Secrecy in food R&D will spell market failure for some players, Dr Ad Juriaanse, NIZO food scientist, has warned Australian dairy manufacturers.

Understanding the market can quadruple the chances of a successful product launch according to Dr Ad Juriaanse, from food research company NIZO.

Amcor (Packaging) Australia has entered into an Oxbar patent licence agreement with Constar International, under which Amcor will be able to supply its Australian and New Zealand customers with PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles that have enhanced oxygen-scavenger protection.

Ready-to-eat vegetables, including pre-packaged greens for salads, have a short shelf life and are most often eaten straight from the package without the need for cooking.

In response to the increasing community concerns about childhood obesity, the Australian beverage industry has released commitments to assist consumers in making informed decisions.

A major outbreak of E.coli 0157 poisoning in which 500 people were affected and 20 people died, seems to have led to improvements in the management of food risks in the retail and catering industries in Scotland, according to ESRC funded research at the London School of Economics.

Marieke Saher’s recent doctoral dissertation for the Department of Psychology at the University of Helsinki analyses everyday beliefs about food and health. By these beliefs she refers to people’s ideas about whether certain foods are healthy, what might have caused a stomach upset or whether a medicine really works.

Chairman of the Australian Packaging Machinery Association and chief executive officer of Heat and Control, Jim Strang has advised the APMA Board of his intention to stand down.

Creative leadership for confectioners is the theme for ConBiz 2006, the annual business forum of the Confectionery Manufacturers of Australasia (CMA).

To maintain relevant Australian Standards, Standards Australia has embarked on a project to reassess about 2000 standards sectors that are more than 10 years old.

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) is calling for public comment on a proposal for the mandatory fortification of breakfast cereals, breads and biscuits by replacing the salt in these products with iodised salt.

Ipifini has introduced Programmable Choice-Enabled Packaging technology. The technology employs buttons on the container's surface that release flavours or other ingredients into the liquid. Flavour buttons allow the consumer to choose variations of the beverage at the point of consumption. For example, a programmable cola bottle with buttons for lemon, lime, vanilla and cherry flavours, as well as a caffeine button, allows for 32 potential choices of soda. The technology has tamper-resistant formats, which disable the buttons until the beverage is opened.

Brad van Dijk, VP Australasia of PepsiCo Beverages, has been elected as president and chairman of the Australian Beverages Council.

The Sustainable Packaging Alliance has received two Commonwealth government grants to support the development of its prototype rapid packaging environmental impact assessment tool, PIQET.

Owens-Illinois (O-I) has announced a NZ$78 million expansion at its glass manufacturing facility in Penrose, Auckland, New Zealand.