Why are more than 20,000 people expected to attend Fine Food Australia in Melbourne this September? [ + ]

Water is absolutely crucial in the food and beverage industries on so many levels — as an ingredient; as part of the production process; and for cleaning and hygiene. [ + ]

With bigger beer brands acquiring craft and independent breweries, the definition of 'craft' beer is becoming blurred. [ + ]

Yili Weikezi's milk drinks feature the voiceprint of singer Han Lu, with a different audio message for each of the four flavours. [ + ]

Food companies are encouraged to invest in the expanding plant-based meats market, which is predicted to reach $5.2 billion by 2020. [ + ]

Instead of celebrating the role Australians play in maintaining the health and safety of our sea life for just one day, this will now be stretched over a week between 12 and 18 March 2018. [ + ]

Lab-grown meat may be more widely accepted than we thought, with vegans more open to trying it than meat-eaters. [ + ]

Spicy, bitter and salty are not words that usually describe yoghurt drinks, but those are three new flavours that Inner Mongolia Mengniu Dairy Group is introducing into its Zuo product range. [ + ]

Milk consumption is expected to increase 60% by 2050, but a study emphasised the sustainability problems this would pose. [ + ]

WA smallgoods and meat protein company D’Orsogna has begun construction of a $66 million, state-of-the-art 10,858 m² food manufacturing facility just north of Melbourne. [ + ]

As products derived from new plant and animal breeding technologies are entering the marketplace, Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) is keen to ensure that the Food Standards Code reflects community and business expectations. [ + ]

The online food delivery market in India is growing at a steady 15% quarter on quarter in terms of daily food orders. [ + ]

Heat and Control has opened a new facility in the US to fabricate Spray Dynamics' equipment. [ + ]

Managing Director and Group CFO of MULTIVAC Sepp Haggenmüller SE & Co Christian Traumann has been elected as president of interpack 2020. [ + ]

Well you can — and you don't even have to sneak in. The Australian Institute of Packaging (AIP) has arranged a site visit on 14 March. [ + ]