Hort Innovation's Factors Driving Horticulture Productivity report has revealed that high adoption of productivity enhancing innovation would benefit the Australian industry by about $1 billion annually in additional value added, reaching $22 billion in 2040.

Small business accelerator, Seedlab Australia, has released its 2025 Impact Report, revealing a collective $10 million in forecasted benefits for participating FMCG brands across Australia and New Zealand.

Irish functional beverage brand, VITHIT, arrived in Australia in 2018, with its all-natural, low sugar vitamin range of flavours. Now with new flavours and a local production team, Food & Drink Business spoke with VITHIT Australia director, Renwick Watts, about the functional beverage market and plans for the future.

The South Australian government has announced the Global Wine Growth Program, which will invest $3.9 million over the next two years to increase support for the state’s wine export industry.

From September 2025, New South Wales will transition to an in-arrears invoicing model for its Return & Earn container deposit scheme, aligning with practices in most other Australian states.

The Australian National University Agrifood Innovation Institute and Cellular Agriculture Australia have released the full program and line-up of speakers for the upcoming Made & Grown: The Future of Food event, taking place in Canberra on 21 August.

The global head of alcohol giant Diageo, Debra Crew has stepped down as CEO and as a board director “by mutual agreement”. Diageo chair, John Manzoni, said a formal search was now underway for her replacement. CFO Nik Jhangiani has been announced as interim CEO.

Global nutrition company, Arla Foods Ingredients has been granted exclusive commercialisation rights for its milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) product, Lacprodan MFGM-10, to be used in infant formula products in Australia.

Uncertain global markets and cost-of-living pressures have shaken consumer confidence in 2025, with the latest data from Circana showing promotions and discounts continue to dominate Australian shopping habits. However, the CommBank Household Spending Insights Index rose for the third month in a row in June, suggesting stabilisation is on the horizon.

The Australian Trade and Investment Commission is calling for stakeholder submissions regarding the Export Market Development Grants (EMDG) program, after the Export Chamber of Australia Incorporated (ECAI) raised concerns over updated rules in 2024.

Modular automation is redefining how businesses approach system design. As global system integrator, Cimcorp, celebrates its 50th anniversary of providing leading intralogistics automation, the company is outlining the importance of modular systems for modern facilities.

Intralogistics systems company, Swisslog, has installed a new warehouse automation solution in Victoria for global snack food producer, Mondelēz, as part of a $130 million upgrade to support handling multiple ranges of chocolate and confectionery products.

Sugar Research Australia (SRA) has officially opened its new Innovative Research & Industry Services (IRIS) Laboratories in Acacia Ridge, Brisbane with an event and facility tour for industry representatives taking place last Wednesday (16 July).

Commercial real estate agency, Cushman & Wakefield, has released its Frozen Logistics report, showing the country’s Cold Storage market is struggling to keep up with growing demand from the food and beverage, logistics, and pharmaceutical sectors.

Meat snack manufacturer, Link Foods APAC, has acquired Kooee! Snack Foods, as it looks to expand its premium portfolio across the Asia Pacific region. Kooee! makes high-protein, gluten-free snacks from 100 per cent grass-fed beef and natural ingredients.

The poultry company that supplies almost a quarter of the chickens consumed every year in Australia, ProTen, has been acquired by global investment firm, KKR, from Aware Super for a reported $1.3 billion.