Industry News
Devondale to open $60m western Sydney processing plant
Devondale has announced the location of it $60 million milk processing facility. The company recently confirmed that the new state-of-the-art facility will be built at Erskine Park in Sydney’s western suburbs. [ + ]
Teaching children to eat more vegies - voluntarily
Stanford researchers have found that teaching children the importance of healthy foods leads them to voluntarily eat more vegetables. [ + ]
Bio-based acrylic acid process achieves milestone
BASF, Cargill and Novozymes have successfully demonstrated the production of 3-hydroxypropionic acid (3-HP) in pilot scale, a significant milestone in the development of technologies to produce acrylic acid from renewable raw materials. [ + ]
Addressing the buzz around bee health
Grants totalling $550,000 are helping a leading international bee expert - along with local beekeepers - combat the global decline in bee health that threatens world food production. [ + ]
Sacre bleu! French consumers embrace ready meals
Market research firm Canadean says that meal kits are set to grow in Germany, while ready meals are expected to dominate the prepared meals sector in France. [ + ]
The GS1 Barcode celebrates 40 years
GS1, a not-for-profit organisation which facilitates collaboration among trading partners with global standards across 150 countries is celebrating its 40th anniversary. [ + ]
High-fructose, low-GI foods to ride wave of positive support
Products containing fructose-rich ingredients could benefit from recent positive support for low-GI diets and slow release energy, Taura Natural Ingredients says. [ + ]
Fonterra chooses Tetra Pak equipment for $100m plant
Fonterra has announced it will fit out its NZ$100 million UHT greenfield plant in Waitoa, New Zealand, with Tetra Pak processing and packaging equipment. [ + ]
Fruit growers benefit from energy-efficiency grant
An energy-efficiency grant could help Australian fruit growers reduce their costs by up to 20%. APAL has received $636,970 in funding as part of the Energy Efficiency Information Grants Program. [ + ]
Applications open for Premier’s NSW Export Awards
Applications for the 2013 Premier’s NSW Export Awards are now open. Several changes have been made to the Awards, including a brand new category being added. [ + ]
Repeated failure to declare allergens costs company $69,000
Failing to declare allergens in cakes has cost a Sydney cake manufacturing business and its director $48,000 in fines plus $21,000 in professional costs. [ + ]
Gruppo Campari acquires Copack
Gruppo Campari has acquired the business assets of Copack Beverage, a leading Australian contract beverage packer, for $20 million. [ + ]
Coles in trouble again over misleading labelling
Coles has paid $61,200 in fines after being accused by the ACCC of displaying misleading country-of-origin labelling on fresh produce in five of its stores. [ + ]
New CEFC finance agreement to benefit manufacturers
The Clean Energy Finance Corporation has committed $50 million in Energy Efficiency Loans (EELs) to help businesses improve their energy productivity. [ + ]
Competititveness and Sustainable Growth Report released
The AFGC has released the first Competitiveness and Sustainable Growth Report, which it says is the most detailed financial health check ever undertaken of Australia’s $110 billion food and grocery manufacturing sector. [ + ]