The ACCC will not oppose Woolworths’ acquisition of ready meal company, Beak & Johnston (B&J). The commission found the deal would not disadvantage rival ready meal producers as there were other retailers and channels they could access.

Northern Beaches-based brewery, Freshwater Brewing Co., says it’s using its equity crowdfunding campaign on Birchal to sound the alarm on hardship in the industry.

The Melbourne Royal Australian Distilled Spirits Awards (ASDA), which celebrated its 10th year in 2024, has rebranded as the International Spirits Awards, and opened up entries to international distilleries for the first time in 2025. Entries are now open, and close on 16 May.

Junee’s Licorice and Chocolate Factory, located in the Riverina region of New South Wales, has undergone a $560,000 renovation of its historic facility to extend its chocolate production facility and make accessibility improvements, funded by the New South Wales government.

Australian FoodTech company, Nourish Ingredients, and its partner, Chinese company Cabio Biotech, have successfully completed a commercial production run of the plant-based fat, Tastilux, saying they are the first fat company to achieve commercial-scale validation with a low cost of production.

In an exclusive with our stablemate, PKN Packaging News, Australian-based Zipform Packaging revealed its groundbreaking development – a paper bottle made from over 95 per cent wood-based fibre, containing no plastic liner, and incorporating more than 50 per cent post-consumer recycled content. 

Hort Innovation has launched its latest initiative, Australian-Grown Innovation, developed in collaboration with Startupbootcamp and Cluster Connect, and funded through its Frontiers co-investment program.

Cultivated meat company, Vow Group, has taken the next step towards Australian market approval, with Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) declaring the company’s cell-cultured quail meat safe to be used as a novel food ingredient.

Contemporary chocolatier, Koko Black, has acquired Melbourne-based Chocolatier Australia and its 5812 square metre production facility in Heidelberg West as the next stage in the company’s expansion.

Yowie Group says the recent tariff changes and a key customer significantly reducing its order means the company had to revise its FY25 forecast.

A food and beverage industry roundtable is being held tomorrow (8 April) in Alice Springs, bringing together freight and grocery stakeholder companies to discuss food pricing and insecurity in remote Australia.

The recent 10 per cent tariff introduced on Australian imports into the United States has intensified pressure on Australian food and beverage exporters. With the US being Australia’s fourth-largest export destination for agrifood products, this change has prompted concern across the sector.

Fourteen Australian companies have made the official 2024 FoodTech 500, an annual compilation of companies and start-ups that showcase entrepreneurial thinking at the intersection of food, technology and sustainability. More than 1420 companies from more than 80 countries had applied for inclusion on the list.

Australian entrepreneur and race car driver, Aaron Zerefos, has acquired Sydney-based drinks distribution company, Fresco Beverages – aiming to expand the reach of his existing brand portfolio, which includes Add Water, Ozone, Little Fox Coffee Roasters, C Coconut Water, Fiji Water and Milk Lab.

Australia's national science agency, CSIRO, has opened another focused Innovate to Grow: Agrifood program for 2025, this round focused on Western Australian small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) looking to advance through innovation.

Every participant across the food and packaging industry supply chain must ensure foreign contaminants are not present in the products companies deliver to their customers. Eric Confer from Eriez outlines the best practices processing plants use today to achieve the highest product purity and avoid costly tramp metal damage by using magnetic separators and metal detectors.