A new food processing industry workplace resource - the Food Processing Industry AWA (Australian workplace agreement) Kit - has been launched. [ + ]

Even pharmaceuticals are expected to attract attention with alluring wrappings. Most packaged products additionally carry both consumer and supplier information. [ + ]

Graham Packaging Company, a maker of blow-moulded plastic containers, has unveiled a technology that gives users design freedom and flexibility in creating a packaging identity never before available in plastic. [ + ]

Australia's first integrated food regulation agency and key seafood industry members have joined forces to make sure imported seafood is labelled correctly. [ + ]

Companies that deliberately or accidentally dupe seafood consumers by selling them the wrong species of fish could be hit with hefty new fines as part of a state government crackdown. [ + ]

Earlee Products has announced major developments in the ongoing commercial trials of its ham process - Schinkentec. [ + ]

A rapid cooling technique - spray crystallisation - may result in ingredients with reduced freezing-induced damage and consequently enhanced functional properties, compared with those frozen by other techniques. [ + ]

Organic materials from food industry waste streams will be converted into energy and value-added products such as biodegradable plastics and hydrogen using innovative technologies being developed at the University of South Australia. [ + ]

Next-generation snack foods with taste appeal and specific health benefits are the first target of a new $18.4 million six-year research program. [ + ]

Consumer preference for soft drink and bottled water brands is significantly influenced by whether the beverage container closure is clear or opaque, according to a recently completed independent research project commissioned by Milliken & Company, a provider or additives for plastic containers. [ + ]

Despite the efforts of food retailers and food-processing plant managers to maintain a clean, safe environment, strains of the deadly pathogen Listeria monocytogenes can persist for up to a year or longer, according to Cornell University food scientists. [ + ]

In seeking to eat healthier food, more consumers are turning to vegetable-based meat substitutes that resemble chicken and beef. However, while many meat substitutes can be made to taste like beef or chicken, the texture is often mushy or flaky. A team of researchers at the University of Missouri-Columbia is helping create vegetable-based meat substitutes that are remarkably similar to the texture, appearance and feel of actual meat. [ + ]

The Co-op in the UK is using its loaf with the announcement that it is launching 100% degradable plastic bread wrappers. [ + ]

Developing retail packaging can be a minefield for marketers irrespective of whether you are an experienced campaigner with strong brands that offer leverage for newly created products or the new kid on the block with a great idea that will allow you to displace those firmly entrenched brands. [ + ]

WineTech 2005, the national wine industry suppliers' trade show, will again be held within the heartland of the Australian wine producing industry, Adelaide, in July next year. [ + ]