Public hearings for the Senate Select Committee on Supermarket Prices get underway in Hobart today (7 March). There have been 111 submissions to the committee since it was launched in December to investigate the price setting practices and market power of major supermarkets.

Every week, Food & Drink Business editor Kim Berry reports on the latest news in the food and beverage manufacturing sector. This week: Senate Committee hearings underway into supermarkets' pricing and power, PepsiCo, Red Rock Deli, Pnau, Roy Morgan, RTDs and alcohol consumption, Gravity Drinks Co, Fonterra NZMP, Nestlé, Mother of Pearl Vodka, Frugalpac, First Nations Native Food Blockchain Workshop, consumer trends, and APPEX.

Victorian winery Fowles Wine has partnered with the University of New England (UNE) for a study on some of Fowles’ smallest inhabitants – the micro-bats that call the winery home – that could see Australia’s wine industry save $50 million per annum on pest control.

Beston Global Food Company says its 1H24 results were heavily impacted by higher-than-expected milk flows at historically high prices, with the seven million litres above forecast putting “inordinate pressure on working capital”.

In one of the more ambitious collaborations to come across the news desk at Food & Drink Business, PepsiCo has partnered with Australian band, Pnau, to launch Red Rock Deli’s new platform, Awaken your Senses, by releasing a track featuring sounds made by the ingredients.

After the Alcohol Beverages Advertising Scheme transitioned to a new Responsible Alcohol Marketing Code at the end of 2023, the regulator has released its recent decisions and warnings for complaints about alcohol products breaching the new code.

It is a common misconception that a thorough understanding of a factory’s operations equates to also knowing how best to solve any issues when they arise. Chris Sackett from CDE Design Solutions explains how to avoid this mistake.

Australians’ love of the ready-to-drink (RTD) beverage is at a record high, with the latest data from Roy Morgan finding “well over” one in five of us regularly enjoying them. While RTD consumption has more than doubled since before the pandemic, what else has changed?

Latest figures from inventory management software provider, Unleashed, reveal Australian beverage manufacturers ended the year with a strong $2.93 profit margin on each dollar invested in Q4 CY23. Food producers’ margins weren’t quite so rosy, at $1.87 per dollar spent.

Following the completion of its $1 million capital raise, better-for-you beverage brand, Gravity Drinks Co, has appointed Greg Mitchell as CEO. Mitchell brings industry experience to the role from his tenures at Coca-Cola Amatil and Carlton United Breweries.

From 6000 wine growers, leading viticulture and wine experts selected Australia’s top vineyards at the fourth annual Vineyard of the Year Awards. South Australia out-performed other states, with 18 vineyards making the final list of 41, recognised for innovation and sustainability.

Australian venture studio Blue Ocean Ventures says the goal of its first project, biotech start-up SHRMP.bio, is to build a sustainable seafood manufacturing system.

In an industry first, Fonterra’s ingredients and solutions brand, NZMP, has launched an online calculator to help customers access the emissions profile of individual New Zealand NZMP products.

Secos Group, producer of MyEcoBag, has been successful in a joint industry-university bid to secure $40m in funds from the federal government to establish the CRC aimed at solving plastic waste.

A challenging economic climate, political and social uncertainty and insecurity, and an enduring focus on health and wellness make for a powerful motivational trinity for consumers when it comes to deciding what products and brands they will buy.

Nestlé Australia says the $32 million investment in its Smithtown plant in northern New South Wales will install more energy and time efficient equipment to increase production capacity of Milo, Nescafé mixes, Nesquik, and Malted Milk.