The news you need to know: May 2026

Welcome to PLAY, Food & Drink Business’ monthly wrap of the biggest stories shaping Australia’s food and beverage manufacturing sector. This month saw major acquisitions, executive shake-ups, industry awards, fresh questions over Australia’s research capability, and continued pressure on balance sheets across the sector. Let’s get into it.

Packaging News

As Australia’s packaging reform agenda moves closer to implementation, APCO is strengthening its leadership and operational capability, appointing Tom Key as COO to help drive the systems and delivery capability needed for the next phase of reform.

Federal ministers yesterday convened an urgent industry roundtable on plastics supply chain pressures, placing packaging reform and domestic recycling capability firmly at the centre of discussions around Australia’s food security and manufacturing resilience.

The Australian Beverages Council has renewed calls for urgent national packaging reform, saying global supply disruptions highlight the need for stronger domestic recycling and harmonised EPR.