A recent survey on the Word of Mouth Online (WOMO) website, showed that the 1800 Australians involved, were not as impressed by offers as they are by good service.

The survey included three service industries; food service, personal care and tradespeople, and asked the respondents to rate the factors that would encourage them to use a business again.

The survey showed that having good quality product was the winner with 93 percent of those surveyed considering it the most important factor influencing whether they would buy from a business again.

However it was the 79 percent of respondents that rated “attentive and courteous staff” as the next most important factor that has the industries paying attention. Interestingly, only just over half of the respondents (54 percent) considered that fast service was important. So it is not how fast a person does their job but how well they do it that is the key.

Fiona Adler, founder of WOMO, said; “It’s apparent from these results that the consumer-business relationship is changing,” said. “People now seek a high-quality product or service first, and consider cost a lesser priority. This means businesses should be investing in staff training and using premium materials rather than cheap gimmicks and promotions. Consumers are also more vocal now than ever before, by telling businesses how they feel online. By tapping into this feedback, businesses should be able to create a successful model to build a more loyal customer base.”

So food businesses should be looking at increasing and improving their training, as this is obviously a good long term investment in the business.

This article has been written by Rachelle Williams – The Green Food Safety Coach.

It is now considered a reason for going to a café or restaurant – good coffee. Good coffee starts with good roasting. So who is best coffee roaster in Australia, according to the experts?

The first Australian International Coffee Awards (AICA) in May, recognised that Victoria’s Cartel Coffee Roasters is the Champion Australian Roaster and New Zealand’s Toasted Espresso was named the Champion International Roaster.

The Awards were part of the 2013 Melbourne International Coffee Expo, run by the Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria (RASV).

Four gold, 30 silver and 140 bronze medals were awarded by the panel of 28 judges.There were 603 entries from more than 130 coffee roasters across the world.

Cartel Coffee Roasters did very well by also having the Champion Filter Coffee, for its Cartel Roaster Sumatran Lintong. Belaroma Coffee Roasting Company (NSW) took the award for Champion Espresso and the Champion Milk Based Coffee went to Queensland company The Coffee Roaster Pty Ltd (QLD).

Mark O’Sullivan, RASV CEO, said; “Australia is recognised globally for its outstanding coffee and its reputation as an international coffee capital has been further strengthened with the introduction of the AICA, which has been embraced by the coffee community both in Australia and abroad.”

All entrants were assessed by the judges and given feedback as well as being able to use the AICA’s seal of excellence in their marketing.

This article has been written by Rachelle Williams – The Green Food Safety Coach.

The Australian International Beer Awards for 2013 were held recently and the Champion Australian Beer was the Alpha Pale Ale from the Matilda bay Brewing Company in Victoria.

The awards have been going for 21 years now and there were record entries this year – more than 1480 beers from 35 countries and at least 230 brewers. There were 42 judges from many countries.

This is the top competition for beers in the Asia Pacific region, so the award of Champion Beer is high recognition. The top international beer was the ‘Oud Beersel Oude Geuze’ by Oud Beersel from Vlaams-Brabant in Belgium.

Brad Rodgers, Chief Judge said; “Stand out classes this year included beers competing for Best Stout, with 49 medals awarded, Best Amber/Dark Ale with 48 medals awarded, Best International Pale Ale with 43 medals awarded, and of course Best Belgium and French Style ale with 55 medals awarded, 11 of these gold. We are also pleased to have another first this year with a gold medal awarded in the Gluten Free Beer Class. This is a great result and a reflection that this beer is of the highest standard and quality in its category.”

