As a child I remember going shopping with my mother or grandmother and putting fruit and vegetables into paper bags and then plastic bags came in. We are going back to the good old days it seems.

Everyone is talking about it and whenever you go in, or past, a supermarket, it is right there in front of you – plastic is rapidly leaving the supermarkets.

Although it seems like Woolworths is leading the charge with it’s commitment that as of 20 June there will be no single use plastic bags in the checkouts, the rest of the chains have been, or are, doing that and other things beside.

Woolies have now also said that plastic straws and plastic wrapped fruit and vegetables are also about to disappear as well.This will help reduce the 134 million plastic straws eventually ending up as rubbish.

Woolworths Group CEO Brad Banducci said; “In the last year we have seen a shift towards more sustainable attitudes from our customers and the momentum is growing, with recent research showing a 15% increase in Australians now saying that taking care of the planet is important to them.”

Although the removal of the plastic bags and fruit and vegetable wrapping by Woolies and the other chains have been strongly supported, it is the plastic straws which are causing concern by some in our community. There are some people who need to use a straw to drink for medical or health reasons, and these people are going to be heavily impacted by this commitment. There are alternatives however, apparently the old time wax coated paper straws will be making a come back and there are now recyclable collapsible metal straws which can be attached to key rings and carried wherever people go.

The supermarkets are not leaving us  having to hold all of our groceries in our hands to go out to the car there have been for some time reusable (and in most cases recyclable and made from recycled material) bags for sale at the checkouts and now at least one of them is going to be giving the money from sales of those bags to Landcare to help with the planting of trees and assisting the community with environmental projects.

It is not only the plastic in store which is the focus of the retailers, the supliers of the store branded products are also under pressure to remove plastic as part of the packaging. Woolies alone is working on having plastic removed from 80 product lines within the year.

Waste reduction is now, thankfully, one of the big commitments from the retailers and both Woolworths and Coles plan to have waste diversion programs in place  by the end of 2020. Food will be going to organisations to distribute to those in need.

The new Packaging Coalition Roundtable is being set up to move us toward what is called a circular econmomy – in other words a society which reuses what it makes to prevent waste. The retaliers, government, members of the Australian Packaging Covenant,and  large industry companies will all be members, to ensure a consistent national approach.

The first of July 2018 is going to go down as a memorable day for food safety in Australia, as there are so many changes coming in that it is certainly a busy time.

The new Country of Origin Labelling  (CoOL) will be a legal requirement as of that date, which is going to have an impact on every manufacturer of packaged foods in this country.

In New South Wales local councils will then be required to monitor and regulate “home based businesses”. So all those food businesses running from domestic kitchen will now need to meet the relevant requirements of the Food Standards Code and councils will be checking on that compliance. Those businesses selling food directly to the public will also have to notify the councils of what they are doing.

The home based businesses selling food to other busineses will still be regulated by the New South Wales Food Authority.

A Fact Sheet about these requirements can be downloaded at;  www.foodauthority.nsw.gov.au/_Documents/retailfactsheets/home_ based_food_businesses.pdf

The need to include Lupin in allergen labelling is now in operation and the big changes in plastic bag usage in the supermarkets and the related plastic packaging changes for them coming in as well, we are in for a busy time for a little while.

Deakin University has a Global Obesity Centre, which is focussed on identifying cause of obesity and ways it can be reduced.

Researchers from the Centre have recently evaluated the nutrition policies of the biggest quick serve outlets in the country and found interesting results.

The ‘Inside our Quick Service Restaurants’ report  the ranking of the top 11 quick serve companies in Australia was based on the policies and commitment to obesity reduction and nutrition issues for the population.

The highest available score was 100 and would demonstrate a company wide commitment to obesity reduction and the nutrition of the population.

Subway was the highest ranking of our quick serve companies with a score of 48, and the lowest from the evaluation was Domino’s Pizza with a score of three.The average score was 27.

The evaluation of nine of the 11 companies was done using only publicly available information, as only Subway and Nandos provided information when requested.

For most of the companies evaluated during the first of it’s kind project, the public information available is limited to the kilojoule breakdown displayed on the menu and to material on their websites.

The information used in the research was assessed using the ‘Business Impact Assessment – Obesity and population nutrition” tool, which was developed by a network of public health researchers from around the world, known as INFORMAS.

