New Blog Site
February 6th, 2010 tannerCheck out Nola’s new blog. Here are the articles written in Nola’s Food Diary for The Cairns Post Saturdays The Weekend Post in The Weekender lift-out.
National Food Security Policy Needed
February 6th, 2010 tanner
A national food security policy is needed to help feed the greatly increased population predicted for Australia, says Growcom.
The horticultural body’s call follows release of the 2010 Intergenerational Report, which predicts an increase in Australia’s population by 2050 to more than 36 million, of which 22 per cent will be over 65 years old.
Growcom CEO Alex Livingstone said that the Federal Government’s response to problems outlined in the report had ignored a key requirement – that a larger population will need to be fed.
“There is no national plan in place to guarantee that arable land with suitable water and climatic requirements and adequate infrastructure will be available in the future to guarantee our food supply,” he added.
Livingstone said that the government’s determination to put in place measures to lift productivity in order to grow the economy was admirable but ignored a key consideration of investing in infrastructure that would ensure the population had access to economical, fresh and healthy food supplies.
“It is ironic that the report mentions the government’s commitment to investing in an improved vintage pokies hospital and health system while ignoring investment in the cheapest form of improving overall health of the population – access to a healthy diet,” he said.
“The report refers to the need for investment in key infrastructure. The government’s commitment of $3.4 billion to the road network including the major freight route between Melbourne and Cairns is clearly admirable in securing the economic delivery of fresh food to high density population centres. However, the need for all weather roads throughout regional centres engaged in food production is also vital in delivering fresh food to markets,” he said.
“Moreover, the report outlines the federal government’s commitment to increased investment in education and skills and in boosting labour force participation through programs to retrain and re-skill mature age participants. Horticulture’s need for a secure and reliable labour supply in the years ahead must not be overlooked in this agenda.”
Livingstone urged the government to refrain from increasing the tax burden on productive sectors such as horticulture which was an important source of employment and flow-on economic benefits in regional Australia.
Source: Growcom
Eco Bananas have an International Win
February 6th, 2010 tannerEco Bananas forces Fyffes to withdraw from Innovation Award
Trademark action by Australian Eco Bananas has forced a large European company to withdraw its nomination for a major international innovation award.
Fyffes of Germany was one of 10 companies who nominated for the Fruit Logistica Innovation Award (FLIA) 2010 in recognition of outstanding innovation in products and services.
The competition is open to all companies exhibiting at Fruit Logistica and Freshconex 2010, which have commercially introduced an exceptional innovation to the market in the period from 1 November 2008 till 31 October 2009.
Fyffes, which is one of the largest tropical produce importers and distributors in Europe, based their nomination for innovation on waxing the tip of their bananas to identify their organic status. They claimed ‘The green wax tip of Fyffes Organic Bananas is an innovative, unmistakable and at the same time attractive indication of the organic, environmentally friendly origin of this product’.
But Pacific Coast Eco Bananas, an Australian company based in North Queensland, created and developed the innovation of the wax tip banana to identity their eco-banana product more than 10 years ago. A spokesperson for the company, Dianne Sciacca, said: âWe immediately sought legal counselâ.
After receiving evidence of Australian and Overseas trademarks and supporting information Fyffe has now withdrawn their entry from the awards. âTheir withdrawal from the award is a satisfactory outcome for our company and eco products, and confirms the value of international trademarks system,â said Sciacca.
Freshlogic director Martin Kneebone said that the wax tip is a highly effective way of conveying eco, organic and environmentally friendly benefits to consumers and that is why Pacific Coast Eco field ongoing commercial enquiries to use this innovation with other fruits and foods. However, they also recognise its long term viability is linked to the adoption of robust production systems that ensure the claimed benefits are delivered.
Source: foodweek
A Chefs Tour In Search of Local Produce
February 6th, 2010 tanner
16 chefs from some of the best restaurants in Tropical North Queensland ventured out in search of local food products when they join the Chef’s Tour of the Cassowary Coast this week.
The chef’s tour was organised by Australian Tropical Foods and is part of a project initiated by Advance Cairns, and funded by the Queensland Government Department of Education Economic Development & Innovation, to raise awareness of the diversity of the TNQ region’s food in an effort to get more local produce onto the menus in restaurants in Cairns, Palm Cove and Port Douglas.
