Madeleine Heffernan September 24, 2013 The Age Tasmanian dairy company Tamar Valley Dairy, which supplies branded products to Coles and no-name products to Aldi supermarkets, has collapsed. Deloitte Restructuring Services was this week appointed voluntary administrators to the company, which employs 170 people and is located near Launceston. Deloitte Restructuring Services partner Glen Kanevsky said the 17-year-old business operated in an ‘‘extremely competitive sector’’ and had been ‘‘challenged by a slowdown in sales and pressure on margins.’’ ‘‘We are currently examining the trading position of the business and will be working closely with all key stakeholders to allow the business to continue to operate as normal,’’ he said in a statement. Tamar Valley Dairy referred questions to Deloitte. Its website has been taken down. A spokesman for Deloitte declined to comment on how much money was owed and to whom, but a creditors’ meeting is scheduled for October 2 in…

September 25, 2013 News.com.au US chain BURGER King wants people to feel less guilty about gobbling up its french fries. The world’s No 2 hamburger chain is launching a new crinkle-cut french fry on Tuesday that it says has about 20 per cent fewer calories than its regular fries. The chain says a small order of the new “Satisfries” clocks in at 270 calories because of a new batter that doesn’t absorb as much oil. By comparison, a small order of its regular fries, sans crinkles, has 340 calories. The concept of taking an indulgent food and removing some of the guilt isn’t new, of course. Supermarkets are filled with baked Lay’s potato chips, 100-calorie packs of Oreos and other less fattening versions of popular treats. Such creations play on people’s inability to give up their food vices, even as they struggle to eat better. The idea is to create…

CSNews BELLEVUE, Wash. — As convenience stores begin adding more fresh and healthy options to their product mix, there are some skeptics who doubt customers will choose healthier snacks. However, with the food culture evolving, now is the time to meet the growing demand. According to new research from the Hartman Group, more than half (53 percent) of all eating occasions are snacking occasions and “health” is an important consideration for 56 percent of snacking occasions. On any given day, one in 10 non-restaurant eating occasions takes place within an hour of purchasing the food and/or beverage consumed — “immediate consumption.” According to Hartman Eating Occasion Compass data that consists of more than 41,000 total eatings, consumers are four times more likely to go to a convenience store for an immediate consumption occasion than for a non-immediate consumption occasion (14 percent vs. 3 percent, respectively, sourcing from a c-store). The…

September 26, 2013 News.com.au HEALTH Minister Peter Dutton supports raising tobacco taxes but won’t raise taxes on alcohol because he says it doesn’t cut consumption. The new minister says boosting community-based mental health services will be one of his priorities in government. And he’s warned bureaucrats working in 18 health agencies they could be axed or merged into the department. The government’s Mental Health Commission will be absorbed back into the Health Department, where it will outline how to fix a fragmented system of service delivery, he said. And the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and the National Health Performance Authority – which both collect health data – can expect to be merged. “There are several bodies collecting data and we’ve got to make sure we’re doing it in the most efficient way possible,” Mr Dutton told ABC Radio National. “We want to make sure we’re getting the most…

September 26, 2013 The Australian NETWORK Ten has announced a sponsorship that will see fast food chain McDonald’s catering for the hosts, crew and on-air guests of its new breakfast program Wake Up. Hosts Nuala Hafner, Natarsha Belling, James Mathison and Natasha Exelby will be able to chow down on their favourite McMuffin with the announcement this morning that McDonald’s will set up an on-set outlet, which is being dubbed the smallest McDonald’s in the country, staffed by two Maccas crew members.According to Ten’s statement, “a range of McDonald’s breakfast items, including McCafe products” will be served.The deal, the value of which was not disclosed, is likely to come in for criticism from children’s advocates, concerned at the prominence of product placement from a fast food chain at a time when children are often watching TV.”We are delighted that McDonald’s Australia has become part of the Wake Up family,” Ten’s…

Christine Sams September 26, 2013 The Age Just when it seemed safe for families to try out a new breakfast television show, it seems they’re going to wake up with a fast food outlet instead. Network Ten has announced what they describe as “an innovative” partnership with McDonald’s Australia to create the nation’s smallest McDonald’s outlet on the set of the new show Wake Up. Although members of the public will not be able to buy food items from the store, there will be two full-time McDonald’s staff-members serving guests and presenters on air. (The question is, will their faces become as familiar as the new hosts, James Mathison, Natarsha Belling, Natasha Exelby and news presenter Nuala Hafner?) The cross-promotional marketing decision by Ten comes hot on the heels of their primetime show Recipe to Riches, which features contestants vying to have their products placed in Woolworths store. The official…