The following are the winners of the 2013 Australian International Beer Awards:

2013 Champion Trophies

Barrett Burston Malting Trophy for Champion Australian Beer: ‘Alpha Pale Ale’, Matilda Bay Brewing Company, Victoria, Australia

City of Ballarat Trophy for Champion International Beer: ‘Oud Beersel Oude Geuze’, Oud Beersel, Vlaams-Brabant, Belgium

Graincorp Trophy for Champion Large Australian Brewery: Carlton and United Breweries, Abbortsford, Victoria, Australia

Spiegelau Trophy for Champion Large International Brewery: Die Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan, Bavaria, Germany

FB* Propak Trophy for Champion Medium Australian Brewery: Feral Brewing Company, Western Australia, Australia

Cryermalt Trophy for Champion Medium International Brewery: NØgne Ø, Det Kompromisslose Bryggeri, Grimstand, Norway Brewpack Trophy for Champion Small Australian Brewery: 2 Brothers Brewery, Victoria, Australia

City of Ballarat Trophy for Champion Small International Brewery: Renaissance Brewing Ltd, Marlborough, New Zealand

Gary Sheppard Memorial Trophy for Best New Exhibitor: Schlossbrauerei Au-Hallertau, Au-Hallertau, Germany

This article has been written by Rachelle Williams – The Green Food Safety Coach.

It is well known and researched that Australians would prefer to buy product, especially food and drink, which is made in Australia.

The Australian Made Logo has been very popular and is well recognized across the country because of this preference.

Many people would not realize that according to the Food Standard Code, food that is labelled as ‘Australian made’ does not necessarily mean that it is wholly made here and may in fact only have up to 50% of the product (including packaging) made in this country. The term ‘Product of Australia’ is for any item that contains at least 50% of the product (including packaging) made in this country.

Therefore, the Australian Made Logo can only be used on foods and other products that are wholly made in this country.

The Logo is issued by the Australian made campaign after a review against specific standards.

The campaign has just launched a new website. It already contains at least 10 000 products.

It is expected that the new website will make it much easier to find products and produce that is both Australian Grown and Australian Made. It will also help find locally grown and produced food and other products.

Ian Harrison, the Australian Made Campaign’s Chief Executive, said; “Australian shoppers are looking for local products and they are looking for them online – this website provides a gateway for Australian businesses of all sizes to connect with those shoppers. Consumers can be sure that the products they source via the Australian Made website are grown and manufactured right here in Australia.”

The businesses are listed on the website and then their products are shown. The site is “fully searchable” by names and products.

The website also provides the opportunity for people to join the ‘Australian Made Club’ for free and will have competitions and monthly giveaways.

Here is the new website. www.australianmade.com.au

This article has been written by Rachelle Williams – The Green Food Safety Coach.

A natural product that has very good antimicrobial properties on fresh product, including fruit, vegetables and seafood, has won the annual AIFST Food industry Innovation Award.

The Australian Institute of food Science and Technology Inc (AIFST) presents the award each year to a product or process that has had commercial success over the last five years.

This year’s product is Herbal Active and has significant potential to reduce food waste whilst also prevent food poisoning.

The powder, when made up as a solution according to the instructions, has the potential to reduce microbial load by up to seven log (or seven times the power of 10, or 10 000 000 times).

The shelf life of dipped foods is from two to ten times longer. This has the potential to significantly reduce food waste

The Australian producer, Vic Cherikoff says that the product is made form rosemary and other natural herbal extracts. Vic said; “It generally results in an extension of shelf life of from two to ten times un-dipped foods. In addition, the nutritional quality will be maintained better as fungi and molds are not consuming nutrients for their own growth.”

This product may potentially replace the use of chlorine and other chemicals in the sanitizing of fresh produce and seafood.

More information about this product can be found at http://cherikoff.net/herbal-active/natural-food-rinse.html

This article has been written by Rachelle Williams – The Green Food Safety Coach.

A recent study published online in the American Journal of Public Health by The University of Texas has shown that there is most likely a relationship between both the proximity and density of fast food restaurants and an increase in Body Mass Index (BMI) in an individual.

It was also found that this likelihood increases even further if the person has a low income.

During the study a review of African Americans on incomes above and below $40 00 per year living from half to five miles away from fast food restaurants was done.

All other influencers on BMI, like; gender, age, owning a home or renting, married or not, children or not and employment status were all controlled, so they were not involved in the findings.

