2023 Degustation prices hit new heights
It's likely a new record for degustation prices in Australia. In March 2023, chef Mauro Colagreco, whose French fine diner… Read More
Eating
2022 Butter Board craze on Tic Toc
Forget Instagram. In the 2020s the new food influencers are all using Tic Toc. And on 15 September 2022, one… Read More
2020 Fast food consumption rises during pandemic
In May 2021, the research company Roy Morgan reported that during 2020, more than 75% of Australians ate take-away food… Read More
2019 Gut health, peganism and faux meat food trends
Food trends identified as important for 2019 were eating for gut health, food shopping more frequently, "peganism" (a cross between… Read More
2019 Vegan certification introduced in Australia
With the a growing number of Australians adopting a vegan lifestyle, Vegan Australia launched a vegan certification program in January… Read More
2018 Domino’s vegan pizza
All the pundits predicting the 2018 food trends agreed on one thing. Vegetable-based foods were HOT, they said. It seemed… Read More
2016 More Aussies are vegetarian
Roy Morgan research found that between 2012 and 2016, the number of Australian adults whose diet is all or almost… Read More
2015 Spending on takeaway rises
The ABS Household Expenditure Survey (2000) found that the average household spent $127 a week on foods and non-alcoholic beverages,… Read More
2015 Sugar a health hazard
Although some nutrition scientists had sounded warnings about sugar as early as 1972, its dangers were largely ignored by those… Read More
2014 Macca’s healthy cafe
In a world first, McDonald's trialled a new cafe concept in Sydney's Camperdown, opposite the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. Macca's… Read More
2014 Health Star Rating on food packaging
In a response to growing concerns about obesity, the Health Star Rating system was developed by the Australian, state and… Read More
2014 Food trends according to Good Food Guide
Commenting on 2014 food trends, Larissa Dubecki and Jane Apelgren of The Age Good Food Guide identified pickles, kale, milk… Read More
2013 Keto diet becoming popular
The Keto diet (or ketogenic diet) was originally developed in the 1920s as a treatment for epilepsy. It echoed some… Read More
2013 International year of Quinoa
It's touted as a superfood. Quinoa (which we all know to pronounce as keen-wah) is often described as an ancient grain… Read More
2013 Choc Tops change hands
Rowena Foods, manufacturers of that favourite of cinema-goers, the Choc Top, was bought by Bulla Dairy Foods. Rowena's Choc Tops have… Read More
2013 The modern sandwich
How the modern sandwich has changed! The lunch! event held in Sydney for the takeaway food industry in 2013 incorporated competitions… Read More
2013 Chips most popular snack food
Roy Morgan Research released the results of a snack food survey showing that 33 per cent of Australians bought potato… Read More
2012 HelloFresh home delivery meals
Described as the food delivery business for home cooks, HelloFresh delivers a weekly box of ingredients including fresh meat and… Read More
2012 Death cap mushrooms kill three in Canberra
Two people died from liver damage after a New Year’s eve dinner in Canberra where they ate Amanita phalloides, or… Read More
2011 Superfoods redefined
The term "superfoods" (or, sometimes, super-foods) isn't new. As early as 1912, it was used in England to advertise a… Read More
2011 Politically correct product of the year
Australian supermarket Product of the Year was Organic Bubs Baby Food Pouches. This product ticked all the right boxes by… Read More
2011 Fast food chains hit big numbers
In 2008 an IGA survey reported in Foodweek had found that 57% of Australians ate fast food at least once a… Read More
2011 Worst fast food named
The consumer organisation, CHOICE, named Hungry Jack's Ultimate Double Whopper as the worst fast food, with a single burger delivering… Read More
2011 Milestones in food presentation – blog
George Hill is a chef and educator who has clearly seen (and done) it all. Hel posted an amusing summary… Read More
2010s New cuisines draw crowds
As we entered the second decade of the 21st century, the latest “in” cuisines were Korean, Mexican, South American (BBQ)… Read More
2010 noma named world’s best
Chef René Redzepi's restaurant noma displaced El Bulli as Restaurant magazine’s best in the world. The restaurant, located in Copenhagen, Denmark introduced… Read More
2010 Macaron craze
Macarons became 'the new cupcakes'. Consisting of two almond meal and egg white biscuits, sandwiched together with ganache, macarons in… Read More
2009 Pollywaffle discontinued
The Pollywaffle chocolate bar was introduced in 1947 by Hoadley’s Chocolates. It consisted of marshmallow inside a chocolate-coated wafer tube… Read More
2009 Domino’s fast food app
Domino's, who pioneered home delivery of pizza in Australia, released its first fast food app in 2009. The app allowed customers to… Read More
2008 Urbanspoon launches in Australia
Launched by three partners in the USA in 2006, Urbanspoon provided an online forum for peer-reviewing of restaurants. The service… Read More
2008 Subway abandons Anzac Biscuits
The Anzac Biscuit recipe is protected under Australian legislation, policed by the Department of Veterans' Affairs. Commercially made Anzac Biscuits… Read More
2007 Prime Minister plugs Iced VoVo
The Iced VoVo is a sweet biscuit first made by Arnott’s around 1904. It has two strips of pink icing… Read More
2005 Cupcake craze hits Australia
