Alex Fileczki is the latest Australian packaging professional to attain the Certified Packaging Professional (CPP) designation. [ + ]

Is the UK is prepared for the most complex ever change to its food system, which will be required before Brexit? No — leaving the European Union poses serious risks to consumer interests, public health, businesses and workers in the food sector. [ + ]

More than 150,000 meals are served each year to personnel working at Australia's Antarctic and sub-Antarctic stations. Here is a quick peek at their once-a-year shopping list. [ + ]

Peppers, chillies and olives with a filling are classic Mediterranean starters. But until now, filling the little delicacies has purely been a manual job — a time-consuming and cost-intensive one. Automation technology now makes the process easier and faster. [ + ]

Fine Food Australia is the premier trade exhibition for the food industry. Showcasing the latest products, the event attracts buyers from restaurants, cafes, bakeries, retailers, caterers, bars, hotels and other food businesses from across the country. [ + ]

Machines and products will organise, steer and control themselves autonomously in the smart factories that are on the horizon for almost all sectors of the food industry. However, this will not happen unless the networking challenges are solved — and this is where smart sensors will come out to play. [ + ]

Proof of cold chain compliance is part of the HACCP plans for many larger-scale ready meal manufacturers, but the days of popping into the cool room with a thermometer and a piece of paper are well and truly over. [ + ]

Australian food and beverage products are increasingly competing at a global level, challenging local processors to ensure their products meet multiple standards for quality, nutrition, safety, environmental impact and shelf life. [ + ]

About 60% of foodborne disease outbreaks are linked to commercial caterers and eating establishments. Even though a large proportion of foodborne illness are avoidable, we are in a very risky business unless we can ensure food safety practices are followed. Infected food handlers are responsible for about 12% of all foodborne disease outbreaks. [ + ]

Implementing sorting technology can significantly reduce the risk of contamination from aflatoxins and foreign material, driving up food safety on the production line and offering a smart investment for processors and manufacturers. [ + ]

Mater Private Hospital Brisbane implemented a food service model that allows patients to choose their meals when they feel like it and found patients were happier with the food, waste levels decreased, patients' nutritional intake improved and the organisation's bottom line benefited. [ + ]

In Europe, the Funguschain project seeks to obtain mushroom-based, high-value antimicrobial and antioxidant components from the 50,000–60,000 tonnes of mushroom waste generated each week. It is hoped that the innovative and sustainable compounds will have applications in a wide range of products such as antimicrobial and eco-friendly cleaning solutions for household products, bioplastics for bags, film and gloves, or enriched food supplements for the elderly and sportsmen. [ + ]

Product names and brands often contain the word 'healthy' and 'healthy' is often splashed across packaging and advertising — but what does 'healthy' mean? [ + ]

There's a plethora of certification schemes that provide insurance for product claims, such as for: palm oil, sustainable fisheries, fair trade coffee and sustainable forestry — but packaging hasn't had standardised evidence-based schemes. [ + ]

Cyanotoxin contamination is becoming more common across the world as the toxin bioaccumulates in freshwater fish and other aquatic plants and animals. [ + ]