A new survey in New Zealand has revealed that over 80% of consumers believe the current requirement to label genetically modified (GM) foods should be retained.
The trans-Tasman food standards watchdog has called for submissions on an application to change the Food Standards Code to allow food derived from a genetically modified (GM) corn line to be sold in the region.
The debate over junk food ads in Australia has shifted base with the country’s pro-environment party calling for a ban on such ads on Internet and mobile text messages as well.
Concerns that an icy children’s treat being sold in Australia and New Zealand contains artificial colourings that are harmful to health have been dismissed by the region’s food safety regulator.
A survey of supermarkets in New Zealand has found that consumers are eating more tinned food as the cost of fresh fruit and vegetables continues to rise.
The Australian state of South Australia has called for a ban advertising of unhealthy foods to children citing surveys that found growing concerns about such advertising’s influence on them.
An Australian winegrower has launched a scathing attack on supermarket chains in the country and their lean towards private label wines, which he says is squeezing the industry’s profits.
Extracts from the New Zealand green lipped mussels may benefit joint mobility and reduce pain more than fish oil supplements, report researchers from Poland.
Failure to introduce reforms in Australia’s food and grocery sector now could see the country’s domestic industry become significantly less competitive by 2020 as falling growth will translate to job losses, a new report suggests.
Unperturbed by all the criticism and flak it has received from food manufacturers, Australian supermarket chain Woolworths has said that private labels are at the centre of its expansion plans.
The Green Party in New Zealand has said that mandatory country of origin labelling (COOL) for foods sold in the country would be one of its top priorities in any post-election policy agreement.
A gas leak on New Zealand’s upper North Island forced the closure of many food factories in the affected area, stifling production and increasing concerns for the country’s economy.
New Zealand’s first processed food innovation centre opened yesterday, marking the launch of a wider government plan to fulfil a gap in food research, development and manufacturing.
Calls for imposing a Denmark-like ‘fat tax’ in New Zealand defies common sense and would add a heavy financial burden on the common Kiwi, said the head of the country’s food council.
The Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) has said that operating profits of Australia’s food manufacturers are expected to fall by an average of 4.4% in 2012-13 because of the Federal Government’s carbon tax.
The Kiwi meat industry is in the process of investigating whether it would be feasible for it to set up an online trading auction to sell export meat products as part of its Red Meat Sector Strategy.
Australia’s top competition regulator has said that it would keep an eye on the country’s two top supermarket chains over long-standing concerns that they were wielding too much power in the country’s food sector.
New Zealand’s dairy firms, including Fonterra, are looking to buy up farms in India’s burgeoning dairy sector, but may not find going down that road free of bumps, a new government report indicates.
Coca-Cola Amatil (CCA) has opened two new blowfill lines costing AUS $35m at its Australian bottling facility in Adelaide, in a move that it said would significantly reduce its use of PET resin and energy.
Kiwi food processors are up against a new menace in the practice of “parallel imports,” in which local retailers are importing cheaper overseas versions of locally made food products.
A new online grocery site offers a competitive advantage for large-volume brand owners, amid pressure from the growing private label trend in Australia.
Consumer rights group Choice began its Campaign for Better Food Labelling last week by calling for a nationwide search to find food labels that carry dodgy nutrition claims.
Australia’s Premium Wine Brands and Treasury Wine Estates call on the government to reform the current value-based levies and abolish the wine equalisation tax (WET), as the country’s tax summit looms on the horizon.
Dutch food safety company Micreos looks poised to gain approval for its Listeria-fighting bacteriophage processing aid in Australasia after safety authorities there said they had no concerns about the product.
A German fund is buying up acres of New Zealand farm land meant for dairying, saying that its is extremely bullish on that sector in the country, thanks to the spiking demand from developing economies.
Australia’s controversial palm oil labelling bill may not be passed into law following new recommendations by a committee of the Australian House of Representatives.
The milk and processing industry in Australia will see industry revenue increase by an annual 2.2 per cent to reach AU$8.2bn over the next five years, a new industry report suggests.
Rumours have abounded this past week that buyout fund Pacific Equity Partners (PEP) is looking to sell New Zealand-based Griffin's Foods, a maker of biscuits, snacks, and confectionery products for the Australasian market.
Poultry companies in Australia are being taken to court by the country's competition regulator over what it says is “misrepresentation” in labelling of their chicken meat products.
Alliance Tuna International Inc. has entered into a joint venture with New Zealand’s Prime Foods Ltd and has a new subsidiary in General Santos City to import and process salmon.
The Australian Takeovers Panel has rejected SABMiller’s claim that Foster’s published “misleading and deceptive” information in its financial results last week.
A top food industry consultant in Australia has sounded an alarm on the declining competitiveness of the Australian food processing sector, citing the strong Australian dollar and supermarkets as the main reasons.
A prominent consumer group in Australia has come out in support of traffic light labelling in Australia – but a food industry survey claims the current system is adequate and working.
External pressure on its bakery division has seen food giant Goodman Fielder's earnings slip in the last year, the Australasian company said in its annual financial results.
A New Zealand survey has suggested that the country’s food labels are difficult to understand and lacking in detail – allegations that the country's food industry body has rejected.
A new report raises serious doubts about the future prospects of Australia’s dairy exports, citing various reasons why the country's production levels will not be able to keep pace with demand for dairy.
Global food manufacturer Heinz has for the second time in as many months publicly criticised Australian grocery sector – this time for creating an ‘inhospitable’ market.
Demand for gourmet yoghurt has seen a small yoghurt maker from New Zealand attract interest from a multi-million dollar player that would see its products on shelves in thousands of stores in Japan.
Volatile commodity prices, changing consumer trends and a saturated market are some of the key factors that have restricted Australia's snack food manufacturers, says a new report.
Two major food manufacturers in Australia have shut down factories under external pressures including the rise of the Australian dollar, high cost of raw materials, supermarket price wars and government policies.
Consumer groups have urged the Australian government to make alcohol health warning labels on liquor beverages mandatory to help reduce the harm caused by alcohol.
A petition filed in the New Zealand Parliament on August 16 challenges the Goods and Services Tax (GST) levied on food in the country; a tax that was first levied in the 1980s.
The recall process in Australia has received an overhaul after the introduction of a new service that is aimed at making the process more efficient and transparent.
The use of certain seaweeds in commercially viable food products could be a step closer thanks to a research collaboration with a top Australian university and Australian Kelp products, a specialist seaweed products company.
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) will continue a 15-year collaborative period with Australian food company Clover Corporation, by engaging in a new initiative to develop encapsulation techniques for infant and medical...
Australia-based Retail Food Group (RFG) will acquire the assets of New Zealand-based Evolution Coffee Roasters Group (ECRG) in a deal the latter expects will bolster its existing portfolio of products in the region.