In announcing the results of this year's Winewise Small Vigneron Awards, Winewise editor Lester Jesberg said, "The use by small winemakers of the screw cap seal instead of cork for their wines is turning into an avalanche".

Groundbreaking, innovative food and beverage products from New Zealand and Australia have won gold in four out of 12 categories in the prestigious 2004 SIAL d'Or food awards in Paris, with New Zealand winning three golds and Australia one.

From salting and drying to pickling and irradiating, humans have devised many ingenious ways of preserving their food from spoilage by microbes. The question of what microbes gain from making food go off in the first place has attracted less attention, but research presented at this year's British Ecological Society Annual Meeting shed new light on the problem.

A team of food scientists at Purdue University has developed a sensor that can detect the potentially deadly bacteria Listeria monocytogenes in less than 24 hours at concentrations as low as 1000 cells per millilitre of fluid. The sensor is also selective enough to recognise only the species monocytogenes.

A new food processing industry workplace resource - the Food Processing Industry AWA (Australian workplace agreement) Kit - has been launched.

Even pharmaceuticals are expected to attract attention with alluring wrappings. Most packaged products additionally carry both consumer and supplier information.

Graham Packaging Company, a maker of blow-moulded plastic containers, has unveiled a technology that gives users design freedom and flexibility in creating a packaging identity never before available in plastic.

Australia's first integrated food regulation agency and key seafood industry members have joined forces to make sure imported seafood is labelled correctly.

Companies that deliberately or accidentally dupe seafood consumers by selling them the wrong species of fish could be hit with hefty new fines as part of a state government crackdown.

Earlee Products has announced major developments in the ongoing commercial trials of its ham process - Schinkentec.

A rapid cooling technique - spray crystallisation - may result in ingredients with reduced freezing-induced damage and consequently enhanced functional properties, compared with those frozen by other techniques.

Organic materials from food industry waste streams will be converted into energy and value-added products such as biodegradable plastics and hydrogen using innovative technologies being developed at the University of South Australia.

Next-generation snack foods with taste appeal and specific health benefits are the first target of a new $18.4 million six-year research program.

Consumer preference for soft drink and bottled water brands is significantly influenced by whether the beverage container closure is clear or opaque, according to a recently completed independent research project commissioned by Milliken & Company, a provider or additives for plastic containers.

Despite the efforts of food retailers and food-processing plant managers to maintain a clean, safe environment, strains of the deadly pathogen Listeria monocytogenes can persist for up to a year or longer, according to Cornell University food scientists.