There are slight variations to the scheme in use by the  trialling authorities, so there is strong move to standardise the approach across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. This scheme will be based on six tier national scores. Scotland already has a two tier scheme, which will continue as it meets the requirements of it’s industry, consumers and local authorities.

The Scores on the Doors Scheme is based on the same principle as that used by the NSW Food Authority’s Name and Shame List, of letting consumers know about the hygiene and food safety of businesses, so they can make informed choices.
Whereas the UK scheme shows the scores / ratings of inspections, the NSW list shows those businesses that have not complied with their legal requirements.

Both systems are intended to improve food hygiene, and assist the public in having faith in the food industry.

For more information on the two schemes;

Name and Shame List - www.foodauthority.nsw.gov.au/penalty-notices/
Scores on the Doors - www.food.gov.uk/scores

A Plant Physiologist with the Agricultural Research Service, Sylvia Hua, has taken out a patent on the use of a yeast, Pichia anomala, to protect tree nuts and corn from these moulds.
By spraying the yeast onto the trees and crop, it competes with the mould for nutrients and space, In a study in a California pistachio orchard, it was found that it reduced the amount of these toxins by 97%, when compared to untreated trees.

According to Hua, the yeast can also be sprayed onto harvested or stored nuts and crops as well.

There is also evidence now be gathered during ongoing trials with this yeast, that it may also be effective against other moulds and microbes. The microbe that causes gray mould on table grapes may be one of these.

This is an environmentally friendly way of controlling some significant issues in these industries and with more trials, we may see it in use on all relevant crops in the future.

In late December, FSANZ initiated a Food Product Recall of Bonsoy soy milk, due to unusually high levels of iodine. Nine adults aged from 29 to 47, and one child, presented in NSW with thyroid problems. All reported consuming Bonsoy soy milk.

Iodine is needed for the thyroid gland to produce thyroid hormones. A healthy daily iodine intake is about 80-150 micrograms with a recommended safe upper limit of 1,100 micrograms per day for adults, and from 200 micrograms for 1-3 year olds to 900micrograms for 14 year-olds.

Daily consumption of a cup of Bonsoy soy milk could lead to a daily iodine intake of more than 7,500 micrograms at the levels tested. Chronic consumption of high levels of iodine may affect the thyroid and cause people to feel generally unwell. Anybody consuming Bonsoy soy milk product over a prolonged time who feels generally unwell should consult their doctor.

FSANZ advised people not to consume Bonsoy soy milk. Coffee shops, retail and other outlets should also not have continued using this product.

Recently, inspectors from the NSW Food Authority conducted an investigation into a café in inner Sydney after there was a tip off that it was selling the recalled Bonsoy product. Samples of the recalled product were taken from the premises and there is an ongoing investigation.

Steve Whan, the NSW Primary Industries Minister, said that any company selling goods that have been recalled would face a heavy penalty in NSW of up to $110,000 for individuals and $500,000 for corporations.

Recalls are serious and product must be withdrawn from sale and it is the responsibility of each food business to ensure it is aware of recalls that are happening.

FSANZ is the national co-ordinator of Food Product Recalls, and issues a Recall Notice when each is initiated. This notice is issued for free, and all businesses can go to www.foodstandards.gov.au to join the mailing list.

AFGC Chief Executive Kate Carnell has commented that House Brands are now starting to contain DIG. Around 180 of the country’s leading brands are now using DIG on their products.

“The DIG scheme gives people the information needed to formulate a daily eating plan according to their individual needs and activity levels. They show the amount of energy, fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt in a recommended serve of the food and what this represents as a proportion of average daily intake,” Ms Carnell advised. “AFGC and its retail partners will be rolling out user-friendly consumer education material in retail stores to ensure consumers know how to use the nutritional information to formulate a balance diet.”

This increasing trend shows that food businesses are recognising the move by the public for more information about the food they are buying and eating.

It must be remembered that all labelling aspects, including the use of DIG, are under review currently by the Labelling Review chaired by Dr Neal Blewett. For more information go to www.foodstandards.gov.au

Quick service chains have now introduced grilled products and salads as part of their menu and are heavily promoting them. In the US, the franchisees of one of these quick service franchises have initiated court proceedings against the brand owner due to the current marketing campaign for the healthier foods on the menu.

Studies being done in the US have shown that when presented with healthy options in a quick service business, there is an increasing purchase of the traditional menu items. It seems that simply having the healthier choice on the menu is making people feel good and they don’t feel so bad about purchasing the chips and other traditional fried fare.

Consumers are looking for businesses to sell healthier options, but are not necessarily buying them. This is backed by increasing sales of traditional fried foods in businesses that are now offering the healthier grilled options.

It is an effect known as “vicarious goal fulfilment”. A person can feel that as long as they have considered a healthy option, they OK purchasing the traditional fried food, because they have met their goal of eating healthily by thinking about the health food.

In research done by Gavan Fitzsimons, a Professor of Marketing and Psychology at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, several versions of a lab experiment reinforced this effect. Professor Fitzsimons said; “There is clearly public demand for healthy options, so we wanted to know why people aren’t following through and purchasing those items. In this case (during the lab experiment), the presence of a salad on the menu has a liberating effect on people who value healthy choices. We find that simply seeing, and perhaps briefly considering, the healthy option fulfils their need to make healthy choices, freeing the person to give in to temptation and make an unhealthy choice.”

If the options are there, it is really up to the consumer to make the decision about what to purchase but if we are serious about reducing obesity in our society, then the health options should be the ones we are actually choosing.