The study found that those on a low income living up to two miles away from at least one fast food restaurant were more likely to have significantly higher BMIs than others.

African American women are recognized as having an increasing obesity rate and this study finding only makes this situation potentially much worse.

The study was lead by Lorraine Reitzel (PhD), who believes that the main factor influencing this finding is the lack of transport within this group. It is not too far for people to walk two miles to get the appealing, convenient and affordable food, so people appear to be doing so, especially when they have a low inclome.

Whether these finding can be translated into other countries and groups is not yet known, but if they do, this may contribute to our understanding of how obesity is increasing across the western world.

This article has been written by Rachelle Williams – The Green Food Safety Coach.

The 12 – 18 May is Food Allergy Awareness Week. It is a global week aimed at getting people around the world to understand how much of an issue food allergens are to some in our community.

As part of the recognition of this important week, the Australian Government launched a new allergen information source, to highlight some of the best techniques and information for food allergy management.

The portal is on the Food Standards Australia New Zealand website and shows several information sources for the various parts of our community.

It is the result of joint work by between Government, industry and consumer representatives and Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ).known as the Allergen Collaboration. Members included; the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC), the AFGC Allergen Forum, the Allergen Bureau, the Food and Beverage Importers Association, Allergy and Anaphylaxis Australia, the Australian Hotels Association, Restaurant and Catering Australia, Woolworths, Coles, Metcash Limited and Aldi Australia.

The Australian Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing, Shayne Neummann, said; “It will allow important allergen information to be picked up by stakeholders and promoted in cost-effective was, such as through social media, existing newsletter, and email subscription lists to individual stakeholder groups. It’s an important addition to the suite of tools available in promoting awareness about food allergies and how to manage them.”

The portal can be found at – http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/consumerinformation/foodallergenportal/

This article has been written by Rachelle Williams – The Green Food Safety Coach.

Caffeine is well known to perk people up and the coffee in the morning is no longer the only way that people can easily and readily get their “fix”.

There are increasing numbers of products available that contain some added caffeine. This is obviously being done to increase sales as more and more people are looking for a caffeine fix.

You only need to look at the wave of interest in coffee, in cafes and now at home, that is happening across the food industry to realize that caffeine is alive and well. Coffee has now overtaken tea as the beverage of choice in Australia, with specialist coffee businesses and now capsule based machines readily available for home and work use, coffee is now king. Caffeine and the increasing desire for it is a large part of that.

Alcoholic drinks with added caffeine or it’s alternatives (like guarana) have been removed from trade in the US because of the concern that the extra stimulate will have on those consuming the products, and have not been allowed for sale in Australia.

If the caffeine is being added to foods and beverages that are only consumed by adults, then they can make informed choices. However, when these foods are also available to children, there really needs to be discussion about suitability.

The USA‘s Food and Drug Administration has started such a discussion with it’s new investigation of the safety of caffeine in foods and beverages, especially in those available to children, and adolescents.

It has been prompted by the release of a new caffeine containing chewing gum in the US. Although the manufacturer says the gum is intended for, and marketed to, 25 – 49 year olds, it could be accessible to children and adolescents.

According to Michael R. Taylor, deputy commissioner for foods and veterinary medicine at FDA, the gum is equivalent to four cups of normal coffee. The FDA is concerned that it is not just this gum but other children accessible and attractive foods that now have added caffeine. For some time now, there have been energy drinks available in Australia with caffeine and it’s alternatives to increase the “benefits” of these products. There is a set level of these ingredients allowed to be added, according to the Food Standards Code and the products must be clearly labelled as “containing caffeine”. It is also required that the labelling show that these beverages are not for consumption by children.

This US investigation is not the only one being undertaken by an authority around the world, other agencies like Food Standards Australia New Zealand are keeping a close eye on this situation.

Bees are an important part of our lives and most people do not realize it. As they are flying around collecting pollen for making honey, they also pollinate plants. Plants need to be pollinated to produce fruit.

