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Every three years, Australia's food and beverage manufacturing industry gathers at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre for foodpro – and this year Food & Drink Business was there as an exclusive media partner of the foodpro Industry Hub. In two minutes, here's a taste of some of what caught our eye across the show floor – the latest in processing and packaging, automation and robotics, food safety, sustainability and AI, and the people behind it. Read more
With foodpro just weeks away and the Hive Awards winners recently crowned, the latest issue of Food & Drink Business is a reminder that an industry grows stronger when it gets in a room together. Our foodpro preview, Hive Awards review, and wrap of ConTech’s 30th conference are testimony to that. There are profiles of foodpro exhibitors, a spirited Rising Star, industry news and so much more.
Welcome to the June edition of PLAY, your monthly wrap-up of the biggest stories shaping Australia's food and beverage manufacturing industry. This month we're looking at global investment, food tech, wine, innovation, and a strategic reset for one of Australia's best-known food brands. Let's get into it.
Our Top 100 2025 edition of Food & Drink Business magazine is more than the annual flagship Top 100 Report. Industry leaders reflect on the year past and the one ahead, we provide our annual news review, M&A wrap-up, and all the executive moves, and a Roman-inspired sports drink, Posca, is our final Rising Star for 2025.
Food & Drink Business and IBISWorld present this year’s Top 100 companies, a ranking of Australia’s largest food and drink companies by revenue. This year reflects a sector positioning itself for immediate term viability and long-term competitiveness.
An investigation by the ABC has uncovered alleged provenance fraud across major tomato products brands, with more than 22 per cent of tested samples not matching the claimed country of origin. Industry says the claims expose wider concerns over Australia’s inadequate food labelling and testing requirements.
One of Australia’s largest dairy processors, Lactalis Australia, plans to phase out manufacturing at its Longwarry dairy factory, before shutting down the site in the first half of 2027.
The National Food Council has released the key feedback gathered from stakeholders regarding the proposed scope of Australia’s National Food Security Strategy, announced in March 2025 and expected to be released in mid-2027.
In the final chapter of court action regarding the 2020 collapse of Freedom Foods Group, the Federal Court has found former managing director and CEO, Rory Macleod, breached his duties as a director and officer, and failed to take all reasonable steps to secure the company’s compliance with its financial reporting obligations.
Nestlé will spin its waters and premium beverages business into a 50:50 joint venture with Platinum Equity, as the group reported a 31.4 per cent fall in first-half net profit. Its Asia, Oceania and Africa zone, which includes Australia and New Zealand, delivered the strongest growth of its three geographic regions.
Gold Coast brewery, Black Hops, has entered administration for the second time, with an urgent sale campaign underway for the business.
Chocolate and confectionery company, Yowie Group, has posted a US$0.9 million (AU$1.3 million) first-half profit, reversing a US$4.66 million (AU$6.7 million) loss a year earlier.
From recyclable packaging and digital coding to smarter automation and AI-powered compliance, foodpro 2026 highlighted an industry focused on practical solutions to prepare for the future.
EXCLUSIVE: PKN reveals the winners and looks beyond the trophies to identify the key trends emerging from this year's award-winning designs.
Zipform Packaging's David Kilpatrick has been named 2026 Industry Packaging Professional of the Year, recognising his technical innovation and leadership in fibre-based packaging.
