Meat

Australian standards

Watchdog taking a quack at claims with action against duck meat co.

18-Mar-2013 By RJ Whitehead

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has indicated it will be focusing on the veracity of label and marketing claims after it instituted court proceedings against a duck meat producer.

Australian beef

Tough task to increase herd volume to make most of EU opportunities

14-Mar-2013 By RJ Whitehead

Opportunities for Australian beef in the European Union grainfed market are there, but the big challenge lies in lifting the volume of accredited supply. 

State of the industry

China poultry expected to rise above pork growth

12-Mar-2013 By RJ Whitehead

China’s poultry producers have long lived in the shadow of the pork industry, which remains the meat of choice throughout the nation. But now it seems that poultry is finally starting to develop in its own right.

Australia trade

Australia given green light to export lamb to India

05-Mar-2013 By RJ Whitehead

Australia’s trade department has announced that the country will begin to export lamb to India free of quotas, based on Australia’s compliance with India's food safety requirements.

Australian research

Heading to the polls with new genetic horn test for cattle

04-Mar-2013 By RJ Whitehead

The transition to a polled cattle herd–or one without horns–could soon be even faster with a new, highly accurate poll gene marker test from Australia that is due to become available this year.

Pork imports

Chinese call for additive verification baffles American suppliers

21-Feb-2013 By RJ Whitehead

Demands by Chinese quarantine authorities for a new layer of verification to make sure that pork imported from the US is free of a feed additive have baffled analysts and officials.

HK bans northeast German poultry

19-Feb-2013

Hong Kong has banned the import of all poultry products, including eggs, from certain German states with immediate effect.

China safety

Duck replaces mutton in latest food-swap scandal

05-Feb-2013 By RJ Whitehead

While European supermarkets and fast-food chains have been dealing with the fall-out of horse meat in burgers, a meatpacking factory in north-east China has been found using cheap duck meat and additives to replace mutton and beef slices.

Analysis

World looks to China for clues about global pork strength

31-Jan-2013 By RJ Whitehead

China will be a key indicator of the state of the global pork market in 2013 after the world, according to Rabobank. Nevertheless, China’s pork producers will still face a challenging year in 2013.

Meeting of minds

Kiwi government invests big in beef and sheep collaboration

29-Jan-2013 By RJ Whitehead

New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has been digging even deeper into its Primary Growth Partnership (PGP) fund to find significant funds for a new, NZ$65m joint development project between sheep and beef farmers.

State of the industry

Pakistan’s halal exports in dire need of certification

15-Jan-2013 By RJ Whitehead

With Muslim countries fast waking up to the potential halal exports hold, and nations scrambling to become hubs for the distribution of Islamically acceptable meat, Pakistan is lagging behind the pack but still has the potential to improve its standing.

Saudi sheikhs issue conflicting fatwas on halal preparation

10-Jan-2013

A noted Saudi cleric has told a Gulf television news channel that any food, apart from meat, that is cooked or prepared by non-Muslims is halal, and so can be eaten by Muslims.

Saudi bans Brazilian beef

20-Dec-2012

Saudi Arabia is the latest Asian country to suspend beef imports from Brazilian. It is now also the biggest country to stop purchases after the South American country confirmed a case of atypical mad cow disease in 2010.

Aussie lamb exports hampered by high tariffs

04-Dec-2012 By RJ Whitehead

High import tariffs and other barriers to entry are giving Australian exports of sheep meet a significant disadvantage across a number of markets on the world stage, a researcher has found following a long-term study.

NZ government funds beef carcass value programme

03-Dec-2012

A new innovation programme to look at how greater value can be generated from beef carcasses has been approved for New Zealand government funding.

State of the industry

Far East and America driving Australian beef dynamics

29-Nov-2012 By RJ Whitehead

Changing trends in traditional key export markets are presenting both hurdles and opportunities for Australia's boxed-beef exporters, according to a recently released industry report.