They have a major part to play in agriculture and without them we would not have many of the foods that are a key part of our lives.

Therefore the numbers and health of bees in our country and around the world are crucial to food security. Unfortunately, there is a general decrease in numbers and health of honey bees happening currently.

Recent research by both the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is showing that the numbers are decreasing due to a variety of factors, including; parasites and disease, genetics, poor nutrition and pesticide exposure.

Other studies have shown that a contributing factor may be the food that the bees are eating. If a sugar solution is used instead of honey, bees are most likely not getting the material they need to make them strong enough to withstand the impacts on them and as such numbers can decline.

Honey is recognized as being antibacterial and having other properties, so it makes sense that bees will be stronger if they are eating it. Research at the University of Illinois has also found that honey has a detoxification effect on the bees as well.

As bee numbers and health is such an important part of food securit, there continues to be a lot of research going on into finding ways to improve the situation. However, at this stage it seems that the saying “that you are what you eat” is most definitely true when it comes to bees.

This article has been written by Rachelle Williams – The Green Food Safety Coach.

Cruelty toward animals is a no brainer, it is absolutely not acceptable behaviour in anyone’s book. If it is identified, there must be actions taken to correct the situation and, just as importantly, something done to prevent it from ever happening again. These actions may involve fines, penalties and gaol.

If the cruelty is identified in another country, Australians have little they can do about it, however.

Once again animals from Australia have been sent to another country and cruelty has been identified. This has resulted in yet another ban on live animal exports, this time to Egypt.

Those who are advocates against animal cruelty, and especially live animal export, are obviously very pleased that the ban has been put in place.

So is this live animal export a good thing or bad?

In this country, most people eat their beef after it is bought in the supermarket or local butcher. In the country many folk have home slaughter and the meat is stored in their freezers until needed, but the vast majority of us rely on the food industry to supply what we want, when we want it.

We have refrigeration and very good transport in Australia, so we are able to have the slaughter done in relatively central locations and then the meat held in storage, either during transport, in the shop or at home, until we cook and eat it.

In many countries this is a luxury they do not have. So animals are often slaughtered daily for the meat needed by people on that day and there is no cold storage and shelf life. The meat is slaughtered and eaten the same day in little towns and markets all over these countries.

This means that there needs to be a ready supply of live animals available to meet this need. Australian cattle are recognized worldwide as being of exceptional quality, so these countries really do want to purchase our stock.

On top of this is the matter of Halal. This is a religious requirement for those of the Islamic faith. The meat must have meet specific requirements to be considered Halal or suitable for those of this faith to eat. Many of the countries that have limited refrigeration are also heavily Islamic.

We have Halal beef in this country, however the process used here is not necessarily considered to be traditional by many of those Moslems from these countries, so they want to slaughter their animals in the orthodox way in their own countries.

Australia has a huge live animal export industry. There are probably a million cattle in northern Australia that are intended to be sent to these countries to meet the demand for Halal and the daily need for fresh meat. A ban of any sort on this trade has hugely significant impacts on not only individual farmers but towns in that area and the industry as a whole.

To reinforce this point, the ban that was imposed by the Australian government a year ago has resulted in the Indonesian government reducing the import of live cattle from Australia to a quarter of what it was previously. This is actually making some farmers start to think seriously about shooting their cattle instead of trying to sell them. Transporting and feeding them is costing so much and there is almost no market available for them to sell them in.

The industry is now asking the question, what impact will this latest ban have?

So is live animal export a good or bad thing?

There is no simple answer but it would seem that when the impact on a whole industry and the towns of far north Western Australia of not having the exports are considered, it is a trade that is essential to all of us.

The next question that needs to then be asked and answered if this trade is to continue, is “how can this country ensure that when our cattle are delivered to these other countries they are treated humanely and without any cruelty?” This is an immensely complex issue as it really involves state rights.

This whole issue of live animal exports has far reaching implications and is well worth watching.

This article has been written by Rachelle Williams – The Green Food Safety Coach.