Page 6 - Food&Drink Magazine October 2021

NEWS
New CEO for Melrose
AUSTRALIAN health food company Melrose Group has appointed a new CEO to lead Melrose Health and Orchard Wellbeing Foods.
Nathan Cheong has worked in the complementary medicine industry for more than 20 years, most recently as CEO of LifeSpace Group. He is a degree qualified naturopath and medical herbalist and has worked for Vita Life Sciences, Blackmores BioCeuticals, and Designs for Health (USA).
“I am thrilled to move to this new chapter of my career as CEO for two iconic Australian brands like Melrose and Nu-Lax. These brands have the ability to extend into numerous growth categories and I feel there is so much opportunity within the supplement and functional food space to improve the health outcomes all through innovation, research and education,” Cheong said.
Melrose Group executive director Angus Douglass said Cheong’s deep understanding of the industry and science led innovation will be key to driving the company’s growth plans.
“No one is better placed than Nathan to understand the needs of our consumers and capitalise on our unique brand heritage and manufacturing platform,” Douglass said.
Melrose Group is a wholly Australian owned company and comprises Melrose Health, established in 1979 and Orchard Manufacturing (Nu-Lax brand), establishedin1937. ✷
Mars Wrigley invests in Ballarat
MARS Wrigley will spend $30 million expanding its chocolate manufacturing business in Ballarat.
The investment will allow more variants on existing lines for M&M’s, Pods, and the new Mars Raspberry Smash as well as a new packaging line for Maltesers.
Mars Wrigley Australia CEO Andrew Leakey said the goal is for more of its products to be made in Australia.
“The $30 million investment supports our ambition by enhancing our on-shore manufacturing technologies and capabilities to ensure our Australian business remains globally competitive.
“As one of Australia’s largest manufacturers, we recognise that we have an important role to play in helping future proof
not only our business, but also the food and beverage manufacturing industry,” Leakey said.
The $30 million builds on the $37 million investment in equipment upgrades announced in 2020, which included new technology to produce M&M’s Pretzel locally.
The investment will also
introduce a new packaging line for Maltesers to allow for increased volume of production and unlocking increased export opportunities to growth markets across Asia during peak season demand.
Leakey said along with technological advancements, the company is committed to up-skilling its employees. ✷
EPA fines Sanitarium $15,000
THE NSW Environment Protection Authority has fined Australian Health & Nutrition Association (Sanitarium) $15,000 for discharging wastewater into a local waterway. The fine is the largest amount it can issue under its legislation.
The spill occurred in February, when Sanitarium was transferring wastewater to a sewer line via a temporary piping set-up. The pipework dislodged from the sewer manhole and the dirty water ran into the waterway.
EPA director Regulatory Operations Adam Gilligan said Sanitarium allegedly did not have adequate checks in place and did not notice the dislodged pipework for at least three hours.
A spokesperson for Sanitarium told Food & Drink Business the company reported the incident on 2 February 2021, when the wastewater spilled into the unnamed creek behind its facility.
“On identifying the spillage, staff took swift action to stem the flow of the wastewater and implement remedial measures.
Unfortunately, and sadly, the discharged waste reached the unnamed creek,” they said.
Gilligan said the large quantity of wastewater flowed into a tributary of Ourimbah Creek, which flows into Tuggerah Lake.
“When we analysed the discharged wastewater we found it was highly alkaline, which can damage sensitive aquatic environments,” Gilligan said.
The EPA’s water quality analysis revealed a clear impact from the discharge in the downstream sampling location when compared with the upstream sampling results, the agency said.
“We take seriously this type of incident and the impact it could have on our environment. We have continued to work with the EPA as they have investigated the issue. We have taken action to address our systems and processes to ensure this kind of event will not reoccur,” Sanitarium’s spokesperson said. ✷
6 | Food&Drink business | October 2021 | www.foodanddrinkbusiness.com.au