National Container Deposit Scheme????
Drink bottles are thrown away across the country in their millions annually and one recognised way of reducing this massive waste is through a container deposit scheme, like the one that has been in South Australia for quite a few years.
The basic idea is that a small deposit (like 10 cents) is included in the price of the drink (milk, juice, soft drink, beer, wine etc) and when the empty container is returned to a suitable location the deposit is returned to the purchaser. The containers are then recycled and this reduces a massive contribution to landfill.
In May, the Tasmanian Parliament approved that state’s support of a national container deposit scheme for Australia, and the Northern Territory has already implemented one of it’s own this year.
The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) Standing Council on Environment and Water is currently considering various options to reduce waste from food related packaging, including a national container deposit scheme.
Although there are loud calls for a national scheme, a group, including some of the country’s food industry representatives and some unions, are just as strongly opposed to such a scheme.
This group is calling for alternative methods to be implemented first, including an advance disposal fee, which will be run by industry as part of the Product Stewardship Forum.
The Packaging Forum is part of the Australian Food and Grocery Council and includes; the Australian Beverages Council, Australian National Retailers Association and the Packaging Council of Australia.
A study by COAG has shown that over 25 years the coast for a national container deposit scheme could be as high as A$1.76billion.
The General Manager of the Packaging Stewardship Forum, Jenny Pickles, said, “According to government research, the net cost would be up to AU$1.76 billion, which is 28 times more expensive than an industry-funded proposal that would deliver a similar reduction in litter and increased recycling rates. We don’t believe that Australian families want to be hit with yet more increases in the cost of living, as we have seen in the Northern Territory since the introduction of container deposits earlier this year.”
So, we wait to see if a national container deposit scheme is to be or not to be!!!!!!
- Published in News
Current Product Recalls
Please find below information on a recent Australian consumer level food recall. This information is also available on our website at www.foodstandards.gov.au and is included here with permission from Food Standards Australia New Zealand
Gourmet Selections Greek Salad (Microbial – E.coli)
Jmark Pty Ltd (trading as Gourmet Selections) has recalled Gourmet Selections Greek Salad from Woolworths, IGA and other independent supermarkets in WA due to E.coli contamination. Consumers should not eat this product and should return it to the place of purchase for a full refund. Any consumers concerned about their health should seek medical advice.
Date notified to FSANZ – 6 June 2012
Food type – Fruits, Vegetables and Herbs
Product name – Gourmet Selections Greek Salad
Package description & size – 150g and 300g plastic tub
Date marking – All Use By dates from 6 JUN 12 to 14 JUN 12 inclusive
Country of origin – Australia
Reason for recall – Microbial Contamination (E.coli)
Distribution – The product has been available for sale from Woolworths, IGA and other independent supermarkets in Western Australia.
Consumer advice – Consumers should not eat this product and should return it to the place of purchase for a full refund. Any consumers concerned about their health should seek medical advice.
Contact – Jmark Pty Ltd 08 9303 0600
De Jong Enterprises (foreign matter – glass)
De Jong Enterprises has recalled Pure Food Essentials Certified Organic Turmeric Paste from health food stores and some independent supermarkets nationally (excluding NT), due to the presence of glass fragments. Food products containing glass fragments may cause injury if consumed. Consumers should not eat this product and should return it to the place of purchase for a full refund.
Date notified to FSANZ – 4 June 2012
Food type – Spices
Product name – Pure Food Essentials Certified Organic Turmeric Paste
Package description & size – 200g glass jar
Date marking – DEC 12 (best before)
Country of origin – India
Reason for recall – Foreign matter contamination (glass)
Distribution – The product has been available for sale at health food stores and some independent supermarkets nationally (excluding NT)
Consumer advice – Food products containing glass fragments may cause injury if consumed.Consumers should not eat this product and should return it to the place of purchase for a full refund.
Contact – info@purefoodessentials.com
- Published in News
New phone apps will make life easier.
Two new “apps” will make life a little easier for those of us watching our food and what we eat.
The first has just been awarded the prestigious Dieticians Association of Australia (DAA) President’s Award for Innovation.
It will make it simpler for those that are wanting to record what they eat and when. This is particularly focussed on those who are doing an initial study for possible food allergies. Sure, these people could just write it down on a piece of paper or notebook, but it has been found that these books are often forgotten when visiting the Doctor or Dietician. As nearly everyone has a phone and carries it with them everywhere – this App gives the opportunity to record what food is eaten when in a place where it will not be forgotten.
The Food?Sick app was developed by two Sydney Dieticians – Liz Beavis and Milena Katz.
DAA President Julie Dundon said ;”They’ve come up with a novel way to help people affected by food intolerance – using the latest technology and riding on the popularity of phone apps. Their forward thinking is an inspiration to many dieticians.”
A second app is set for release in September 2012 and has the potential, if we all have iPhones, to reduce the amount of information required on food labels.
It will allow people to scan in a barcode and within seconds a whole lot of details will show on the phone about that product.
It includes information such as; allergen information, ingredient lists, nutritional content, Daily Intake information, dietary information (such as Kosher, Halal, vegan, organic), as well as preparation, usage and storage instructions, country of origin, product descriptions and images.
It has been developed by GS1 with support from major retailers, major universities, several national health organisations, the Australian Food and Grocery Council and food companies
The GS1 GoScan will also allow for people to scan in a product that has not been included in the database, so that information for it can be developed.
It has huge potential but for space of packaging labels to be impacted by it, there will be a need for everyone to have access to the app, and until it is developed for other phone types or we all get iPhones, it will be a tool for some of the population only.
- Published in News
So just who is responsible for packaging?
The Australian Packaging Convenant has as an underlying principle, the belief that a business has responsibility for it’s packaging from design to dumping and beyond.
This means that to be truly sustainable, a business should not only be thinking about how to make and use a packaging that protects the food, but have minimal environmental impact at all stages of it’s life – including when it is thrown away by the consumer.
Packaging designers have now not only got to develop packaging that meets all the traditional requirements of protection, transport, printing, labelling, preservation, and image, but must now do so with an overarching requirement that it also has minimal environmental impact. This is an incredibly tough job in a business, especially when the Convenent states that there is still responsibility for that packaging even after the consumer has thrown it away – or as it is known “whole of life”!!!
Many companies are naturally having difficulty in coming to terms with this new way of looking at their business, as it is a gigantic shift from the traditional approach of responsibility stops once the consumer takes the product home. It is requiring a major change of perspectives within the business and the development of a sustainable approach at all levels.
This is leading to major work and developments of new and innovative packaging and methods.
The Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) has just released a document called a white paper to show the support it is able to give to help businesses within the food industry take on this dramatic shift in business.
The ‘Future of Packaging’ was written after a lot of discussion with government, retailers, packaging manufacturers, recyclers and consumers to show the actions that AFGC and others will need to undertake to move this change in business direction across the whole of the industry.
Some changes have been made, like making packaging lighter, but these are only baby steps in the whole scheme of making the food industry, and particularly the packaging side, more sustainable.
- Published in News