During the full-day tour of the Cassowary Coast, the group travelled from Cairns to Silkwood visiting an organic vanilla Pokies plantation, bio-dynamic poultry farm, exotic fruit orchard, tea plantation, pepper and tumeric farm, eco banana plantation, winery and various other properties.
Tour guide and Advance Cairns Food Project Officer Nola Craig, said the tour was the second of its kind, with a Chefs Tour of the Tablelands last December proving highly successful. “The response from both the chefs and the producers were very positive, with the first tour being the catalyst for two additional tours,” Ms Craig said.
For more photographs of the tour go to Chefs Tour of the Cassowary Coast
If you are interested in participating in the next Chef’s Tour as a producer or a chef, contact Nola Craig
100 Greatest Australian Gourmet Experiences
January 27th, 2010 tannerAustralian Traveller Magazine is seeking nominations to put before its panel of experts for the upcoming special issue “100 Greatest Australian Gourmet Experiences”.
Our Panel of Judges includes Maggie Beer, James Halliday, Simon Johnson, Matt Moran, Jacques Reymond, Michael Ryan, Alla Wolf-Tasker and Peter Russell-Clarke, and at this point all quality Australian foodie experiences will be considered for the nomination process.
Along with top-shelf experiences of the “Dining at Tetsuya’s” variety, we Online Pokies would also like to hear about plenty of local, homegrown and obscure material — real experiental stuff along the lines of “shucking oysters on Constitution Dock as the Sydney to Hobart yachts rolls in”, or “scoffing a fresh scallop pie at the bakery in Ross”, or even “eating a pie and sauce using only one hand at the Boxing Day Test at the MCG”.
Nomination Forms can be downloaded at www.australiantraveller.com/100gourmetnominationsor email lisap@australiantraveller.com
Tasting Australia
January 13th, 2010 tanner
Rub shoulders with the tastiest celebrities
29 April – 6 May 2010
As the premier festival of its kind in the country, Tasting Australia attracts world-renowned chefs, winemakers, sommeliers, brewers and restaurateurs. This is a great opportunity to enjoy some 40 different events including demonstrations, tastings and classes. International stars such as the legendary Antonio Carluccio, Antony Worrall Thompson, Richard Fox, Neil Morrissey, Paul Rankin, Rosemary Shrager are coming.
Shannon Bennett, Maeve O’Meara, Ben O’Donoghue, Pete Evans and Simon Bryant are just some of the big Australian names on the menu at Tasting Australia.
For more information: http://www.tasting-australia.com.au/home
Down Under to discover health benefits of food
January 13th, 2010 tannerQueensland Government
Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation
Media Release
13 January 2010
Mallory, Anouk and Elodie are three French students studying food science at DEEDI’s Hamilton Research Station
You’d expect a long itinerary for young adventurers to Australia, but three French students have their sights set on attractions beyond the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Mallory Le Boulanger, Elodie Le Roux and Anouk Besson are on industry placements at the Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation’s (DEEDI) Hamilton Research Station, hoping to help uncover the health benefits of selected fruits, vegetables and nuts.
DEEDI biochemist Dr Kent Fanning said the students had been working on interesting projects to enrich their knowledge of ‘functional foods’.
“Mallory is working as part of a team to analyse carotenoids in Queensland vegetables, fruits and nuts,” he said.
“Carotenoids are a class of naturally occurring pigments that may increase the health benefits gained from the foods in which they are contained.
“Significant consumption of carotenoids has been associated with reduced incidence of a variety of cancers, heart disease and certain eye conditions.”
Elodie is part of a team developing methods for the extraction of a particular phytochemical (naturally occurring compound in plants), Camptothecin, from plant material.
Camptothecin is already registered for clinical use in the treatment of a range of cancers.
Anouk is working on a project to separate bioactive (extra-nutritional) compounds from tropical juices, such as plum, to incorporate them into value-added, premium-quality health drinks, food supplements and nutraceuticals.
Dr Fanning said the students were all undertaking degrees in food processing at the Institut National Superieur de Formation Agroalimentaire in Rennes, France.
