May 24, 2013 The safety of smoking substitutes remains hazy, as does Big Tobacco’s motives, writes Melissa Davey. It would be the holy grail for Big Tobacco. For decades, tobacco companies have been trying to create a “safe” substitute for cigarettes. Since strong evidence emerged linking smoking to lung cancer in the ’60s – though doctors had suspected the link since much earlier – Big Tobacco has been scrambling to develop a non-toxic substitute as cigarette sales eventually began to drop. In 1973, the National Newsagent described how “the race to find a suitable substitute that’s not harmful to health has now taken on a fresh drive, with the recent announcement that Imperial Tobacco Ltd and ICI are soon to begin production of NSM – New Smoking Material – a tobacco substitute made from cellulose.” The headline read, “Safe Smoking is on the Way”. So what happened to these cigarette…

Elizabeth Knight May 21, 2013 The Age The whole retail recovery story has wandered perilously off script over the past quarter. The start of the year held the promise of green shoots at the discretionary spending end. But as we near the close of the financial year, the fragile recovery appears to have been nipped in the bud. It would not be surprising to see some retailers provide updates over the coming weeks that reflect the fact that the market is still soft and second-half earnings will be below what was previously indicated. The prospect seems bizarre given investors have waded into the retail shares over the past six months anticipating this recovery, aided by the heart-starter stimulus from the Reserve Bank which has pushed interest rates to historically low levels. Still, consumers are not buying. Citi analyst Craig Woolford says sales trends have slowed by 2 per cent to…

Victoria Craw May 20, 2013 news.com.au Nutella’s biggest fan has been told to stop promoting the brand online. SHE was sweet on Nutella for years, but the spread super-fan Sara Rosso has been ordered to quit talking about her favourite flavour online. Nutella . It’s the gooey hazelnut spread that inspires a slavish devotion among fans. Students hoard it. Thieves steal tons of it. American Sara Rosso started World Nutella Day as her personal tribute to the product. Established in 2007 and held on February 5 each year, World Nutella Day quickly grew into a global celebration with fans gorging themselves on jars of Nutella and posting recipes, videos and songs online. But not anymore. Ferrero, the Italian company that makes Nutella, has ordered Ms Rosso to “cease and desist” from publishing anything with the Nutella name or logo on it. “On May 25, 2013, I’ll be darkening the World…

Deborah Gough May 21, 2013 The Age It’s everywhere – in your bathroom, your pantry – and if you use make-up, it’s probably on your face as well. According to a report commissioned by the World Wildlife Fund and the Food and Grocery Council of Australia, Australians consume an average of about six kilograms of palm oil a year, in products as diverse as bread, shampoo and cosmetics. Consumer group Choice says palm oil is ecologically damaging, very high in saturated fats and should be specifically labelled so shoppers can choose to avoid it. Choice said about 50 per cent of packaged products on supermarket shelves contain palm oil, yet Food Standards Australia and New Zealand allowed it to be labelled as vegetable oil. It said palm oil was widespread and found in potato chips, shampoo, muesli bars and many other products, but shoppers could not tell by looking at…