Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has improved its website, claiming it makes it easier consumers, the food industry and health professionals to find information about food standards and other food concerns. [ + ]

Diversified Exhibitions Australia (formerly AES), the leading exhibition organiser for the automation/manufacturing industry in Australia, recently announced the postponement of the Automation Business Forum 2006. The forum was to be an exclusive new business matching event set to take place in Melbourne for one day only on 16 October, 2006. [ + ]

A recent study by Leatherhead Food International revealed that up to one third of food packaging may be contaminated with latex and the latex can be transferred to food in some cases. In one unnamed chocolate biscuit, the latex was 20 times the level that instigates a reaction. The wrapper contained 85ng/ml of latex. [ + ]

With the ongoing debate over antimicrobial resistance and its effect on human beings, alternatives to antimicrobial growth promoters are likely to gain R&D funding support and consequent volumes of uptake by end users. [ + ]

A two-day symposium covering topics of relevance to the Australian food industry will be held in Cairns on 19–20 August. [ + ]

Australian and New Zealand agriculture will be in the spotlight at a forum examining the world’s ability to sustain food supplies through soaring demand, changing climate, land degradation, trade wars, health risks and regional upheaval. [ + ]

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has released details of proposed changes to the Food Standards Code and invited comments from individuals and organisations with an interest in the regulation of food. [ + ]

The report on the National Demonstrator Project for RFID/EPC technology was presented at July's Impetus GS1 conference. [ + ]

Indulgence and health trends are driving new confectionery product development, as confectionery companies target consumer demands for healthier pleasure. An analysis of 325 new confectionery products launched in January and February 2006 tracked by the Innova Database found that indulgent and premium (59 launches) and novel and fun (102) still scored highest in terms of new product launch positioning. News that Nestlé is looking to the inspiration of a chef for a new line of flavoured chocolates to be launched later this year indicates the giants know all too well that the primary aim of confectionery remains indulgence. Nestlé will use Spanish chef Ferran Adria to help boost sales of its Cailler brand of chocolate bars in Switzerland. [ + ]

A United Nations agency reported an annual 50% drop worldwide over the past three years in cases of Bovine Spongiform Encepalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease, blamed for causing a fatal degenerative illness in humans. [ + ]

This year’s ‘Aussie Cup’ TPM3 team competition is shaping up to be an international affair. [ + ]

Australian industrial packaging specialist, DSL Packaging is set to implement an entire corporate branding overhaul as it moves to adopt the new business name ‘Schütz DSL’. [ + ]

Foodtech Packtech 2006 is widely regarded as the most important trade event for New Zealand's food technology and packaging technology industries. [ + ]

The Microdefrost Model is a software-based product development tool for simulating and optimising heating and defrosting processes in microwaves. [ + ]

GS1, the organisation that locally administers the global multi-industry system of identification and communication, has announced a global sunrise date of January 2010 for all scanning systems to read reduced space symbology (RSS) bar codes on any trade item. [ + ]