Thanks to the popularity of the American TV series Sex and the City, these highly decorated little cakes, the signature… Read More
2005 Seafood sustainability becomes an issue
Concerns about seafood sustainability were voiced at Tasting Australia in Adelaide and at a Slow Food conference in Melbourne. The… Read More
2005 Lamb for Australia Day
As a response to declining lamb sales, the Australian Meat and Livestock Corporation recruited former Aussie Rules footballer and media… Read More
2004 Grill’d rethinks the hamburger chain
The hamburger has been around in Australia since the 1930s. The traditional "one with the lot" was cooked to order… Read More
2004 Morgan Spurlock’s Super Size Me
The American documentary film Super Size Me by director Morgan Spurlock aimed to expose the evils of fast food. The film… Read More
2003 Mo Vida rides Spanish wave
Barcelona-born Frank Camorra opened Mo Vida in laneway in Melbourne, with tapas as bar food and more substantial plates to… Read More
2003 Chia farm established in the Kimberley
It seems that every generation has its own superfoods. In the past, kiddies lined up for a spoonful of Saunders… Read More
2002 Food Standards Code introduced
The Food Standards Code set the standards for food labelling and composition for all States and Territories throughout Australia and New… Read More
2002 Paleo Diet developed
Based on the (false) premise that humans haven't evolved fast enough to cope with foods introduced since the end of… Read More
2002 The GI Diet popularised
The concept of the glycemic index was developed by Canadian Dr David Jenkins in 1980-81. His research showed that some starchy… Read More
2000 Obesity on the rise
The 1999-2000 Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study indicated over seven million, or 60% of adult Australians aged 25 years… Read More
2000 GST introduced
The Goods and Services Tax (GST) was introduced by John Howard's Liberal government in 2000, providing another incentive to eat… Read More
2000 McDonald’s the Olympic restaurant
The official Olympic restaurant for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games was that great Australian institution – McDonald's. The Sydney 2000… Read More
1999 Dick Smith Foods, the Aussie way
In 1999, entrepreneur Dick Smith launched Dick Smith Foods. The move was prompted by the increasing foreign ownership of iconic… Read More
1999 McDonald’s launches McOz
The truly Australian touch in this burger was the addition of beetroot. The McOz consisted of a burger patty with… Read More
1998-9 Egg consumption declines
n 1968 the American Heart Association announced a dietary recommendation that you should eat no more than 300 mg of… Read More
1998 Great Vanilla Slice Triumph
The Great Vanilla Slice Triumph began in Ouyen, Victoria, in 1998 after then-Victorian premier Geoff Kennett claimed the vanilla slice… Read More
1996 Modern Australian food defined
The term “Modern Australian” first appeared in the Age and Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guides in 1996. This description… Read More
1995 Fags become Fads
Fags were candy cigarettes, produced since the 1930s, initially by Riviera Confectionery and later by Fyna Foods. They were white,… Read More
1995-96 Takeaway sushi
Sushi had appeared in Sydney restaurants as early as 1963 and by 1982 the Australian Women's Weekly was telling people… Read More
1995 Slow Food Australia founded
Slow Food Australia operates through a series of convivia, each mandated directly from the Italian headquarters in Bra, Italy. The first… Read More
1994 Government regulates Anzac biscuits
The Minister for Veterans' Affairs must authorise the use of the term Anzac. In 1994 a general policy relating to… Read More
1992 Margarine outsells butter three to one
An Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report in 1994 quoted industry sources that put 1992 market shares of butter… Read More
1991 The Cheesecake Shop founded in Sydney
My daughter has a skill I never acquired. She's a dab hand at writing "Happy birthday" atop an iced cake,… Read More
1991 Easter Bilby campaign introduced
The Foundation for Rabbit Free Australia (RFA) developed and registered the Easter Bilby campaign in December 1991. The aim was to raise… Read More
1991 Kentucky Fried Chicken becomes KFC
With health-consciousness increasing, Kentucky Fried Chicken changed its name to eliminate the ‘F’ word. It became KFC. No longer ‘Finger-lickin’ good’,… Read More
1990 Tiny Teddy biscuits launched
Arnott’s Tiny Teddy biscuits hit the market, becoming the most successful product launch in the company’s history. More than five… Read More
1990s Food allergies in the news
Studies showed that peanut allergy in children increased from 0.5 to 1.5% between 1989 and 1994-6 in the UK and… Read More
1990 Heyday of the Caesar salad
Although generally held to be invented in 1924 by the eponymous Caesar Cardini at his hotel and restaurant in Tijuana,… Read More
1990s More pre-packaged meals
In the 1990s, individually packaged, ready-made meals and snacks appeared in increasing numbers in the supermarket. Microwave pasteurisation techniques extended… Read More
1990s Fusion cooking
Fusion cooking started before the 1990s (at Tetsuya’s, for example) but in this decade became more widespread. Chefs combined eastern… Read More
1989 Sausage sizzle electoral row
We love our "democracy sausage". But in 1989, the Labor Premier of Western Australia, Peter Dowding, was in trouble for… Read More
1989 food trends. French fries hot, crocodile steaks cold.
