Is increasing taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages really the key to curbing the obesity epidemic? According to a recent study, not really. [ + ]

Rob Baan, the mastermind behind Koppert Cress's micro-vegetables that taste like aniseed, oysters and citrus, will deliver a presentation about the innovation to Australian vegetable growers at AUSVEG's 2014 Produce Innovation Seminar on 19 June. [ + ]

Food labels are set to be scrutinised after Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce and Industry Minister Ian MacFarlane referred an inquiry into country of origin food labelling to the House of Representatives Agriculture and Industry Committee. The inquiry will examine truth and clarity in country of origin food labels. [ + ]

According to Swedish researchers, changing our eating habits is imperative if we are to meet the UN climate target of limiting global warming to 2°C. In the future, being green could involve eating less red meat and dairy. [ + ]

To avoid a clash with the end of the financial year, the deadline for registrations of interest in nominations for the NZIFST Food Industry Excellence Awards has been extended by one week to 11 April. [ + ]

Members of the review panel for the government's 'root and branch' review of competition law have been announced. Minister for Small Business Bruce Billson announced the three members and chair on 27 March. [ + ]

The cost of the $1.4 billion national Container Deposit Scheme will be shouldered by taxpayers, the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) has warned. [ + ]

pitt&sherry has been chosen to work on the $10 million Strahan Aquaculture Hub development on Tasmania's west coast. The engineering consultancy has secured key planning approvals and will undertake detailed design for the TSGA development. [ + ]

Five new members have joined the Indonesia-Australia Partnership on Food Security in the Red Meat and Cattle Sector, including two with extensive exporting experience - one of whom is a major meat processor. [ + ]

At the IFT's Wellness 2014 event, speakers urged food companies to change the way they talk about their work in order to enable the general public and the media to develop a clearer sense of the benefits processed foods offer. [ + ]

Nestlé has opened a food safety research centre in Beijing as part of efforts to help meet China's growing demand for healthy, safe food - one of the top three concerns among Chinese consumers. [ + ]

The federal government's decision to scrap an independent panel overseeing the proper use of breast milk substitutes has prompted calls from the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) to restrict the marketing of infant formulas in Australia. [ + ]

Baby food is booming, a new report from Euromonitor International shows. While baby food achieved 9% value growth in 2013, this was confined largely to the milk formula sector, which experienced a 12% value increase. [ + ]

Fonterra has begun construction on a new blending and packing plant in Indonesia. The plant is the company's first manufacturing facility in the country and its largest investment in a new manufacturing facility in the Asia-Pacific region in the last 10 years. [ + ]

The full program for the 2014 Australian Institute of Packaging (AIP) National Conference is now available. The conference, to be held on 17 and 18 June at the Sofitel Wentworth, has the theme of Packaging and Innovation Excellence. [ + ]