The 2008 Australasian Milling Conference is excited by its positive progress and near completion for the biennial conference, to be held on April 14-16.

The Australian Institute of Packaging (AIP) will be holding an 'Introduction to Plastics' half-day training course in Sydney and Brisbane in March for the industry. Pierre Pienaar, a Fellow of the AIP, will be the course presenter, commencing in Sydney on Friday 7 March, and in Brisbane on Wednesday 26 March.

The initial stage of a review of New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) risk management processes is nearing completion.

'New England Australia' has just become the latest officially recognised Australian wine region.

The Australian Institute of Packaging (AIP) announced, on Australia Day 2008, that Emeritus Professor Harry Lovell has been awarded an Order of Australia (OAM) in the Australia Day Honours 2008. The professor has been recognised for his outstanding and significant contribution to business and commerce through the food and packaging industries, particularly as an advocate for education and training, with over fifty years industry experience.

Marketing may influence how often parents feed their children fast food, according to a study by Sonya A. Grier, an associate professor of marketing at American University’s Kogod School of Business.

Avocados Australia and Australian avocado growers congratulate both Dr Tony Whiley and Mr Ken Pegg for their tireless and dedicated work for the avocado industry, recognised in the Australia Day 2008 Honours List.

Demand for Australian dairy products is expected to remain strong throughout key Asian export markets despite commodity prices increasing during the past 12 months.

Australian organic meat exporters say their business could be bolstered by the US Food and Drug Administration’s recent decision to approve the consumption of food from cloned animals and their offspring.

Targeted foods have broad implications for the future of the food and beverage industry. As consumers are using diet to address health conditions, companies are responding by launching products with functional benefits targeted at specific health needs or population groups.

There is great news for Constar and its customer, ConAgra. A PET bottle with Constar’s DiamondClear oxygen scavenging material created for Hunt’s Ketchup has been recognised by the Institute of Packaging Professionals as the top sustainable package for 2007. In addition to winning the 3M Sustainable Packaging Award, the Hunt’s Ketchup PET with DiamondClear also won the Ameristar Food Category Award.

Nestlé Research Center, Lausanne, Switzerland, and Imperial College London, England, published a study in the January edition of Molecular Systems Biology expanding knowledge about the mechanisms of probiotic action on gut microbial activity and ultimately, metabolism.

EFSA’s scientific panel on food additives, flavourings, processing aids and materials in contact with food (AFC Panel) will soon branch into two separate panels, in order to increase further EFSA’s pool of expertise and to accelerate processes in a field where output is particularly high. EFSA expects the new panels to begin operating by mid 2008.

Research has found poultry and eggs to be the most environmentally friendly source of energy, compared to beef, pork or lamb.

New Zealand Food Safety Authority and the New Zealand Poultry Industry Association have developed a new code of practice (COP) specifically for poultry processing.