Kikkoman Australia has become the most recent Australian importer to sign a Food Import Compliance Agreement with the Department of Agriculture. The agreement will enable the company to access special import agreements. [ + ]

A complaint against a 15-second television commercial for Devondale milk has been upheld by the Advertising Standards Bureau (ASB), which found that the commercial vilified a man of Asian background and Asian business generally. [ + ]

A new premium rice variety has been developed for Australia. Topaz rice will be available to rice growers in October 2014. [ + ]

With the rise of the supermarket in-store bakery, bread, cake and pastry manufacturing industries are struggling to hold on to market share, according to IBISWorld. [ + ]

Personalised medicine is making its way into the US, with blood tests at the heart of changes to the way consumers see their health. Canadean predicts that this technology will also shift into personalised diets. [ + ]

Researchers have turned the traditional 'first in, first out' approach to fresh produce distribution on its head, suggesting that a 'first expired, first out' approach would be more suitable when dealing with delicate fruits and vegetables like strawberries. [ + ]

The report ‘Healthy Dining Trends’ released by market research company Mintel, endeavoured to uncover what motivates Americans to eat healthfully. [ + ]

An inspector from the National Association for Sustainable Agriculture, Australia (NASAA), has become the first person outside of China approved to inspect to Chinese regulations. [ + ]

Pro Mach has expanded its bottling and capping capabilities by acquiring Pace Packaging. New Jersey-based Pace manufactures automated bottle unscramblers and orientors. [ + ]

Packaging manufacturer Sirane has invested in two new machines and additional manufacturing capacity to keep pace with global interest in cooking-bag solutions. [ + ]

Results from a four-year project on coffee wastewater treatment have shown that it is possible to generate energy, tackle climate change and protect water resources by treating discharges from coffee mills. [ + ]

Fonterra has been commended for its implementation of improvements after last year's recall of whey protein concentrate WPC80.  [ + ]

For many older consumers, seeing the word 'natural' on a food label tends to make them think it's more healthy, new research from Canadean shows. [ + ]

Small exporters, listen up: there's still time to apply for a rebate for your export registration charges for the 2014-15 financial year. The rebate covers 50% of export registration charges. [ + ]

US consumers are eating traditional snack foods, particularly snacks with a perceived health benefit, in between and at meals. This behaviour will drive the growth of snack foods eaten at main meals over next five years, according to The NPD Group. [ + ]