KFC China supplier denies part in chicken feed scandal

27-Nov-2012 By RJ Whitehead

A supplier of poultry to KFC in China has refuted claims in a Chinese website that it gives its chicken feed laced with large amounts of toxic additives.

Egypt cattle row provoking a storm in Australia

12-Nov-2012 By RJ Whitehead

In a move to calm an issue that is threatening to turn into a populist political bun fight, Australia’s Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) has issued a statement relating to cattle exports to Egypt, confirming that Australian animals...

Ridley takes on Australian BPL meat renderer

12-Nov-2012

One of Australia’s leading animal nutrients suppliers, Ridley Corporation, has announced it will acquire BPL, Victoria’s largest red meat and poultry renderer for AU$77m. 

Industry focus

Oz egg lobby slams moves to end caged egg production

26-Oct-2012 By RJ Whitehead

The representative group for the egg industry has hit out at a new campaign by a leading animal rights organisation against caged-egg production in Australia. 

Hold the greens, rural Indians now eating more meat and eggs

26-Oct-2012 By Ankush Chibber

Growing income is leading to increased demand for protein in India’s hinterland, but a shortage of supply is resulting in higher food inflation.

Report predicts tough times for Chinese pork

23-Oct-2012 By RJ Whitehead

While global pork prices are projected to remain strong in 2013, hog production and imports to China will once again remain wildly unpredictable.

Middle-class now China's primary consumer of beef

11-Oct-2012 By Ankush Chibber

China’s rapidly growing middle-class is driving growth in the consumption of beef and meat products, a new report from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has revealed.

Chinese must make tough choices on corn and pork

28-Sep-2012 By RJ Whitehead

The author of a report suggesting that China’s corn imports are in line to explode by 2017, today cautioned that the government will have to walk a tightrope in balancing pork prices with domestic corn productivity.

Thailand’s broiler meat industry under pressure, says GAIN report

28-Sep-2012 By Ankush Chibber

Chicken processors in Thailand will be forced to lower production over the coming years, according to a report from the USDA Global Agriculture Information Network.

China's corn import growth will have 'massive impact on world markets'

27-Sep-2012 By RJ Whitehead

Corn imports to China will hit 20mn tonnes per year by 2017, leading to major reverberations on world markets. This is the likely scenario if current trends in the country’s pork production and industrialisation continue, according to a major study.

Listeria-killing phage product gets FSANZ approval

23-Aug-2012 By Mark Astley

Listeria-killing Listex P100 has been approved for use in Australia and New Zealand, making it the first bacteriophage product for food safety to be permitted for use in Australasia.

US food exports jump 27% in the Philippines

22-Aug-2012 By Ankush Chibber

The Philippines has emerged as a top destination for US food and beverage manufacturers, says the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS).

Kiwi sheep meat faces EU blues, says report

06-Aug-2012 By Ankush Chibber

New Zealand’s sheep industry is facing export challenges, with European economic uncertainty almost certain to hit their prospects going forward.

Chinese challenges: Sparking growth in a slowing FMCG sector

26-Jul-2012 By Kacey Culliney

Manufacturers must refocus efforts on Tier III and IV cities in China and delve into e-commerce to re-ignite consumer spending in the fast moving consumer goods (FMCGs) sector amid a slow, according to analysts.

NZ backs premium beef

16-Jul-2012 By Ankush Chibber

New Zealand’s government has opened the door for local beef and dairy farmers to take part in a new initiative to produce high-value marbled beef for the premium segment both at home and abroad.

High frequency of plasticizer contamination in China’s food: Study

12-Jul-2012 By Kacey Culliney

Plasticizers occur more frequently in Chinese foodstuff than elsewhere in the world, a new study has shown.

Illegal channels to China a threat to New Zealand beef

09-Jul-2012 By Ankush Chibber

Chinese authorities are clamping down on smuggling ofNew Zealand beef and other meats into the country – although the mainstream New Zealand beef industry says it has little to worry about.

Codex ractopamine MRLs could boost global meat trade - FAO

09-Jul-2012 By Mark Astley

The Codex Alimentarius Commission has set new maximum limits (MRLs) for ractopamine in pig and cattle tissue in an effort to improve the trade of meat containing the growth substance.