According to Mode Australia, a now defunct magazine published by Australian Consolidated Press, French fries, fresh crab cakes and mesculun… Read More
1988 Sun-dried tomatoes all the rage
In a 1988 article in The Age, Terry Durack’s essentials for a civilised weekend out of reach of a gourmet… Read More
1988 The term molecular gastronomy coined
Oxford Professor of Physics, Nicholas Kurti, and French physical chemist and magazine editor, Hervé This, coined the term molecular gastronomy… Read More
1988 First Australian Subway opens in Perth
Founded by Fred de Luca in Connecticut in 1965, the Subway chain of sandwich shops was soon an expanding franchise operation. The… Read More
1987 Mackay Report on Food in the 1980s
Social researcher Hugh Mackay turned his attention to food. His 1987 Mackay Report, Food and Social Change, available in the… Read More
1986/87 Peters and Pauls have widest ice cream range
Peters and Pauls were brands of QUF (formerly Queensland United Foods). The range of ice cream products included : Drumstick,… Read More
Mid 80s The term ‘functional foods’ emerges
The term functional foods was first used in Japan to refer to foods with added ingredients that claim to provide… Read More
1985 Restaurant meal delivery service
While pizza delivery started in Brisbane as early as 1978, the first service set up for meal delivery from restaurants… Read More
1985 IKEA’s Swedish meatballs invented
On my husband’s 70th birthday, we brunched at IKEA because, one of our daughters told us, “That’s where all the… Read More
1984 Year of the Sticky Date Pudding
Sydney Morning Herald writer, David Dale, nominated Sticky Date Pudding as the signature dish of 1984. There's no doubt the… Read More
1983 First tapas in Australia?
Opening towards the end of 1983, Torremolinos restaurant in Sydney claimed to be the only restaurant in Australia serving tapas.… Read More
1983 Hot chip vending machine
The now-defunct Precision Fry Foods Pty Ltd claimed to have invented Australia's first hot chip machine. It operated in Robe,… Read More
1983 Seafood dining in Melbourne
In 1983, Jean Jacques Lale-Demoz opened his seafood restaurant in North Melbourne. The fine diner was in the vanguard of… Read More
1983 Domino’s launches with home delivery
The first Australian Domino’s store opened in Springwood, Queensland, in 1983. Domino's home delivery service gave it an advantage over… Read More
1982 Bush foods research by Vic Cherikoff
There is evidence that early colonists consumed some native foods, perhaps more from necessity than choice. But once European-style agriculture… Read More
1982 Yoplait Yogurt launched
Prior to 1982, yoghurt was consumed mainly by recent immigrants and health fanatics. It was largely sold by health food… Read More
1982 Michael Symons publishes One Continuous Picnic
The first edition of One Continuous Picnic: A History of Australian Eating propounded the idea that Australian cuisine developed from… Read More
1981 Nachos on the bar menu
We know precisely when nachos were invented, but we don't know exactly when they arrived in Australia or when they… Read More
1981 First Donut King store
The first Donut King outlet opened in March 1981, in the Eastgate Shopping Centre in Bondi, Sydney. It was operated… Read More
1980 Christmas in July in the Blue Mountains
Christmas in July is not a wholly Australian tradition. But in Australia it seems to have its origins in the… Read More
1980 The term ‘foodie’ invented
Although the term 'foodie', for someone who is keenly interested in all things food, was first used by Gael Greene… Read More
1980 Chicken Parmigiana on the menu
Whether you call it a parma or a parmi, Chicken Parmigiana is now an Aussie pub staple. It's impossible to… Read More
1980 Michel’s Patisserie founded in Sydney
Was there a Michel behind Michel's Patisserie? And was he actually French? The coffee and cake chain, now known just… Read More
1980 Kraft goes gourmet
By the 1980s, tastes were changing. Kraft launched feta cheese, a satay sauce range and olives, as well as a… Read More
1980 Bakers Delight founded in Melbourne
It's no surprise to see American food outlets spreading their tentacles across Australia. It's much more surprising to see an… Read More
