposit scheme
19 December, 2014The highly contentious container deposit scheme (CDS) has been rejected by a COAG report as being excessively expensive, vindicating arguments against the scheme made by an alliance of Australian food and beverage industry bodies.
Tasmanian vegie growers to collectively bargain with processors
18 December, 2014Tasmanian vegetable growers could gain permission to collectively bargain with vegetable processors Simplot and McCain if a draft determination issued by the ACCC goes ahead.
Coles owns up to unconscionable conduct
16 December, 2014Coles has admitted to unconscionable conduct in its dealings with suppliers in 2010-11. The company had vehemently denied all allegations of unconscionable conduct previously, but admitted to the conduct after reviewing the ACCC's materials and an internal investigation.
Fake honey producers in sticky situation
04 December, 2014A company that tried to pass Turkish honey based predominantly on plant sugars off as pure Australian honey has been penalised more than $10,000 and issued with an infringement notice by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
Egg stamping comes into effect in NSW
26 November, 2014As of today (26 November), all eggs produced in NSW must be stamped with a unique identifying mark so they can be traced back to the farm of origin should a food-poisoning outbreak occur.
Fijian ginger imports to be reviewed
18 November, 2014Import conditions for Fijian ginger will soon be reviewed by the Department of Agriculture. The review was recommended in a document published in January 2013, and had originally been scheduled to take place twelve months after the commencement of trade.
Proposal seeks to allow continued gluten-free claims on alcohol products
14 November, 2014Gluten-free claims will no longer be permitted on alcohol products once the nutrition and health claims standard becomes mandatory in 2016. However, FSANZ has put forward a proposal that seeks to ensure that gluten-free claims can still be used on alcohol products.
Growers were pressured by Woolies, despite ACCC findings, says AUSVEG
14 November, 2014Rod Sims says the ACCC has not found evidence that Australian growers were unfairly pressured by Woolworths to contribute a 40-cent levy per crate of produce supplied to fund a marketing campaign. However, AUSVEG maintains that these claims are true.