Company policies related to obesity prevention and nutrition for  the following are the basis of the work done by the tool; corporate strategy, product formulation, nutrition labelling, promotion to children and adolescents, product accessibility, and relationships with external groups

The report’s lead author Associate Professor Gary Sacks, said; “The average Australian household spends almost 32 per cent of its food budget on takeaway and eating out, and the average fast food meal provides up to half of an adult’s daily energy requirements. Unhealthy diets are creating a public health crisis in Australia. Every part of our community, including the fast food sector, needs to do their part in making the healthy choice the easy choice for all Australians.”

The Report presented several recommendations to address this issue, including;

• Offering water instead of frozen or other soft drinks as the drink in meal  and special deals  and include salads
• Ensure that healthy options are price compatible with other options
• Restrict advertising of less healthy options, especially at times when children are watching / listening
• Set targets, and timeframes, for the reduction of salt, saturated fats and sugar in the less healthy foods
• Reduce portion sizes, eg there is no need to have a burger, chips, a drink, and nuggets as a meal deal

So, we all know that some people cannot eat gluten containing foods because it makes them sick right? We also know that there are laws about labelling foods which contain gluten and for managing those foods in food businesses.

These food businesses include cafes and restaurants. Many Coeliacs may not feel safe  going  out, as they have to rely on those businesses to do the right thing with their gluten free foods. Although gluten is included in the list of food allergens in Australia, the reaction which occurs when Coeliacs eat gluten containing food is an autoimmune reaction and over time the inflammation damaged the small intestine, causing the villi to flatten and die. This prevents them from absorbing nutrients, which can lead to many health issues, malnutrition, and diseases like cancer, and osteoporosis.

There is no cure for Coeliac Disease, people can only prevent the symptoms of flatulence, diarrhea and stomach pain, and the potential health problems, by avoiding gluten containing foods. So it is both shocking and disappointing to find that in a recent survey of 158 food samples from 127 restaurants in Melbourne, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research found that nine percent contained detectable gluten.

None of the nine percent met the gluten free definintion in the Food Standards Code. The results were published in the Medical Journal of Australia May 28 2018. The question is why? Food businesses are legally required to ensure that gluten is not in foods that are declared as gluten free, and to ensure that their staff understand both the importance of allergen control and their role within it.

This is surely just businesses not doing what they are required to do, and are putting people at risk as a result. There is no excuse for any food business to have food such as this.

It is now well known that a significant amount of the food which is produced each year is thrown away throughout the process or in our homes.

Depending upon where in the food process we are, as to the possible solutions to this ridiculous waste of money and resources.

In the home, one of the most obvious is to not buy food whch is not needed, another is to not throw away food which can be used even after it has gone past it’s marked date.

There are two dates seen on foods which have an impact on whether we throw out the food or use it.

Use By Dates are about the safety of the food, and it is not safe to use the food after the date shown. This is because the amount of bacteria in the food after that date will be so high that it is likely that anyone eating it will get sick. It is therefore illegal for food businesses to use or sell product which is past it’s use by date.

So if you have food in your fridge that is past it’s use by date, it must be thrown out. So to minimise the likelihood of having to throw out such food, only buy what you need and not extra when you don’t plan to use it.

It is important to remember that the marked Use By Date on a food  is only correct if that food has been properly handled. This means that the food must have been held at below 5C at all times, as any time above that temperature means bacteria grows faster and therefore the use by date will no longer apply. The amount of bacteria in this food will be at a point of potentially making people sick at a time sooner than the date shown on the pack.

So to achieve the use by date, we have to keep the food below 5C at all times.

Best Before dated food is a different matter, as it is all about quality of the food. Therefore it will be safe to use or sell after that date, even if above 5C. The quality will decrease the further past the date you go, but it will not make anyone sick. So food can be eaten after that shown date as long as there is no damage to the packaging. If there is any damage to the packaging, the Best Before will not be applicable, and the food must be thrown out has it has most likely been contaminated.

Unfortunately many people do not recognise the important differences between Use By and Best Before Dates and this is contributing to our food waste problem.

People are often thinking that food with a Best Before needs to be thrown out once the date has been reached – this is not so, it only the Use By dated foods which have to be thrown out. The Best Before foods can be used and the only decision which needs to be made is how to use it.

