With its bottle-to-bottle recycling capability, Stute is processing its own PET waste and in future will also use non-returnable PET containers from its customers, using the decontaminated flakes as an admixture to the preform production process on injection-moulding machines. [ + ]

Long-life milk manufacturer Pactum Dairy Group has developed a state-of-the-art new ultrahigh temperature (UHT) milk processing facility at Shepparton with $950,000 in Victorian government funding - a significantly smaller amount than has been promised to SPC Ardmona. [ + ]

When SPC was asking the federal government for $25 million and the Victorian government for the same, it was reported that the mothership, Coca-Cola Amatil, was willing to put $90 million into the mix. With the ASX announcement of a new $100 million investment plan to assist the future of SPC Ardmona and the Goulburn Valley, I am wondering why has CCA dropped its contribution to $78 million? [ + ]

The development of oil-free emulsions is realising creamy mouthfeel products that are low fat or even fat-free. [ + ]

The plight of SPC has been front page news for a while; the media bemoans the fate of Australia's last fruit cannery and the viability of the entire Goulburn Valley. But not all first-world fruit processors are in such dire straits. [ + ]

TAFE SA has launched a world first in postgraduate studies with the Entrepreneurship for Food and Wine course offering flexible e-learning and commencement options, exclusive to the food and wine industry in Australia. [ + ]

The failure of Victorian fruit cannery SPC Ardmona (SPCA) to secure AU$25 million from the federal government has led to heightened fears about the future of the company and the Goulburn Valley fruit growers who supply it. [ + ]

When fitting out its new Ravenhall site, Melbourne wholesaler Flavorite Marketing had very particular requirements for its multiple temperature-controlled zones. Brady IPS was selected for the project based on its reputation of producing quality work.

An integrated packaging concept that guarantees finished products are packaged hygienically and efficiently is an important component in modern meat and sausage production. Innovative meat-processing plants continuously work to optimise production processes and integrate packaging lines into the overall process. [ + ]

You know, I don't blame CCA/SPC for trying to score $25 million in federal funding plus a further $25 mil from the Victorian government. After all, what company wouldn't like an extra $50 million? Cadbury in Hobart has been promised $16 million and the car industry has received billions - this makes $25 million for SPC Ardmona's appeal sound cheap. [ + ]

The federal government has rejected the bid by the embattled food processing company SPC Ardmona for $25 million, in a victory for the Liberal economic "dries" and "a marker" for industry policy. [ + ]

96% and a stellar audit rating did not stop a US rockmelon farm from selling contaminated melons that killed 33 people. How much responsibility should the auditor bear? [ + ]

Leading Australian poultry company Baiada Poultry plans to integrate a customised version of Battelle's software modelling program PRIA to help manage the risk of Salmonella and Campylobacter outbreaks.

Following the success of its Jammie Dodger biscuit, Burton's Biscuit Co decided to market a Chocolate Dodger version. Flexicon provided a conveying solution that copes with the difficult-to-handle powders involved. [ + ]

While taste, texture and mouthfeel are crucial to food enjoyment and acceptance, almost invariably the first way a food is sensed is by its smell. If it smells good we are much more likely to eat it. But it seems our sense of smell is much more refined than we realise - we can even detect dietary fat levels by smell! [ + ]