Using low-calorie sugars as a structuring agent, researchers from The City College of New York have reported the successful transformation of vegetable oils to a semi-solid form, offering a potential alternative to trans fats. [ + ]

The Department of Agriculture has officially approved Life Technologies' MicroSEQ Real-Time PCR workflow as an Approved Test Method to detect pathogens in export meat and meat products. [ + ]

Australian-made Prosecco will continue to be marketed and sold under the name Prosecco, after the Registrar of Trademarks upheld an objection to an application seeking to register the Italian geographical indication (GI) Prosecco as a GI in Australia. [ + ]

Fonterra and Nestlé have opened a NZ$45 million dairy distribution centre in Brazil through joint venture Dairy Partners Americas (DPA). [ + ]

While consumers say they'll purchase free-range meat and non-cage laid eggs, their knowledge of modern animal production is too vague to translate to spending extra on these products at the supermarket, according to new research from CQUniversity. [ + ]

Increasingly, manufacturers are turning to natural sources for food and beverage colouring. Of these colours, red is the most challenging, a recent poll has shown. [ + ]

Submissions are invited on an application to change the Food Standards Code to allow food derived from canola which has been genetically modified for tolerance to glyphosate herbicides. [ + ]

If you want your product to be successful, don’t refer to it as 'natural'. This is the advice of food specialist Julian Mellentin, author of 12 Key Trends 2014, which is published by New Nutrition Business. [ + ]

The Health Star rating system fails on one significant count, according to AUSVEG: almost no fresh vegetables qualify for the five-star rating, despite their being minimally processed and beneficial to good health. [ + ]

Matthew Guthrie, a procurement officer with Queensland Health, has been recognised and awarded the Certified Professional Logistician (CPL) qualification by the Supply Chain and Logistics Association of Australia (SCLAA). [ + ]

Krones has acquired process technology company HST Maschinenbau GmbH. Located in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the company designs and manufactures homogenisers and reciprocating pumps for the food and beverage industries. [ + ]

Rigid plastic and flexible packs are poised to take off in the US, with demand expected to increase by 32.85 billion packs between now and 2017, according to a new report from Canadean. [ + ]

Advancing Food Safety (AFS) - SAI Global has announced the winner of its inaugural scholarship program: Emma McPherson, a laboratory technician at Lion Dairy and Drinks. [ + ]

Whether or not you succumb to infection by Listeria could come down to what’s in your gut. New research shows that germ-free mice are more susceptible to infection from the foodborne pathogen than mice with conventional intestinal microbiota. [ + ]

The ACCC is taking two egg producers to court after alleging that their use of the term 'free range' to describe their products misleads consumers. [ + ]