A New Zealand researcher has further dispelled the notion that gout is a Western lifestyle disease brought about by diet and affluence by discovering that early Maori settlers also suffered from the condition.
An investigation into Fonterra's buttermilk disposal practices has been launched in New Zealand in response to concerns about the size of a dumping site dubbed the 'Lake of Buttermilk'.
Demand from China has helped the Australian state of Victoria lift its agricultural exports by 5% in 2012-13 to a record A$9.4bn, a new report from the state’s government has revealed.
Philosopher Julian Baggini has been commissioned by the New Zealand Food and Grocery Council to give his take on the serious issues affecting the industry. Here, he looks at how alcohol abuse can be tackled by using the brain more than legislative brawn.
Australians consider food safety to be the topmost defining criteria when it comes to choosing the supermarket from which they will shop for fresh foods, new research suggests.
Murray Goulburn has challenged Canadian giant Saputo’s attempted acquisition of Warrnambool Cheese and Butter (WCB) with an offer that, if accepted, would create one of the largest Australian food and beverage firms.
A meta-analysis that found that vitamin D supplements have no beneficial effect on bone density has drawn intense criticism from Australian experts, who say the study’s conclusions could have “dire consequences” for public health.
An innovative new approach to sugarcane plantation weed management trialled in select Great Barrier Reef catchments have shown a dramatic 90% reduction in runoff of highly soluble herbicides into waterways.
People in at least one Australian state would welcome more government regulation on food matters for a better public health environment, a new survey has revealed.
Daily supplements of the probiotic Bifidobacterium lactis subsp lactis Bl-04 may reduce the risk of the common cold (upper respiratory tract infections or URTIs) in active adults, says a new study from Australia.
New Zealand’s prime minister, John Key, must be laughing on the inside following the friendly advice given to him earlier this week by the Chinese premier and broadcast by state media.
Australia and New Zealand’s red meat sector has joined a long list of food processing sectors that the region’s top food safety watchdog looking to standardise food safety requirements.
Food Standards Australia New Zealand has called for submissions from industry and the public an application to change the Food Standards Code for the countries to allow food derived from genetically modified lucerne.
Supplements of omega-3s may slow cellular ageing in older people with mild cognitive impairment, according to results of a pilot randomized clinical trial
Danone has confirmed that it is seeking around €200m ($270m) in compensation from Fonterra to cover the costs associated with the infant formula product recalls it ordered in response to the New Zealand-based dairy exporter's recent whey protein...
A consumer advocacy group in New Zealand has claimed that farmed salmon being sold in supermarkets across the country may not be as “natural” as claimed by the companies behind its production.
Despite two decades of increased agricultural productivity across the world, there has not been a corresponding drop in malnutrition rates. And now, two new multidisciplinary projects at the University of Sydney hope to address this challenge.
A unique collaboration in New Zealand between the government, industry and scientists has resulted in the birth of a new technology that is expected to radically change wild fish harvesting,
Fonterra has denied it has “any legal liability” to Danone in relation to its recent whey protein concentrate (WPC) contamination scare, despite being in talks with the French dairy giant over the possible payment of compensation.
New South Wales’ fair trading department has been asked to investigate potentially misleading free-range egg claims after consumer watchdog Choice found that consumers are paying double the price of cage eggs for what is says products that are unlikely...
Australia's Productivity Commission has ruled against putting in place emergency safeguard measures against the import of cheap processed fruits and vegetables as demanded by the local food processing industry.
Mondelēz International has appealed against the New Zealand trademark authority’s decision to OK rival Whittaker’s registration of its Berry Forest chocolate bar, despite protestations that it is too similar to Mondelēz's own Black Forest brand.
New government data has revealed that one in seven Australian schoolchildren are skipping breakfast, putting at risk their own health and perhaps also that of the country’s cereal makers.
Australians might have been developing a taste for wine over beer, but on the whole the country is drinking less alcohol, according to figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Scientists in New Zealand have for the first time discovered a genetic link between sugary drinks and the occurrence of the debilitating arthritic disease, gout, in men.
Warren Buffett famously once warned: “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you'll do things differently.”
By Katherine Rich, CEO of NZ Food & Grocery Council
“Thought leadership” is the new fashion for some corporates. It has been described by some as providing ideas that intrigue, challenge and inspire, but for others the phrase can sound more than a little bit Orwellian.
Powerful and influential food industry lobbies in Australia and New Zealand have set the two countries to fail in stemming their obesity epidemics, a new study has suggested.
The new chief executive of the Complementary Healthcare Council of Australia has used his maiden speech to call on the incoming government to invest making the country healthier.
A new study in Australia has suggested that people on a long term high-fat diet will find it hard to lose and then maintain their weight as nerves that tell the brain that the stomach is full could be permanently damaged.
Indonesia has approved a plan to buy one million hectares of Australian farmland in the country’s north in order to solve its own crippling beef supply problems.
A new study in New Zealand has revealed that up to a quarter of Kiwis aged 21 to 30 have a subclinical alcohol problem, which affects their daily life to some extent.
Russia has lifted the temporary import and distribution ban imposed on Fonterra dairy products following the New Zealand-based dairy cooperative's decision to recall three batches of whey protein concentrate (WPC) potentially contaminated with botulism-causing...
One of Australia’s premier health advocacy groups has said the country’s current labelling regulations for caffeinated energy drinks are unclear about possible health issues.
Australia’s peak body for beverage manufacturers has come out strongly against media claims that the country’s teenagers may be at risk with over consumption of caffeinated energy drinks.
New Zealand research organisation AgResearch has moved to distance itself from Fonterra's decision to recall three batches of whey protein concentrate (WPC), rubbishing claims that it "confirmed the presence" of Clostridium botulinum in...
One of Asia-Pacific’s leading authorities on natural food colours has urged Australian and New Zealand food manufacturers, marketeers and media to show greater leadership in converting to natural colours.
Australia’s Federal Department of Health has released a new discussion paper aimed at the regulation and availability of caffeinated energy drinks in Australia and New Zealand.
Fonterra, New Zealand and the Sri Lankan government have met to “discuss progress in resolving” the recent issues that led to the closure of all Fonterra Brands Lanka faculties last month.
Danone is reviewing its “recourse and compensation options” in relation to the Fonterra whey protein concentrate (WPC) botulism alert that led it to pull potentially-affected infant formula products from shelves in eight countries.
Beverage and packaged food wholesalers in Australia are being put under extreme pressure by the country’s dominant supermarkets, which have been bypassing them by going directly to the manufacturers.
Australia’s ruling party has committed to ending the long-drawn-out tussle between the country’s supermarkets and its food processors and suppliers to fix a voluntary code of conduct.
The world’s biggest manufacturer of Traditional Chinese Medicines (TCMs) outside of China has defended the quality of the sector as contaminated products continue to raise red flags with regulators in the UK, Hong Kong, Denmark and elsewhere.
