News

Market research company, T Garage, is using its proprietary Insight IQ tool and AI to better understand consumer sentiment. Partner and director of Strategy, Jed Simpfendorfer, and Research director Amanda Leigh-Jones, reveal their findings on what consumers want in the chilled dairy category. 

The City of Sydney has plans to expand its food waste reduction scheme in partnership with circular economy solutions company, Goterra. Since January, the New South Wales-first council trial has turned food waste from inner Sydney into around 19,000 kilograms of fertiliser and 6000 kilograms of protein-rich animal feed.

The latest data from inventory management software company, Unleashed, has shown export-focused Australian food and beverage manufacturers are maintaining significantly less excess stock, as the United States' controversial tariff policy unsettles the global market.

Rapid technological advancements and the growing presence of AI are transforming how consumers interact with the world, redefining their expectations – including the foods and beverages they enjoy. ADM APAC marketing director, Flavours, Zona Negri, delves into what to expect with flavours and colours.

Food & Drink Business Rising Star, Birds of Isle Distillery, has launched a Birchal crowdfunding campaign to raise $450,000. The funds will go towards expanding distribution and scaling its direct-to-consumer business.

Award-winning South Australian distillery, Prohibition Liquor, has closed its equity crowdfunding campaign, after raising $2.693 million from 1183 investors – becoming the third largest liquor raise in Australian crowdfunding history.

Former CEO and director of FAL Healthy Beverages (FAL HB), Efthymios (Tim) Xenos, has been found guilty of making business decisions while bankrupt, and using company funds to pay personal legal costs, in a case that has taken almost a decade to resolve.

Hang 10 Distillery was created by Deon Rowe and Marine Raynard after the ABC’s War on Waste series inspired them to find a way to tackle food waste by making sustainable spirits. Keira Joyce speaks to the pair about the road to making a world-first whisky with leftover sourdough.

Trending into 2025

Whether consumers are trying to drink less, eat more protein or focus on a more wholefood diet, understanding consumer behaviour is a key component for innovation, NPD, and growth in the food and beverage sector. Kim Berry looks at some of the main motivators in 2025.

Scientists from Hunan Agricultural University in China have developed a new strain of rice that emits up to 70 per cent less methane, aiming to tackle the 12 per cent of global methane emissions resulting from rice cultivation.

Food Standards Australia New Zealand has undertaken a second round of public consultation on its review of the addition of caffeine to food, closing 15 April, which will specifically target sports foods and consider the risk posed to sensitive sub-populations.

Dairy co-operative, Fonterra, is working towards its sustainability targets through new funding from the company itself, and through separate agreements with Mars and Nestlé, aiming to reduce emissions from its farmers.

Coopers Foundation, the brewery’s philanthropic body, has appointed three new people to the board. Coopers CFO, Brad Grunert, joins former South Australian Premier, Steven Marshall, and sixth-generation family member, Bec Cooper Webster.

Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, has appointed current deputy chair, Ming Long, to the position of chair. She replaces Kathryn Fagg, who has resigned after three years in the role.

Potato product manufacturer, Farm Frites, has selected a site in Dooen in Victoria’s Wimmera district for its first Australian production facility. The company’s Australian business was founded in 2016 and supplies the food service industry and quick service restaurants.

Queenslanders returned a record number of beverage containers through the state’s container refund scheme, Containers for Change, over the summer, with the program reporting several milestones.