The National Restaurant Association and the Global Food Safety Initiative announce key partnership 

A major, new strategic alliance was announced today to provide harmonized best food safety practices and the use of common food safety standards world-wide. The National Restaurant Association and the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), managed by CIES - The Food Business Forum, will now work closely together to strengthen food safety systems and increase consumer confidence.

Working together, with one voice, the restaurant industry and food retailers will be stronger and have better traction working towards shared goals and objectives of convergence between food safety standards. This will be done through maintaining a benchmarking process for food safety management schemes, improving cost efficiency throughout the food supply chain through the common acceptance of GFSI recognised standards around the world. The alliance will provid e a unique international stakeholder platform for networking, knowledge exchange and sharing of best food safety practice and information.   

For more information, please contact:

Catherine Francois
Director Food Safety Programmes
GLOBAL FOOD SAFETY INITIATIVE
c.francois@ciesnet.com 

Donna Garren
Vice President, Health & Safety Regulatory Affairs
NATIONAL RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION
dgarren@restaurant.org
 

Sydney, Australia, 30 April 2008: Australia’s ocean energy company, BioPower Systems Pty Limited, has recently completed a A$6 million funding round. The private equity investment round was cornerstoned by Lend Lease Ventures with additional investment from CVC REEF and CVC Sustainable Investments

The new capital, together with a recently awarded A$5 million Australian Government REDI grant, will fund the pilot programs for BioPower System’s bioWAVETM ocean wave power system and bioSTREAMTM tidal current power system at grid-connected sites in Tasmania, Australia.

For more information, please contact:

Dr Tim Finnigan

Chief Executive Officer

BioPower Systems Pty. Ltd.

Suite 145 National Innovation Centre

Australian Technology Park

Eveleigh NSW 1430, AUSTRALIA

T:             +61 2 9209 4237       

E: info@biopowersystems.com

W: www.biopowersystems.com

Lend Lease Corporation Limited (ASX:LLC) is a global company, headquartered in Australia, with three core businesses - project management and construction, property investment management and property development.

CVC REEF and CVC Sustainable Investments are Australian investment funds that specialise in investing in renewable energy and clean technologies.

 ISO has just approved the creation of a project committee mandated to develop an international standard on energy management. 

The standard will provide all types of organizations and companies a practical and widely recognized approach to increase energy efficiency, reduce costs and improve their environmental performance by addressing both the technical and management aspects of rational energy use. The standard is intended to be broadly applicable to various sectors of national economies, including utility, manufacturing, commercial building, general commerce, and transportation sectors, and therefore, could have influence on as much as 60 percent of the world’s energy demand. 

From fires to earthquakes to pandemics, businesses and other organizations may become the victims of disaster at any time. In order to deal with the unexpected and safeguard the interests of their stakeholders, as well as their reputation, brand and value-creating activities, a new ISO/IEC International Standard will help them mitigate risks and be prepared to respond to crises.

Sydney, Australia, 26 February 2008 - SAI Global Limited (ASX:SAI) today announced that its Assurance strategy had been given a major boost with the Canadian Standards Association choosing SAI as acquirer of the prestigious Quality Management Institute(“QMI”), the leading Auditing and Certification Body (or Registrar) in Canada and the United States. An Asset Purchase Agreement has been signed and financial completion is scheduled for 29 February 2008, subject to customary closing conditions.

Business blogging is taking off. Companies are using blogs for both internal and external communications, to improve customer relations and improve business processes

Definition: BLOG?
The word blog derived from web + log. Blogs became well known during the 2004 election process, but have been around since at least 1999. They started out as simple online diaries comprised of primarily text entries sorted by date - newest to oldest. Gradually, they morphed into full fledge web sites containing images and video along with the written information.

In its short lifespan, blogging has largely been a freewheeling exercise in online self-expression. Now it’s becoming a corporate entity.

Blogs were once the domain of angst-ridden teens and doomed presidential candidates. But the likes of Verizon, IBM and Dr. Pepper are all climbing on the blogwagon. Turns out, Web logs are a nifty knowledge-management tool. And companies also see them as a promising medium for advertising (naturally).

In 2007, we’ve seen unabated growth in

RABQSA and First City Partnership Limited are pleased to announce that the new Professional Indemnity insurance scheme is launched. Initially aimed at the North American market, it is planned to roll the product out on a worldwide basis.

RABQSA in conjunction with Lloyd’s Insurance Broking firm, First City Partnership Limited has created a Professional Indemnity Insurance offering in recognition of RABQSA Certified Personnel. First City Partnership Limited believes that RABQSA certified personnel warrant special attention by insurers because

From the leading specialists in Australian food law:

Two recent events have raised concerns over the laws governing certain food additives and ingredients to foods in Australia. We comment on each issue.

Links between artificial colours and preservatives and childhood hyperactivity
On 6 September 2007, Food Standards Australia New Zealand (‘FSANZ’) announced that it is examining a study, published in the British medical journal The Lancet which concluded that artificial colours or sodium benzoate in the diet of young children is likely to result in increased hyperactivity. FSANZ, however, has not stated whether or not a review of the safety of any food additives in Australian foods will be conducted.

The study appears to confirm

Offering a helping hand to beginners can ensure continuous improvement for years to come

Imagine, for a moment, a regulated medical-device manufacturing facility where employees freely share information that sheds light not only on performance strengths but also on weaknesses within, and among, organizational processes. Strengths, sure, but openly shedding light on weaknesses? Sounds like a nightmare situation for any manager, doesn’t it? Not really. Not if an organization’s leaders want to maximize the value that internal quality auditing adds to the company’s continuous improvement efforts, its overall quality system, and customer satisfaction.

Every organization has strengths and weaknesses that enhance or inhibit its effectiveness to provide goods and/or services. Indeed, in proactive organizations it’s these weaknesses that are the likely targets of continuous improvement efforts. Some organizations know what these targets are but don’t know how to hit them. Others know that there are targets out there somewhere that need to be met but don’t have enough process control to know what the targets are. Either way, thriving organizations know that their viability dictates that they constantly identify and improve upon weaknesses that could limit their competitive position. To do this, an organization has to create

Perceptions of Accreditation and Accredited Conformity Assessment

In early 2007 JAS-ANZ commissioned UMR Research, a Sydney-based market research firm, to undertake a comprehensive study into the value of accreditation and of accredited conformity assessment. The research sought input from three audiences – JAS-ANZ-accredited Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs), clients and potential clients of CABs (that is organisations that purchase or have potential to purchase accredited conformity assessment services), and business and domestic consumers.

This article provides a brief summary of some of the findings from the research.