New Zealanders eating less red meat: Survey

03-Jul-2012 By Ankush Chibber

New Zelanders are eating less meat than a decade ago, a new research report found, but are still eating on par with other major meat-eating nations.

Australian cattle exports to Indonesia strong in the long term: Rabobank

11-Jun-2012 By Ankush Chibber

Australia might have hit a roadblock in its beef trade with Indonesia but it is not going to be a long term obstacle, according to a new report from Rabobank.

Clean label starches and phosphate replacers: Ulrick & Short’s Asia focus

07-Jun-2012 By Kacey Culliney

Clean label starches and phosphate replacers are the key focus for UK ingredients firm, Ulrick & Short, as it enters the Asia Pacific market for the first time via a distribution partnership in Thailand.

Warning over cochineal extract in Japan

05-Jun-2012 By Ankush Chibber

Authorities in Japan have sounded an alert over cochineal extract, a commonly used food colorant, over fears it could trigger intense allergic reactions amongst consumers.

Chinese food scandals deal ‘blow to public confidence’: Study

31-May-2012 By Ankush Chibber

Repeated food safety scandals have dealt a ‘blow to public confidence’ in China, with a majority of citizens concerned about the nation’s food chain safety.

Sulphite safe foods in Australia?

30-Apr-2012 By Kacey Culliney

‘Nearly all’ Australian foods comply with authorised sulphite levels and this data will be used to compile dietary exposure estimates for Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ).

India issues antibiotic controls for food producing animals

10-Apr-2012 By Ankush Chibber

Indian authorities have taken another food safety action with newly issued regulations to govern the presence of antibiotics in food-producing animals.

Substantial scope to reduce sodium in NZ processed foods: Study

10-Apr-2012 By Kacey Culliney

New Zealand’s processed foods sector is contributing significantly to excessive salt intake in the country but there is substantial scope to reduce the sodium levels in these foods, a new study suggests.

Standards for exotic meat, wild game coming soon to Australia and New Zealand

27-Mar-2012 By Ankush Chibber

New regulation in Australia and New Zealand may see more exotic meats on the two countries’ dining tables, much to the joy of local food processors.

Malaysian Islamic authority to monitor halal imports from China

27-Mar-2012 By Ankush Chibber

Authorities in the Malaysian state of Sarawak have said that they will increase the monitoring of halal canned food products imported from China in the light of a recent scare.

Australian beef now under surveillance in Taiwan

20-Mar-2012 By Ankush Chibber

Taiwan has intensified checks on Australian beef imports after recent inspections by Taiwanese officials revealed the presence of growth drugs in samples allegedly from Australia and New Zealand.

Australia can become a ‘food bowl’ to Asia but reform needed: lobbyists

20-Mar-2012 By Kacey Culliney

Australia can become the food-supply powerhouse to Asia, but increased investments and reform across agriculture, water infrastructure and the country’s food and grocery sector are essential.

Taiwan’s growth drug findings are misidentified: Australasia

15-Mar-2012 By Ankush Chibber & Kacey Culliney

Australia and New Zealand say Taiwan’s growth drug findings lack proof of origin and are unlikely to be Australasian beef samples.

High prices and consumer demand underpin China’s pork giant, Zhongpin

15-Mar-2012 By Kacey Culliney

Stark price increases defined China’s largest pork processor, Zhongpin’s strong 2011 results but domestic demands are set to support the company’s 2012 expansion plans, according to the CEO.

Taiwan finds growth drugs in Australian and New Zealand beef

13-Mar-2012 By Ankush Chibber

Beef imports from Australia and New Zealand have come under the spotlight in Taiwan after samples from the two countries tested positive for growth drugs.

China’s beef industry lags behind, but holds opportunities: Frost & Sullivan

12-Mar-2012 By Kacey Culliney

China’s beef market, in its primary development stage, has great potential however reform is needed as it lags behind developed markets, according to Frost & Sullivan.