Industry News
Meat exporter moves into dairy powder processing
SPX Corporation has been awarded a contract by the Midfield Group to help establish a new dairy powder processing plant in Australia. The facility will produce both whole and skim milk powder and will also include an anhydrous milk fat (AMF) processing line. [ + ]
Liqui-Box receives innovation award for bulk food package
Liqui-Box has received the Silver Award for Technical Innovation at the 2015 FPA Flexible Packaging Achievement Awards for its FlexAsept bulk food package. [ + ]
Heat-tolerant beans a lifeline for developing countries
Researchers have discovered 30 new types of 'heat-beater' beans, which could prevent production from crashing due to rising temperatures in large swathes of bean-dependent Latin America and Africa. [ + ]
CHEP offers customers discount on CeMAT registration
CHEP is offering its customers a $100 discount on CeMAT Australia conference and workshop attendance fees. [ + ]
Egg whites plus plastic equal antibacterial bioplastics
Protein sources like albumin and whey could be used to create bioplastics with antibacterial properties, a University of Georgia study has shown. The antibacterial bioplastics could be used for food packaging as well as medical applications such as wound-healing dressings. [ + ]
Is Sydney the real coffee capital of Australia?
Melbourne has long declared itself Australia's most caffeine-crazed city, but the latest findings from Roy Morgan Research reveal that Sydneysiders are the most likely to buy fresh coffee. [ + ]
Krones delivers 100th shell-and-tube heat exchanger in seven years
Krones recently achieved a significant milestone: after commencing manufacturing in 2007, the company has delivered its 100th shell-and-tube heat exchanger. [ + ]
AIP fellowship announced
The Australian Institute of Packaging (AIP) has awarded a fellowship to Dr Carol Lawrence, an environmental and sustainability specialist at UPM Raflatac Oceania. [ + ]
Why hasn't the confectionery industry embraced stevia?
Given the increasing noise around sugar's ill effects on health, one would expect the sugar-free confectionery market to be booming. But this isn't the case: sugar-free lines accounted for less than 7% of global confectionery launches in 2014. [ + ]
Heinz and Kraft announce merger
H.J. Heinz Company and Kraft Foods Group have announced they will merge to become The Kraft Heinz Company.
[ + ]Aust/NZ packaging company announced as first international Empac member
Jamestrong Packaging Australia & New Zealand has become the first international associate member of Empac, European Metal Packaging, the association that brings together European producers of rigid metal packaging and their supply chain partners. [ + ]
CPP recognised as gold standard in packaging proficiency
The Certified Packaging Professional (CPP) designation is set to become the must-have achievement for packaging professionals, thanks to a new partnership announced by the Institute of Packaging Professionals (IoPP) and the Australian Institute of Packaging (AIP). [ + ]
Additives don't help plastics biodegrade
Several additives that claim to break down polyethylene terephthalate and polyethylene are ineffective in landfill and composting, a new study has found. [ + ]
AIP launches mentoring program
The Australian Institute of Packaging (AIP), in collaboration with Emberin, has announced the launch of the 'Drive Your Career' mentoring program, designed to support men and women to reach their potential in the food, beverage, manufacturing and packaging industries. [ + ]
Fast-food bans don't reduce obesity rates, study shows
It seems logical: limit the accessibility of fast-food outlets and fewer people will be obese. The problem is that, as sensible as this sounds, it apparently doesn't work: a fast-food ban in Los Angeles has failed to reduce obesity rates or improve consumers' diets. [ + ]