There is discussion happening across the world to remove the legal requirement to place a Best Before date on some foods to make it easier for consumers to recognise that it is only the Use By Date foods which must be thrown out and give people the opportunity to determine what they will do with all other food.

Tesco in the UK is already about to remove the Best Before Date from 70 of it’s branded products and this is most likely the first such move globally. However it will mean that our law will have to change to allow this to happen in Australia.

So food processors and retailers are working to help reduce the huge food waste problem through labelling, it is then up to consumer to do the right thing – only buy what you need and don’t just throw out Best Before marked foods – use them.

So you should be buying organic food when shopping right?

Well since 2012, the Organic market in Australia has increased 88 percent to be worth $2.4 billion.

So it seems that a lot of people are buying organic food in this country.

The owner of the Australian Organic Certification mark, Australia Organic Ltd, has just released the 2018 Australian Organic Market Report and it makes for some interesting reading, including;

1 .The Australian organics market is now estimated to be worth $2.4 billion, having grown by almost 88% since 2012.

2. The global organic market saw 10% growth since just last year, now valued at US$89.7 billion.

3. The growth in the organics market globally is driven by consumer appetite for natural, unprocessed, healthy food, and an increasing consideration for the impact of nonorganic farming on the environment.

4. Two thirds of Australian shoppers said they started buying organics for personal health reasons.

5. 40% of consumers are deepening their purchase of Organics since last year.

6. There has been a 42% CAGR growth in exports since 2012 to $717 million.

7. 6 in 10 Australian households now allocating food dollars to organics every year.

8. The retail domestic market is now worth an estimated Au$700M per annum, contributing to significant jobs growth in the regions.

9. Over one in ten Australians (12%) consider themselves to be ‘highly-committed’ organic purchasers, usually outlaying 40% or more of their food budget on organic food or household products.

10. Millennials in this survey are more health conscious and better educated about the benefits of organic than previous data showed, and 21% of organic purchasers are motivated by a health crisis (in themselves or others) to start purchasing organic food and other goods.

Lupin now has to be shown as an allergen in Australia, if it is in a food.

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) CEO Mark Booth said; “In Australia, lupin has not typically been used in food, however, due to its high protein and fibre content we are seeing an increase in its use. In 2017, lupin was added to the list of allergens that must be declared on food labels. Food businesses were given 12 months to meet these requirements. Any foods that contain lupin must declare it on the label from 26 May 2018 – even if it’s already on the shelf. Correct allergen labelling can mean the difference between life and death for people with food allergies so it is vital that food businesses get it right. Even if the food is not in a package (for example, food prepared at and sold from a takeaway shop), allergen information must be displayed in connection with the food or provided to the purchaser if requested.”

If a food contains Lupin and it is not declared on the label, a food recall may be the result. This is potentially a big change for all food businesses.

The other big change rapidly approaching is the new Country of Origin Labelling (CoOL)

All packaged food from 01 July 2018 will have to include the correct new CoOL logos and meet all the requirements associated with it.

To find out what you need to do, and what it should all look like, go to https://www.business.gov.au/info/run/goods-and-services/selling-goods-and-services/selling-goods/country-of-origin-food-labelling

Are you eating enough of the right protein each day?

This is a question that we should all be asking, not just the vegos.

Why?

Not only is it a health issue, it also has a major impact on obesity.

In a recent survey by CSIRO of 200,000 Australians, it was found that those eating low quality diets were getting more than eight times their protein from junk foods compared to people eating high quality diets, including cuts of meat.These people were also more likely to be obese.

So what is a low quality diet?

Diets that do not contain good sources or protein and other nutrients.

Diets that contain a lot of pies, nuggets, burgers, pizza with processed meats, sausages, cakes, ice cream and biscuits are examples of low quality diets. The protein coming from many of these types of foods is only a small part of the total food eaten, and is often combined with high fat contents.

Those eating diets high in protein were found to be less likely to be obese. So actual cuts or pieces of fish, chicken and meat, as well as whole eggs, cerals, nuts and yoghurt should not only be a part of a diet to maintain good health but to reduce obesity.

So the findings support the idea of reducing, or even stopping, junk foods to reduce weight gain.