1980 Kangaroo meat sales legalised in S.A.
Even when it became legal to sell kangaroo meat in South Australia this local game was slow to find its… Read More
1980s Low fat a high priority
The first branded, fat-reduced milks arrive, along with low fat salad dressings and cholesterol-free mayonnaise. In 1982, the Australian Nutrition… Read More
1980s Yum cha becomes popular
Literally 'drink tea', yum cha became popular in Australia in the early 1980s, first taking hold in the Chinatown establishments… Read More
1980s New Asian food choices
With the White Australia policy firmly in the past new Asian food choices emerged on the restaurant scene. The arrival… Read More
Late 1970s Peter Russell-Clarke sells eggs
As question marks were raised about eggs as high-cholesterol food, The Victorian Egg Board enlisted the services of artist, author… Read More
1979 Chicken salt goes commercial
Chicken salt is as Australian as Vegemite, although with a shorter history. It was invented by Peter Brinkworth in the… Read More
1979 First Ali Baba kebab store
The first Ali Baba kebab restaurant opened in 1979 outside the Woden Plaza in Canberra’s inner south. It was founded… Read More
1979 Sourdough revival begins at Feedwell Foundry
Sourdough bread, say the purists, is made simply from flour, water and salt. The rising agent, or "leaven" is natural… Read More
1979 The Pritikin Program For Diet And Exercise
American nutritionist Nathan Pritikin’s book, The Pritikin Program For Diet And Exercise, spent a year on the New York Times’… Read More
1978 First home-delivered pizza
Home-delivered pizza was pioneered in Australia by Silvio's Dial-a-Pizza in the Brisbane suburb of Red Hill in 1978. The business,… Read More
1978 First McDonald’s Drive-Thru
In 1978, Australia's first McDonald's Drive-Thru opened in Warrawong, New South Wales. This was just three years after their first… Read More
1978 Vogue’s Champagne Diet
The Champagne Diet, published in Australian Vogue, made much of the fact that champagne was the least fattening of all… Read More
1977 Howqua Dale weekend retreat founded
Sarah Stegley and Marieke Brugman owned and operated the Howqua Dale Gourmet Retreat, at Mansfield in central Victoria for 30… Read More
1976 First muesli bar in Australia
Australia's first muesli bar was the Uncle Tobys Toasted Muesli Crunchola Bar, launched in 1976. It was a jolly good… Read More
1976 Kraft Singles launched
The best thing since sliced bread was sliced cheese. Kraft Singles, individually wrapped slices of processed cheddar were launched in… Read More
1976 Overseas travel changing tastes
By 1976, a million people were leaving Australia annually to travel overseas. They now travelled by air, not by sea,… Read More
1976 Australia’s first Thai restaurant
The first Thai restaurant in Australia was the Bahn Thai, which was opened in Melbourne's St Kilda Road in June… Read More
1975? Savoury slice invented in Murray Bridge
The savoury slice is a truly regional dish, apparently found only in a tiny pocket of South Australia around the… Read More
1974 Pink Lady apples developed in WA
Pink Lady is a promotional name for an apple variety known as Cripps Pink. The apple was developed by horticulturalist… Read More
1972 Atkins diet
Introduced in the book Dr Atkins Diet Revolution, the Atkins diet promised people they could lose weight while eating as… Read More
1972 Red Rooster founded in WA
The Aussie-owned fast food chain began in Western Australia. Originally a family business, Red Rooster was acquired, and the chain… Read More
1971 Humpty Doo Hotel opens
It's not the most historic, the most glamorous or even the quirkiest pub in Australia's Northern Territory. Unlike the Mataranka… Read More
1971 Hungry Jack’s launches in Australia
The US chain Burger King couldn’t use their own brand in Australia, as the name had been trademarked by a… Read More
1971 Space Food Sticks launched in Australia
Space Food Sticks were developed by Pillsbury in the USA. The company worked in conjunction with NASA to develop a… Read More
1971 Lolly Gobble Bliss Bombs
Lolly Gobble Bliss Bombs were launched in 1971. They were based on a similar American product called Cracker Jack, which… Read More
1971 First Australian McDonald’s opens in Sydney
The first Australian McDonald's opened in the Sydney suburb of Yagoona 16 years after the company was founded in the USA.… Read More
1970 Pizza Hut launches in Australia
