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

Pact Group and Aldi are scaling up recycled packaging in Australia, with more than 19 million laundry and cleaning bottles annually to contain up to 50% Australian recycled plastic.

Allied Pinnacle has invested $10m across its Sydney manufacturing operations to increase capacity, improve production speed, and deploy automation – creating a more efficient manufacturing base.

Visy has invested $30 million in a new 2.8-metre-wide corrugator at its Smithfield board factory in Western Sydney, increasing board output by 33 per cent.