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Auspack 2017 drew the highest number of visitors ever to the Sydney Showground at well over 6000, according to organisers.

Anne-Marie Mina, marketing manager with Exhibition and Trade Fairs (ETF), the organiser of Auspack, said this year's show featured a number of Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality elements.

"The customer service robot, Amy, also created interactive and engaging visitor experiences, making for a memorable show,” she said.

APPMA chairman Mark Dingley said the PIDA awards and Processing Day, held as part of Packaging & Processing Week, were strong inclusions.

“Processing Day gave attendees the opportunity to hear about the latest advanced technologies and developments in the meat processing industry," Dingley said. 

"Feedback showed attendees found the information valuable, as they also did with the popular National Technical Forums."

New technology on show included Digital Ink Technologies' solution, which helps growers, wholesalers and supermarkets identify fruit-pick dates and hence fruit freshness.

Recopak showcased a fully automatic case-over-product packer; and FP Propak demonstrated a new filler that extends shelf life.

And Le Mac Group showed one of its newest products: optional gift-wrap sleeving for wine bottles.

Food & Drink Business

Entries are now open for the annual Melbourne Royal Australian Food Awards. Open to commercial food producers of all sizes, it is one of the largest programs of its kind. 

Victorian brewery, Bodriggy Brewing Co, is the first brewery in the state to achieve carbon-neutral certification and only the second in Australia to do so. The independent Abbotsford-based brewery achieved certification under the federal government’s Climate Active program.

According to Rabobank data, Australian consumers are facing higher chocolate prices heading into Easter, with retail chocolate prices up 8.8 per cent on the previous year as global cocoa prices soar.