Private labels are also expected to increase in sales, due to the financial situation and strong marketing. This segment is actually low compared to that in Europe, where private labels hold a large section of many markets.

It is believed that the demand for more healthy and convenient options, as well as premium concepts will drive growth expectations. According to Global Food Markets, both coffee and ice cream are expected to approach, or even exceed, $A1 billion in market value by 2012 (less than 2 years away).

Global Food Markets is suggesting that the following are the sectors with the highest expected sales growth (percentage growth is shown in brackets) through to 2012;

1. Mineral water (19.3%)
2. Coffee (13.9%)
3. Ice cream (12.2%)
4. Cheese (10.9%)
5. Chewing gum (10.7%)
6. Chocolate confectionery (10.7%)
7. Sugar confectionery (9.8%)
8. Butter (9.7%)
9. Bakery products (8.8%)
10. Milk & Cream (8.8%)

The report from this study has just been released by Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) and is called “Last Night’s Dinner”. The study surveyed 1,421 people about the dinner meal they ate the night before and represented 1,007 meals prepared in the home and 414 meals eaten outside the home.

Steak and vegetables is the number one in the top ten dishes in this country.

“Last Night’s Dinner” gives all in the food industry an insight into Australian’s food preferences and their practices for main meals. Of particular interest is the finding that we are still eating together around the table and that we are cooking meals from scratch more often.

“Taking a look at Last night’s dinner gives the industry a better understanding of our consumers and what drives their meal time decisions,” said Andrew Cox, MLA’s consumer research manager.

“The results debunk some of the myths about what we are eating for dinner, and there is some great news for the red meat industry.”

“Australians are interested in expanding their cooking repertoires, and this has been reinforced by TV cooking shows and a strong focus on diet, food and weight in the media. That’s why resources such as ENTICE - MLA’s beef meals how-to guide featuring tips and recipes for consumers - are proving popular at the retail counter,” said Mr Cox.

The Report showed that the top four meals were;

• Steak and vegetables
• roast chicken and vegetables,
• spaghetti bolognaise
• beef casserole/stew/curry/stroganoff
Other findings include;
• Red meat meals include a greater number of vegetables on the plate than other protein options.
• Both lamb chops/cutlets and lamb roast with vegetables were in the top 10 dishes
• Australians are staying in with more than 7 out of 10 meals prepared and cooked at home.
• 63 per cent of meal preparers prefer to cook a meal from scratch.
• Women still do most of the cooking at home, but men are demonstrating a willingness to be more involved in the process. However, they are more likely to receive help and prepare fewer vegetables.

For more information - www.mla.com.au

“From 1 February, Coles will apply its lowest prices to more than 8,000 grocery products including meat, seafood, dairy, deli and bakery products across the country and the
remaining grocery products will be matched to our lowest prices in each state,” Coles Managing Director, Ian McLeod, explained. “Coles customers will also get the lowest possible prices on fruit and vegetables, as supermarket managers will have the ability to match the best prices for similar quality fruit and vegetables in their local market.”

The new policy will be in effect across the country, except in a few areas which have significantly higher transport costs. The move is being welcomed by consumers, but it will be interesting to see which products are affected.

It may also have a significant impact on manufacturers due to potential reduced purchase price. This may reduce margins and affect profits for these suppliers.
Woolworths is also moving in this direction.

We will need to watch what happens.

This is to give consumers an informed choice. A situation happening between the US and it’s neighbours is worth watching, as it may impact on our requirements.The US also has Country of Origin Labelling (COOL) on many foods including; beef, chicken, pork, lamb, goat, wild and farm-raised fish, perishable agricultural commodities, ginseng, macadamias, pecans and peanuts. This has created an ongoing dispute with Canada and Mexico.

One of the reasons for this dispute relates to meat from Canada. According to the current US COOL requirements, Canadian products must be handled and labelled separately by US meat processors.

This has resulted in many of these US firms excluding Canadian products from their businesses, which has produced a glut in Canada and caused prices to be depressed. Sales of Canadian livestock to the US were down 34% in the first six months of 2009, according to figures from the US Department of Agriculture.

The World Trade Organization (WTO) has agreed, after a second request, to establish a panel to rule on whether these COOL requirements violate international trade agreements. The panel is expected to issue the report by mid 2010.

Canada’s agricultural minister Gerry Ritz said: “This government puts farmers first and will continue to fight for fair and unfettered access for our Canadian producers and exporters. We are confident that we will win our challenge.”

The US government has released a statement expressing “disappointment” at the panel’s establishment, but added: “Nonetheless, we are confident that our measures provide information to consumers in a manner consistent with our WTO commitments.”

The report from the WTO panel does not require mandatory compliance, but if there is no action from it, the WTO can issue sanctions against countries that do not meet trade agreement requirements.

Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) Deputy Chief Executive Dr Geoffrey Annison said, “We welcome this funding commitment from the Government but the proposed measures don’t go far enough to safeguard the global competitiveness of Australia’s food and grocery manufacturing sector, which is a major exporter and employs 315,000 Australians.”

“Industry is doing its best to become more energy efficient. However the CPRS does not remove the global competitiveness issue for trade-exposed Australian-made goods which would still be more expensive on supermarket shelves compared with imported goods that don’t have a carbon charge,” Dr Annison suggested.

The requirements of the CPRS, once it comes into effect, are going to have an impact on all food businesses and therefore the consumer. The AFGC and others in the industry are concerned about the overall cost increase across the whole of the supply chain as a result of the introduction of the proposed Transitional Electricity Cost Assistance Program, which is a part of the CPRS.

For more information about the CPRS and it’s proposed programs, go to www.climatechange.gov.au