If there is a competition problem in Australia's grain trading, where did it come from? And what (if anything) is the government going to do about it? [ + ]

Mexican food processor Sabormex has turned its wastewater stream into energy by installing a GWE ANUBIX-B anaerobic reactor, an ANAMIX-T reactor and a complete biogas re-use system. [ + ]

Walk-in freezers can be energy-hungry at the best of times, but are even more so when they aren't well sealed. To make sure a freezer's insulation is working properly, thermographers inspect the insulation material with a thermal imaging camera. [ + ]

Integrating identification and inspection processes gives better visibility into the packaging area, which was previously a black hole, and an overall picture of what is happening on the production line, such as rejects per hour rates in real time. [ + ]

Are fish catches being accurately reported? Possibly not, according to satellite imagery from Google Earth. [ + ]

The increasing popularity of the 'hand-pulled' look for beef, lamb, pork and chicken has resulted in a research collaboration between Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) and Summit Machinery. [ + ]

Finally, some important physics - researchers have worked out why if you tap the bottom of a newly opened beer bottle it froths up and foams everywhere. [ + ]

Consumers and retailers could ascertain the freshness of the fish without opening the packaging if an RFID chip that measures freshness is included in the packaging. Consumers could then read the chip with their smartphones before deciding whether or not to buy. [ + ]

Baby food, dairy and beer manufacturing are leading Australian export prospects, according to market analyst experts. [ + ]

While growth is forecast for the canned fruit industry, its market share is being eroded by the growth in minimally processed and fresh fruit consumption. [ + ]

Coles, Woolworths and the AFGC have agreed on a ‘Food and Grocery Prescribed Industry Code of Conduct’ which is supposed to give suppliers a “fairer go”, according to AFGC CEO Gary Dawson. But will it? [ + ]

Urban Ecological Systems Australia is growing herbs and barramundi simultaneously - with zero effluent - in Western Sydney. And Coles (and a $1.9m Early Stage Commercialisation grant) has helped to make the low-energy, sustainable, organic food production system a commercial reality. [ + ]

The first Venezuelan non-refrigerated pourable yoghurt, called MiGurt, is packaged in an aseptically filled, 750-gram barrier PET bottle from Amcor Rigid Plastics. [ + ]

Innova Market Insights' Top 10 Trends list for 2014 reveals that sustainability, food safety, provenance and health will be the buzzwords of the coming year. [ + ]

SPC Ardmona kept it simple when developing a healthy snack alternative: fresh apples, sliced and bagged. The company engaged Emrich to devise a packaging solution for the new product. [ + ]