Examination of more than 120 commonly eaten foods in New Zealand have shown that New Zealanders’ dietary exposure to chemical residues is not of concern.

Cadbury New Zealand is removing palm oil from its Dairy Milk chocolate and returning to its previous recipe in response to consumer feedback.

The first round of the Regional Food Producers Innovation and Productivity Program has been completed with 15 regional food businesses receiving a total of $6.4 million to fund technology and productivity improvements.

CSIRO has become the only organisation outside Europe to be invited to join HighTech Europe - a consortium of research agencies, industrial federations, universities and equipment manufacturers established to facilitate the uptake of innovative and emerging food processing technologies.

Research at Kansas State University's Food Safety Consortium shows that without proper precautions, washing floor drains in food processing plants could actually make it easier for any Listeria monocytogenes to travel from the drain to points on the processing line.

Australian companies are responding to the World Action on Salt and Health (WASH) drive to reduce the amount of salt in processed and fast foods. However, research is throwing up some interesting anomalies.

The Independent Investigator has made 57 recommendations for improvements to Canada's food safety system following the investigation into last year's listeriosis outbreak in Canada.

University of Newcastle researchers have achieved a major scientific breakthrough in the quest to protect crop longevity, yield and quality.

The Codex Alimentarius Commission has adopted more than 30 new international standards, codes of practice and guidelines to improve worldwide food safety and protect the health of consumers including parameters for the testing and monitoring of Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat meals.

Food Innovation New Zealand, a joint venture between the country's leading food research organisations, will facilitate greater collaboration between food researchers and lead to more innovation.

The New Zealand Food Safety Authority and the United Kingdom Food Standards Agency have signed an arrangement that fosters better links between the two organisations.

Australian Food and Grocery Council research shows that the number of food-related recalls in Australia has remained stable, with an average number of 52 recalls per year, since 2005.

Last November the European Commission voted to allow the sale of 'wonky' and misshapen fruit and vegetables in Europe from 1July this year.

The uptake of active and intelligent packaging in the foods, beverages and pharmaceuticals industries is expected to continue to increase as manufacturers take advantage of the smart packaging benefits.

The founder of food packaging and processing machine company tna, Alf Taylor, has been included in Engineers Australia's 2009 list of most influential engineers.