In today’s talking points: Fears over nanoparticles result in calls for monitoring program; Wine Australia and CSIRO enter $37 million deal; Australian Beef industry looking to adopt blockchain technology; Foreign investment increases in Australian livestock exports.
Fears over nanoparticles result in calls for monitoring program
Sydney University researchers have joined a growing movement calling for better research and regulation of nanoparticles in food. They say that despite their widespread use in a number of industries including food and cosmetics, more research needs to be done into how they interact with the human body and affect the environment.
Read more at: ABC
Wine Australia and CSIRO enter $37 million deal
Wine Australia and the CSIRO have entered a five-year agreement worth $37 million, looking into grape quality improvements, climate adaptation and disease resistance. It is hoped the deal will benefit the Australian wine and grape industries as a whole, and allow for long-term strategic investments to grow the market. In addition to research into the grapes themselves, the deal also looks to investigate how digital technologies can be utilised during farming in the future
Read more at: Food Magazine
Australian Beef industry looking to adopt blockchain technology
A project designed to track beef from the paddock to the plate has been launched in Australia, with the aim of protecting consumer interests and suppliers. BeefLedger was launched at Queensland University of Technology (QUT). It uses blockchain, the open ledger technology behind Bitcoin, and its own cryptocurrency, the BeefLedger Token (BLTs).
Read more at: New Food Magazine
Foreign investment increases in Australian livestock exports
Despite the many challenges faced this year by the Australian livestock industry, new investors from China and Singapore have poured funds into developing trade opportunities. These investors see the potential for the growing demand of Australian beef in the Chinese market and have taken strategic positions in the supply chain to take advantage of this.
Read more at: Beef Central