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A second bumper harvest could see Spanish farmers driven from the land they have worked for generations, says a report in UK’s The Independent. Already faced with a glut of olives equivalent to 95 million litres of olive oil, this exceptionally dry winter means the Andalucian industry is braced for its second bumper crop in a row, which could see 285 million litres flood an already saturated market. Factor in a 70% increase in production costs, the stagnation of farm prices in the past 15 years and a Spanish economy on the rocks, and the result is clear: after years of overproduction, large sectors of the olive oil industry are going to the wall.
Almost sacred in Mediterranean countries like France, Spain, Greece, and Italy, olive oil is not native to India. Used as a baby massage oil until a few years ago, it has slowly acquired a reputation as the heart-healthy oil, making its way into Indian kitchens with rising imports, varieties and brand availability.
New export destination anyone?-Ed
Fairfax Media and Elders have launched the official Australian Year of the Farmer (AYOF) photo competition, with camera equipment worth $10,000 on offer for the winning photo. Monthly winners will be awarded across six categories in each state and territory, along with an overall monthly winner, with a total 442 prizes valued at over $30,000 awarded. The competition aims to inspire farmers to capture the magic they encounter in their daily lives, whether at work or at play, in the categories of: Farming people at work and play, Farm animals, The things we grow and process, Farming landscapes, Fun and funky in the country, and Country-city links. The competition runs until 30 September 2012 and images can be uploaded via the official AYOF website.
Food & Hotel Asia is another international tradeshow opportunity for Australian producers, with previous exhibitors positive about the merits of attending the show. The 2012 event will be held in Singapore from 17–20 April 2012 and encompasses five specialised trade shows, along with an informative conference program. The expo will feature an international mix of food and drinks, from raw ingredients to ready-to-eat products, aimed at meeting the sourcing needs of trade professionals across the food and beverage industry.
Places are filling fast, so now’s the time to lock in your place at the Olives New Zealand Conference 2012 – Let’s Get it On! The venue is the Five Star Sudima Airport Hotel, Auckland on Saturday, 24 March, with an Olives to Oil processor course the following day. Olives NZ EO Gayle Sheridan reports that the Marketing and Blending workshops are proving incredibly popular, with stream one booked out and stream two half full. The Olives to Oil processor course is also heavily booked. It is first come first served, so register NOW to avoid disappointment. Accommodation bookings will be forwarded to the Sudima Hotel at COB today, so confirm your arrangements now to be part of this important industry event. Registration forms available at www.olivesnz.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Conference-Programme-20122.pdf
Mafia involvement in the Italian food industry is rife, with revenue from the agriculture and food sector generating 5.6% of the entire organised crime business in the country, finds a new parliamentary report.
Not surprisingly, olive oil is one of the food items specifically mentioned in the report – Ed.
The ability to track and trace ingredients is likely to be a major focus for food manufacturers as the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) is rolled out – but the most important consideration for companies is brand reputation, according to a FSMA specialist at ADT Security Services.
Consumption of food fried in olive or sunflower oil is not linked to heart disease or premature death, according to new research published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ).
Retailers need to work with manufacturers and regulators to track the impact of systems such as traffic light labelling on consumer purchasing behaviour of food and drink products, stresses a Brussels-based consumer information group as it releases a new report.
Color-coded labeling and rearranging products in-store could lead consumers to make healthier choices, according to a new study from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers. The study saw red, yellow and green labels attached to foods and resulted in a dramatic drop in sales for those marked with red labels, along with an increase in green-labelled items.