Workout Meals has launched a range of ready meals specifically designed for air-fryers, as Australian households gravitate towards the benchtop appliances. Food & Drink Business spoke with Workout Meals co-founder, Tomi Jurlina, to discuss the beginnings of the range and how the company has grown over the past decade.

Mars Food & Nutrition Australia is continuing to support Foodbank Australia in tackling food insecurity, with plans to deliver four million meals to Australians in need this year through pasta sauce brand, Dolmio.

Australian flour and bakery manufacturer, Allied Pinnacle, has appointed Anthony Ogilvie as its first head of Sustainability, marking a significant step forward in the company’s Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategy.

The Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) has appointed its first independent chair, Bernie Brookes. Brookes starts immediately and brings more than four decades of executive and board level experience in retail and consumer goods in Australia and internationally.

Inghams has confirmed that as of this week, Edward Alexander is the CEO and managing director of the company. The retirement of Andrew Reeves was announced to the market in December, along with news Alexander would be taking his place.

Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) has released its second Consumer Insights Tracker (CIT) report, showing consumers would prefer food labels to contain more and clearer information, and confidence in cell-cultured food is on the rise.

With food and beverage manufacturing the third largest energy user of manufacturing industries in Australia, the Australian Food and Grocery Council says funding from the Victorian government to help companies transition to renewable energy is a positive move.

As the 2024/25 dairy season draws to a close, Australian production is down in key regions and geopolitical uncertainty leaves the global market remaining volatile, according to Maxum Foods’ June Dairy Commodity Update and Rabobank’s 2025/26 Australian Dairy Market Outlook.

Welcome to the June/July issue of Food & Drink Business magazine. We catch-up on the latest for the RTD market with Lion's director of RTD and Spirits, Albertus Lombard, and furthering our Beverage Business feature T Garage provides its insights on natural beverages and opportunities for brands. And while winter is upon us, it is certainly not dampening the joy and success of this year's Hive Awards as our wrap-up and gallery attest. These stories and so much more are ready for your reading. Enjoy. 

FoodTech Qld made a welcome return last week on Queensland’s Gold Coast last week, its first time being held since 2022. The event drew food and beverage manufacturers, suppliers, and innovators together from across the country for two days of connection.

PepsiCo has appointed Alexia Horley to the role of chief executive officer for Australia and New Zealand Foods, taking over from Kyle Faulconer, who is returning to the US to take up the position of senior vice president at PepsiCo North America Commercial.

Four Australian wines – from Wirra Wirra Vineyards, Xanadu Wines, Barossa Old Vine Company, and Trentham Estate – have received Best in Show medals at the 2025 Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA).

The Supreme Court of Victoria has approved Treasury Wine Estates’ shareholder class action settlement, which had been announced in October last year. The proceeding was a consolidation of two class actions instigated in April and May 2020.

Australia’s Food and Beverage Accelerator (FaBA) is working with industry partner, All G, to scale up its production of precision fermentation milk supplement.

Suntory Oceania has appointed Johnny Morgan as senior marketing director for Suntory Global Spirits, effective from 1 July.

From 1 July, Treasury Wine Estates’ global premium brands division will be rebranded as Treasury Collective, as the business looks to bring all premium labels from around the world into one cohesive unit. It will be led by Angus Lilley, currently MD of Treasury Premium Brands.