Industry News

MEDIA RELEASE AGENCY 29TH OCTOBER 2019 Australian Food News Nexba, Australia’s leading naturally sugar free beverage brand, has announced the release of a convenience drinks range, designed specifically for 7-Eleven, Coles Express and Caltex. The bespoke 450ml PET bottles will finish rolling out in stores across Australia next week. With Australians looking for more alternatives in the beverage market, away from traditional sugar-laden soft drinks, the range is designed specifically for consumer convenience and easy accessibility to healthy options. Nexba’s new convenience range includes Nexba’s Watermelon Cucumber & Mint Sparkling Water, Strawberry Raspberry Sparkling Water, Lychee Lemon Sparkling Water, Mixed Berry Kombucha, Pineapple Coconut Tepache, Rose Lemonade Kombucha and Apple Pear and Ginger Kombucha. The entire range will be available at 7-Eleven and Coles Express, with Caltex stocking a slightly smaller selection, all with a RRP of $4.50. The beverage pioneers and major players in the fight against sugar, diabetes…

EWIN HANNAN The Australian Negligent bosses could face up to 20 years in jail or multi-million-dollar fines over the suicide of their employees under workplace manslaughter laws proposed by the Victorian government. Under the tough new laws, an employer could be held liable if a worker committed suicide as a ­result of sustained workplace bullying and the employer, aware of the abuse, did not take action to reasonably guard against or ­respond to the conduct. The new workplace manslaughter offence, if legislated, will apply to all workplace fatalities, including those resulting from mental as well as physical injuries. Victorian Attorney-General Jill Hennessy said an employer could face liability for a suicide where an employee’s mental health had been “brutalised” at work, and the employer had ­rejected the worker’s requests for assistance. She said the criminal standard of negligence would have to be met and causation established. “The standard is very…

NACS supports bill that would require ID check at delivery for online sales. NACS October 29, 2019 ALEXANDRIA, Va.—Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed The Preventing Online Sales of E-Cigarettes to Children Act, H.R. 3942, by voice vote. The legislation seeks to prevent minors from accessing e-cigarettes through the internet, the most common retail source to minors. Introduced by Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and Representative Kelly Armstrong (R-ND), the Preventing Online Sales of E-Cigarettes to Children Act would prevent minors from purchasing and receiving e-cigarettes via the internet. Their bill updates a 2010 law regulating the online sales of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products and applies those requirements to e-cigarettes. “If minors can’t buy e-cigarettes in a store, they shouldn’t be able to buy them online,” Rep. Armstrong said during a speech on the House floor. The Preventing Online Sales of E-Cigarettes to Children Act would require online merchants to…

PAULA AHILLON and ALISON BEVEGE 29 October 2019 DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA and AAP CORE Powerfoods have issued a second recall notice for their frozen meals A recall was issued on October 19 after 15 were struck down with salmonella The best before dates of affected products have been updated in the recall  Ready-to-eat meals enjoyed by gym junkies have been recalled for a second time this week after 15 people were struck down with salmonella. CORE Powerfoods recalled several of their frozen meals on Tuesday after they issued a warning to Australians on October 19. But on Tuesday the NSW Food authority updated the best before dates of affected products and made the second recall. Affected products have Best Before markings from 05/03/2020 to 4/10/2020. Customers have been warned not to eat the product amid fears the meals could be contaminated with Salmonella Weltevreden and may cause illness. The Core…

EWIN HANNAN OCTOBER 29, 2019 The Australian A Coffee Club cafe operator which significantly underpaid a Korean waitress by $37,000 over two years, paying her as little as $10 an hour and no superannuation, will not be prosecuted despite admitting to breaches of workplace laws. Under a deal with the Fair Work Ombudsman, Ji Hae Hong has signed an undertaking that will see her backpay the worker, make a $3000 “contrition payment” to government revenue, engage auditors, and write a letter of apology to the former employee. Ms Hong and Sean & Eddy Pty Ltd, trading as Coffee Club Blacktown, signed the court enforceable undertaking after admitting it underpaid the worker, did not issue her any pay slips or keep her employment records. READ MORE: Coffee Club franchise’s wage scandal | Man sacked by text for refusing 22% pay cut | Rockpool accused of underpaying staff | Economist guilty of…

DAVID PENBERTHY OCTOBER 29, 2019 The Australian South Australian police admit they have been stunned by a six-fold increase in armed robberies across the state’s hotels, and attribute the unprecedented level of violence to the ice scourge, saying abuse of the drug had changed ­offender behaviour and crime patterns. With 36 pubs having been robbed this year — up from just seven last year — senior officers told The Australian yesterday that SA Police had the requisite resources and was close to making further major arrests, having already nabbed 20 suspects. But with Adelaide having been ­labelled last week Australia’s “ice capital” off the back of waste water studies tracing drug levels in sewage, Detective Superintendent Stephen Taylor, who heads the Serious and Organised Crime Branch, conceded that spiralling amphetamine use was changing the nature of policing. “If you went back several years ago, we wouldn’t be having this conversation,”…