The first shipment of mainland Australian apples landed in the Chinese market last week, following the finalisation of a new trade market access deal last year.

Fonterra Co-operative Group has made permanent a shift to a market-led leadership structure, naming three senior executives as the dairy co-operative sharpens its B2B focus following the completion of its Mainland Group divestment.

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has extended the deadline for submissions on its assessment of Health Star Rating labelling. Interested parties now have until 5 July, with the organisation saying no further extensions will be granted.  

Australian food wholesale technology company, Fresho, has acquired UK-based ERP software provider Nation Wilcox, strengthening its position in the British food wholesale market and advancing its AI development strategy.

Northern Australian shipping and logistics company, Sea Swift, has acknowledged ACCC concerns its conduct may breach competition laws and will amend its transport contracts.

Australia’s first commercial circular economy solutions company, Goterra, has entered voluntary administration after being unable to raise enough capital to scale and operate efficiently. Daniel Walley and Martin Ford from Teneo have been appointed administrators.

Alcoholic RTD brand, Barry, has completed a crowd-sourced funding campaign of almost $2,765,000 through OnMarket, supported by over 1880 investors. The raise broke OnMarket’s record twice for single-day sign-ups during the expression of interest (EOI) phase.

Mondelēz International has marked the 50th anniversary of its Scoresby confectionery factory with an $8 million investment in new packaging technology designed to support future growth and manufacturing capability in Australia.

Ready-to-drink cocktail company, Curatif, has opened expressions of interest for its upcoming crowd-sourced funding raise through OnMarket. Since its 2019 launch, Curatif has become one of the most awarded premium RTD cocktail brands, and is gearing up for international and on-premise expansion.

The federal government has granted 10 companies a share of $4 million to enhance Australia’s agricultural traceability systems – including Y-Trace, Planfarm, CSIRO, LiveCorp, Australian Organic Limited, Blue Farm Intelligence, and the Queensland Cane Growers Organisation.

The Ben Buckler Whisky Company has appointed Kristy Bloomfield as CEO and co-founder, bringing senior leadership experience from Lyre’s Spirit Co and Sullivans Cove Distillery as the business plans for a major expansion.

Global flavours and fragrance company, Givaudan, is closing its Australian manufacturing site and moving it offshore. The closure will be implemented over 18 months and will see the loss of around 66 jobs.

Asahi Beverages has turned the first sod on a $150 million distribution centre at Redbank, south-east Queensland, the second site in a three-part national program to modernise its supply chain network.

Roma Food Products CEO, Sam Schachna, is stepping down from the role after leading the company for more than six years. The business will continue operating under managing director, Max Buontempo.

Trends and innovation in the global food and beverage sector are being shaped by a volatile economic and geopolitical environment, changing consumer lifestyles, and rapid advances in nutrition science.

Western Australian produce companies, Fruitico Pty Ltd and Fresh Express Produce Pty Ltd, have each paid the maximum penalty of $99,000 for alleged breaches of the Horticulture Code – which the federal government recently initiated an independent review for after almost a decade without update.