“This training is a requirement of their course where a laboratory research project has to be undertaken in an organisation abroad to improve English language skills and to learn about project organisation,” Dr Fanning said.
“They have been with us since September last year and will finish up with us here this month.”
Mallory said she was intrigued by DEEDI’s Innovative Food Technologies unit because of the potential to learn more about food’s ability to balance health.
“I am interested in working in the area of health and dietary intake, and I feel the projects on vegetables’ properties against obesity, or zeaxanthin from corn to protect age-related macula degeneration, can teach me a lot,” she said.
“Moreover, it is a safe structure for me to do my practice here. Training abroad for foreign students is not always easy.
“Most of the time, units accept you but don’t give you responsibility. Here, I feel they want to teach me something. I have a real project and some results to achieve. I have an aim to motivate me.
“Previous students in my school have been working at Primary Industries and Fisheries and that made us want to come here.
“They spoke about projects that were interesting, and the staff created a good working atmosphere.
“Thus, I could associate my two aims: doing an attractive training course whilst discovering an unknown country.”
For more information on DEEDI’s research into the potential health benefits of functional foods visit http://www.deedi.qld.gov.au
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COMMERCIALISATION AUSTRALIA ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
January 11th, 2010 tanner
Monday, 4 January 2010
Commercialisation Australia – the Rudd Government’s $196 million radical new support initiative for home-grown innovation – is now open to receive applications.
“I call on all innovators wishing to bring their product to the marketplace to apply for tailored, hands-on assistance from Commercialisation Australia” said Senator Kim Carr, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research.
“The first step for potential applicants is to visit the new Commercialisation Australia website and fill-in a pre-application checklist.
“Commercialisation Australia is a merit-based, competitive assistance program and will support applications with the strongest commercial potential.
“It has a broad national reach with case managers based in states and territories across Australia offering tailored advice to successful applicants.
“There is no deadline for submitting an application to Commercialisation Australia. Innovators can now access assistance when they need it.
“Bridging the gap between research and successful commercial reality can be difficult.
“From today, Commercialisation Australia will work to facilitate this critical process and support high-wage, high-skill local jobs.”
Commercialisation Australia will assist researchers, entrepreneurs and innovative firms to commercialise their ideas, offering grants on a co-contribution basis including:
- Up to $50,000 to pay for specialist advice and services;
- Up to $200,000 over two years to engage experienced executives;
- Proof of Concept grants up to $250,000 to test the commercial viability of a new product, process or service; and
- Early Stage Commercialisation repayable grants up to $2 million to develop a new product, process or service to the stage where it can be taken to market.
The pre-application checklist, details on eligibility and merit criteria can be found at www.commercialisationaustralia.gov.au or by calling the Commercialisation Australia Hotline on 13 22 56.
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The Queensland Chef 2009-2010
January 11th, 2010 tanner
As part of the Queensland Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation’s Gourmet Food Project, the current Queensland Chef, David Pugh, is blogging to showcase the best of Queensland produce including tropical foods. The blog includes information and recipes on key, seasonal ingredients.
The role of the Queensland Chef is to work with Primary Industries and Fisheries to profile Queensland produce, industries and primary producers. This blog is aimed at consumers, especially those more innovative food followers, however, on a broader level the Gourmet Food Project has opportunities for chefs, growers and producers to network and get involved in promoting quality regional produce to a wider market.
For more information, contact:
Kaye Nunan
Principal Food Industry Development Officer
Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries
Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation
Telephone: 07 3239 3254 Facsimile: 07 3239 3504
Email: kaye.nunan@deedi.qld.gov.au
Website: www.dpi.qld.gov.au Information Centre: 13 25 23
FARMGATE MARKET POSITIONS VACANT
January 11th, 2010 tannerLocation: Cairns
Two part-time positions – 2 days per week
The Network for Sustainable and Diversified Agriculture is looking for two (2) self motivated people to help manage and promote the Farmgate local produce market held at the Pier every Saturday morning.
The successful candidates would need to have their own vehicle and appropriate licence.
For details on the two jobs contact:
Anthony Fermo at biochicken@bigpond.com
Job Descriptions ….