Arla Foods Ingredients has revealed plans to invest €120 million in a new lactose manufacturing facility in Denmark. [ + ]

Aspartame has been accused of causing a seemingly endless list of health conditions. However, a recent assessment by the EFSA suggests that the sweetener is not toxic at current levels of exposure. [ + ]

Coopers has announced it will retain its Celebration Ale as a permanent line. The product was introduced in 2012 to celebrate the brewer’s 150th anniversary. [ + ]

Queensland broiler chicken growers have received authorisation from the ACCC to collectively bargain with three major poultry processors in the state. [ + ]

Sweet Green Fields has been granted a patent in Japan for its proprietary high-purity stevia extraction process, the Fast Precipitation Process (FPP). [ + ]

Taiwanese researchers have found that people eating hot soup from melamine bowls excreted higher levels of melamine in their urine than those eating from ceramic bowls. [ + ]

Working with cleaning products, flour or enzymes can increase your risk of adult-onset asthma, a new study from Imperial College London has shown. [ + ]

APPMA has issued a gentle reminder that submissions for the 2013 APPMA Awards of Excellence are due in March. The awards recognise innovative and outstanding packaging and processing solutions. [ + ]

Introductions of foods and drinks making a high-protein claim are almost three times higher in the US than anywhere else in the world, accounting for 19% of global new product launches in 2012. [ + ]

The US Pharmacopeial Convention has added nearly 800 new records of ‘food fraud’ to its Food Fraud Database, which contains information about foods that are vulnerable to fraudulent manipulation in today’s food supply. [ + ]

McDonald’s take-away bags and fountain beverage cups will get a redesign in 2013, with packaging to include QR codes to give consumers greater information about its products. [ + ]

A few simple actions like buying oddly shaped fruit and freezing food could dramatically reduce the 1.3 billion tonnes of lost or wasted food each year, according to a new global campaign to cut food waste. [ + ]

The humble lupin is being hailed as Australia’s secret ‘wonder food’. The high-protein, high-fibre legume has an effect on satiation and satiety, which plays a role in weight management. [ + ]

We’re often told to eat our carrots to ensure good eyesight, but rarely does sweetcorn get a mention when it comes to eye health. A new variety of ‘superyellow’ sweetcorn could challenge the carrot’s reputation as the most eye-friendly vegetable. [ + ]

The Australian Diabetes Council (ADC) has welcomed the introduction of the new Standard 1.2.7 - Nutrition, Health and Related Claims, which became law on 18 January 2013. [ + ]