The AFGC has announced the formation of the Australian Breakfast Cerreal Manufacturers Forum, which brings together Australia’s largest breakfast cereal producers. [ + ]

RS Components has extended its global partnership with pneumatics and automation specialist SMC Corporation into Australia and New Zealand. [ + ]

IDEX has acquired Matcon Group for £24 million. IDEX will incorporate Matcon into its Health and Science Technologies segment. [ + ]

The New Zealand MPI has released a discussion paper on proposed regulations governing the National Animal Identification and Tracing (NAIT) scheme. [ + ]

Summit Machinery Services has been announced as the agent for FAM in Australia and New Zealand. [ + ]

Murray Goulburn Co-operative (MG) has announced its plans to invest $200 million in state-of-the-art dairy food manufacturing facilities for UHT milk, cheese, butter and spreads. [ + ]

Eating in Norway is not for the weak of stomach, with delicacies like smoked lamb’s head and salt-cured moose. But Norwegian researchers are upping the ante, deliberately creating food contaminated with deadly pathogens. [ + ]

FSANZ is calling for submissions on an application relating to WHO limits for chemicals in packaged water in the Food Standards Code. [ + ]

PaperlinX has announced its intention to acquire Christchurch-based Canterbury Packaging Limited. [ + ]

Colorpak has posted a net profit after tax (NPAT) of $7.6 billion for 2011/12, up 8.5% from the previous year. [ + ]

Billions of consumer packages flow from assembly lines every day, each one required to state the precise net weight, volume or number of pieces of its contents. To avoid consumer and legal issues that may arise if net weights fall below specifications, manufacturers often overfill bottles, jars, tubes, boxes and cans, incurring significant costs from unnecessary product giveaway. By implementing a robust statistical quality control (SQC) system, manufacturers can cut losses and enhance compliance. Mettler Toledo clarifies the benefits of SQC systems in its white paper, entitled ‘Package Quality Control - Net Content Control’. [ + ]

Urschel Laboratories has launched its new English website, featuring large graphics and simple navigation. [ + ]

PureCircle has received a Notice of Allowance from the US Patent and Trademark Office for its plant patent application for a new high-yield variety of stevia. [ + ]

Four of Australia’s largest food retailers have voiced their support for GS1 Recallnet and urged their partners to register to use the portal. [ + ]

An innovative packaging design has landed CHEP Australia a finalist place in the NSW Government’s 13th Green Globe Awards. [ + ]