The first Australian Pizza Hut opened in Belfield, Sydney in April 1970. The building (shown here) was most recently a Korean… Read More
1971 Smoked oysters fall from grace
1971 was the year when smoked oysters became socially unacceptable. Playing Stork in the eponymous movie, actor Bruce Spence single-handedly… Read More
1970s Counterculture revolt
In the late ‘60s and early ’70s, the counterculture revolt railed against everything that symbolised the industrial state. It included a… Read More
1969 Weight Watchers kicks off weight loss industry in Australia
It warranted a full page in the Australian Women's Weekly. In 1969, Nancy Richardson arrived from the United States to… Read More
1968 Subway emerges in Connecticut
A recent high school graduate, 17 year old Fred DeLuca, and family friend Dr. Peter Buck teamed up to open… Read More
1968 Kentucky Fried Chicken launches in Australia
Australia's first Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet opened in Guildford in Sydney’s western suburbs on 27th April 1968, with a staff… Read More
1967? Caramello Koala introduced
According to Wikipedia, the Caramello Koala first appeared in 1966 under the name of Caramello Bear. Other websites have taken… Read More
1967 Australia’s first frozen Chinese meals?
Although there had previously been frozen TV dinner ranges which included Asian dishes, the first all-Chinese frozen meal range may… Read More
1967 Bourbon & Beefsteak, Kings Cross
In 1967 a new era in the Americanisation of Australian food began. King's Cross in Sydney was the location of… Read More
1965 Red Tulip After Dinner Mints
Red Tulip didn’t invent the after-dinner mint. Rowntree’s After Eight Mint Chocolate Thins were launched in England in 1962, but… Read More
1965 First kebabs in Sydney
According to the operators of Uncle Tony’s Kebabs, the first kebabs were introduced in Sydney by Lebanese immigrant Tony Khater in… Read More
1965 Australia’s first food court
These days, we don't just go to shopping centres to shop. We go to eat. Shopping centre food courts can… Read More
1964 The Big Banana
Claiming to be the first and most famous of Australia's "Big Things" (although it was actually pipped by the Big… Read More
1964 Golden Fleece roadhouses promoted
It's not clear when the first of the Golden Fleece branded restaurants was opened - perhaps in the 1950s or… Read More
1963 Drumstick ice cream introduced
Peters Drumstick was launched in Australia in 1963. It wasn't invented here though. Like its predecessor the Eskimo Pie, the… Read More
1963 Tim Tams launched
In 1963, Arnott’s launched Tim Tams , a new chocolate-covered biscuit based on a British product called Penguin. They were… Read More
1963 Bertie Beetle launched by Hoadley’s
The chocolate Bertie Beetle was launched by Hoadley's in 1963 and is generally supposed to have been created as a… Read More
1962 Calamari first featured in Australian Women’s Weekly
For most of Australia's colonial history, squid (aka calamari) was thought of as fisherman's bait. Only after World War II,… Read More
1962 Deb Instant Mashed Potato
The potato has long been Australia's favourite vegetable. In early colonial days, stews relied on the starchy tuber to bulk… Read More
1962 New Year’s Eve at the Rex Hotel, Bondi
The special New Years's Eve menu at the Rex Hotel was typical for its time. It offered Oysters Naturelle or… Read More
1962 Mr Whippy arrives in Australia
The Mr Whippy ice cream van company was founded in Birmingham, England, in 1958. Just four years later the franchise… Read More
1962 Christmas menu at Hotel Astra, Bondi
The multi-course Christmas menu at the Hotel Astra, Bondi, offered such choices as Oysters Natural au Citron, Consomme Royale, Fillet… Read More
1962 Southern Cross Hotel opens in Melbourne
The Southern Cross Hotel was the first luxury hotel in Melbourne to depart from the traditional style of hotels like… Read More
1962 First Burger King in Adelaide
Adelaide's Burger King chain had nothing to do with the similarly-named chain in the United States founded in 1953. However,… Read More
1962 Hawaiian Pizza created in Canada
History does not record when the first Hawaiian Pizza arrived in Australia. But the man credited with its invention was… Read More
1961 Streets Splice trademark registered
Actually, the Streets people themselves don’t know when this iconic Aussie ice cream was launched. They say it was “sometime… Read More