The latest news, trends, analysis, interviews and podcasts from the global food and beverage industry

Seaweed science: using sea botanicals to boost gut health Australian seaweed contains a wide range of vitamins and minerals, including iodine, iron and calcium, which are said to help people overcome health challenges such as inflammation and poor gut health. Seaweed is used in innovative ways in Australia. Australian drinks companies such as Seadrift Distillery are inspired by the mindful drinking movement and have created an award-winning non-alcoholic spirit distilled in traditional copper pot stills, which offers an infusion of seaweed and other fresh coastal and sea botanicals. Phycohealth creates seaweed pasta, muesli and seaweed roasted macadamias. And here’s a fun fact: Australia and South Africa account for 50% of total macadamia nut production. Over the next five years, the expected market growth rate of macadamias in Europe is higher than for most other nuts.

Sustainability drives Australia’s food innovation Australia spends about AUD 1.4 billion a year on agriculture research and development, around 40% of which is funded by the Australian government. Australian farmers, scientists and researchers are driving advances in bioscience, novel farming techniques as well as food innovation and processing. Australian companies and research centres harness food innovation to improve the sustainability and traceability of their products and supply chains. With a background in science and engineering, the founders of Extraordinary Foods/Pimp my Salad were inspired by the natural food scene and have created an innovative range of gluten-free, vegan salad toppers. Their meat-free coconut bacon is turning heads in the UK and has been nominated for a FoodBev World Food Innovation Award this year. Pimp my Salad is not the only Australian nominee; Australia’s iconic brand Vegemite is making waves with its Vegemite gluten-free option.

Sustainable sipping: Australia’s drinks industry leads the way We see exciting examples in Australia’s drinks industry where companies lead the way in sustainability. In fact, Australian winery Wakefield Wines became one of the first wine producers globally to acquire carbon-neutral certification, and more have followed since. Small Things Wine produces premium Australian wine packaged in cans rather than bottles. Not only are cans 25 times more recyclable than glass, but their production and transport use significantly less energy, further reducing their carbon footprint. The company’s natural, premium wines are produced using sustainably certified grapes from the famous Margaret River region in Western Australia. The Thread Softly wine range from Fourth Wave Wine works to bring back a thriving ecosystem of native flora and fauna in Australia’s Yarra Yarra biodiversity corridor by planting a biodiverse mix of native tree species. To date, they have planted over 1 million trees. They also offer wines in aluminium cans and 1.5l pouches and will launch their ‘Born Free’ range in glass made from 100% recycled materials. At Austrade, we look forward to introducing UK consumers to some of our unique Australian products in 2023. Australia is bursting with premium food suppliers - Austrade.