The news you need to know: August 2026

A billion dollar loss. A $3.5 billion dollar bet on Australian protein. And a reporting season that said more about manufacturing decisions than it did about margins. Welcome to the August edition of PLAY, your monthly wrap-up of the biggest stories shaping Australia’s food and beverage manufacturing industry. This month it is reporting season, foreign capital, a dairy business finally going to market, and a regulator saying no for the second time. Let’s get into it.

Packaging News

APCO, ACOR and Boomerang Alliance are calling for a nationally consistent EPR for packaging, in the wake of RPA's collapse and confirmation that no new Commonwealth packaging scheme will be introduced.

PKN’s latest print issue is hitting desks and landing in inboxes, bringing readers up to speed with the innovations, partnerships and industry achievements shaping packaging across Australia and New Zealand.

The voluntary administration of Recycling Plastics Australia has placed about 60 Adelaide jobs and a significant part of Australia’s plastics-processing capacity at risk.