It has been suggested that eating between 1.2-1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight is required for optimal weight loss.

A CSIRO research review earlier in 2018 found that to control hunger and enhance muscle metabolism, we need 25 grams of protein at a meal.

CSIRO Principal Research Scientist Professor Manny Noakes said; “Everyone’s protein needs are different and not all foods that contain protein are good for you. Higher protein healthy meals help to control appetite and can help to reduce the urge to indulge in junk food.”

Talking about protein.

The one group in our community which is very aware of eating the right type and amount of protein are those people who have chosen to not eat meat – the Vegans and Vegetarians.

Apparently there has been a dramatic increase in the purchase of vegan foods in our supermarkets.

Euromonitor International named Australia has having the third biggest vegan market in the world in a report it released at the beginning of 2018.

The report has suggested that by 2020 the market will be worth  $215 million.

So expect to see a lot more vegan foods when you are shopping.

Not only  do food producers need to meet labelling requirements, but alcohol businesses as well.

Some years ago the voluntary requirements for pregnancy warning labels was introduced for alcoholic drinks.

According to The Brewers Association of Australiamany alcohol producers are“dragging their heels” in meeting this requirement.

Brewers Association CEO, Brett Heffernan, said; “After six years of voluntary pregnancy labelling it is bewildering that so many are still dragging their heels and giving the whole industry a black eye. Any alcohol produced in Australia since 2012 could, and should, bear the warning label by now. There is simply no excuse for any further delay in adopting pregnancy warning labels on all alcohol products made in Australia. We are calling on all industry players to fix it.”

It is well recognised that consumption of alcohl whilst pregnant can have detrimental and long lasting effects on the baby. This voluntary labelling  is a way for those in the industry to show their social commitment.

Heffernan said; “According to the latest Australian Institute of Health and Welfare National Drug Strategy Household Survey, 55.6 per cent of pregnant women in Australia do not drink alcohol at all. The data points to an encouraging trend of continual improvement, up from 40 per cent in 2007. Among the 44.4 per cent of women who did consume alcohol while pregnant, 97.3 per cent were having no more than 1-2 standard drinks over the course of their pregnancy. While the trends are very positive, there is still more to do.”

CoOL is here

The new mandatory Country of Origin Labelling  (CoOL) requirements are just about with us and all food producers, including retail businesses, must meet them, as applied to their business and food.

The following  recall information is included here with permission from Food Standards Australia New Zealand.

PRODUCT – Coles Mini Classics Ice Creams, 360mL

VARIETIES AND DATES –

• Vanilla Best Before 16/04/2020 and 17/04/2020
• Almond Best Before 18/04/2020

WHERE – The recalled product has been available for sale since May 2018 in Coles Supermarkets, Coles Online, and Coles Express in NSW, QLD, ACT, and WA.

PROBLEM –  The recall is due to the potential presence of metal fragments. Customers should not eat these products.

FOOD SAFETY HAZARD –  Food products containing metal may cause injury if consumed. Customers who purchased any of these products should return it to their nearest Coles supermarket store for a full refund.

WHAT TO DO –   Customers can return the product to any Coles supermarket for a full refund, and any consumers concerned about their health should seek medical advice.

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN – Australia

CONTACT DETAILS – We apologise to our customers for any inconvenience.

Customers seeking further information can contact Coles Customer Care on 1800 061 562.

PRODUCT – Red Kellys Tasmania Creamy Caesar Dressing

VARIETY AND DATE – 250ml Best Before 31/07/2019 Batch # B3

WHERE – The recalled product has been available for sale in Woolworths nationally.

PROBLEM – The recall is due to an incorrect back label which does not declare the allergens (fish, egg, dairy) that are contained in the product. The presence of undeclared allergens – Egg, Dairy and Fish.

FOOD SAFETY HAZARD – Any consumers who have a (fish, dairy and or egg) allergy or intolerance may have a reaction if the product is consumed.

WHAT TO DO – Consumers who have a fish, dairy and or egg allergy or intolerance should not consume this product.

Customers should return the product to the place of purchase for a full cash refund. We apologise for any inconvenience.

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN – Australia

CONTACT DETAILS – For further information contact Red Kellys Tasmania on 0409168332 or email info@rkt.net.au