Two Japanese vertical farms have successfully trialled crops of lettuces and herbs grown under Philips horticultural LED lighting. [ + ]

The discovery of four new pathogens in Australian chillies has raised questions about how to improve quarantine and disease resistance efforts. [ + ]

A new Food Research and Innovation Centre has just opened at RMIT which aims to help Victorian food processors turn their ideas into innovative products and services. [ + ]

Alice Weaver, whose PhD was supported by the CRC For High Integrity Australian Pork, is the first person to be awarded an Industry Placement Program appointment under the South Australian Government's $500,000 funding to the Pork CRC. [ + ]

Research from the University of Adelaide shows Australian consumers consume superfoods for a bit of 'extra insurance' for their health, despite being sceptical about their value. [ + ]

Convenience meals manufacturer Easymeals has been fined $13,600 for making telemarketing calls to numbers on the Do Not Call Register and for calling outside of permitted hours. [ + ]

Research from Italy (where else?) has shown that, contrary to popular belief, pasta is not linked to obesity and is in fact associated with a reduced likelihood of general and abdominal obesity. [ + ]

Cheese sales are gradually declining, but some consumers remain highly loyal, according to research from Roy Morgan. [ + ]

Bureau Veritas has launched a digital service to help food retailers and restaurateurs manage food safety and operations. [ + ]

The food services and accommodation industry kept the Fair Work Ombudsman busy in the past year, accounting for 40% of Enforceable Undertakings entered with employers in 2015/16. [ + ]

The AIP will present a half-day training course on 'Owning It: A Creative's Guide to Copyright, Contracts and the Law' for Australians working in creative industries and running their own businesses. [ + ]

A study has evaluated the emerging technologies that can help consumers and exporters validate the authenticity of agricultural products. [ + ]

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has issued a warning to consumers about a possible link between Salmonella and rockmelons. [ + ]

Fonterra Australia is consolidating its Australian distribution network and six warehouses under one facility in Melbourne. [ + ]

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries will transfer the food packaging machinery operations currently performed by Nagoya-based Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Food & Packaging Machinery Co to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Mechatronics Systems, located in Kobe. [ + ]