Low crops of the past has meant that the oil was sold fairly exclusively within the Apple Isle.

On a recent promotional tour to Europe and the United States tasters have Tasmanian olive oil , says Paul Miller, president Australian Olive Oil Association is recognized by international experts as an outstanding quality oil.

“They are more spicy, more vibrant in flavour and people are amazed how peppery they can be and how interesting to eat they can be.”

There are no Tasmanian oils on supermarket shelves. The Tasmanian Olive Council has 53 grower members with about 20 brands between them, but none is providing the quantity at a price supermarkets require. Prices range from $100 per litre down to $15.

But Tasmanian Olive Council president Geoff Price said this year’s harvest was more than double that of any previous year and perhaps, for the first time, some of it would reach an age of more than a year.

Price said the Tasmanian olive harvest olives had hovered around the 100-tonne mark for several years, during which time the southeast corner has been very dry.

This year the crop looks like being more than double that – about 250 tonnes.

The state’s biggest producer, Rocky Caccavo of The Island Olive Groves, has produced more than 100 tonnes alone this year and fruit is still being harvested from some of the company’s 17,000 trees at Campania.

The week-on-week rain during winter last year has made all the difference. Price, whose Platypus Creek grove is at Orielton, says his dam had never filled in 12 years, but last winter about five times the amount the dam can hold overflowed into the creek.

“This harvest might give stores and shops a chance to promote Tasmanian olive oil,” said Price. “We’ve never had that circumstance before, there’s always been a shortage.”

And although almost all local olive oil has been sold in this state in the past, Miller believes “Tasmania is going to put its mark on the world this year”.

And, he said, he “would have no problem at all” with good Tasmanian oil that had been stored for more than a year.

Many Tasmanian olive oils beat the 0.8 per cent benchmark for fatty acids with levels of 0.2 or 0.3 per cent. This is an indication of the presence of beneficial polyphenols and, according to Price, “gives us our very long shelf life and also our intense flavour”.

As with wine grapes, olives benefit from the long, cooler growing season.

“There is something about the weather there,” said Miller. “It is cold but you get all that light – more light than they do in Tuscany.”

The main foods in which the chemical acrylamide has been detected include fried or roasted potatoes, potato crisps, coffee and cereal-based products, including biscuits and toasted bread.

A joint WHO and United Nations expert committee on food additives agreed there was evidence that acrylamide caused cancer following laboratory tests in animals this year.

“Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has assessed the new data and agrees with the conclusions,” a FSANZ spokeswoman said.

“The authority has acknowledged there is a need for ongoing research into health impacts of acrylamide in food.

“The FSANZ has been working with industry to reduce the levels of acrylamide in food.”

Acrylamide is mainly formed in carbohydrate-rich foods by the reaction of asparagine (an amino acid) with reducing sugars (particularly glucose and fructose) during high-temperature cooking, usually in excess of 120C, such as baking, grilling or frying.

Methods that can decrease the amount of acrylamide in potato chips include increasing the surface area by cutting potatoes into thicker slices and washing, blanching or par-boiling to reduce the sugars in potatoes before frying.

National Baking Industry Association general manager Paul McDonald said bread was an affordable and economical alternative to fast food and offered “good nutritional value when eaten as part of a balanced diet”.

Dietitians Association of Australia spokeswoman Sonya Stanley said the ever-increasing variety of bread available meant consumers were spoilt for choice.

“People can find something that they do like pretty easily, there’s lots when it comes to selection,” she said.

As an OILSTREAM® customer you’ll have the choice of two systems – SMARTCUBE™ and SMARTFLOW™. Which one is most suitable for you depends on the weekly oil usage requirements for your business.

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FOUNTAIN’s Soy, Worcestershire and Barbecue Sauces are all now gluten-free, as well – without compromising on quality and flavour. Cerebos Food Service says it has worked hard to ensure the new gluten-free sauces taste just as good as the old formulations.

For Peter Reid, the Head Chef at Caloundra RSL in southern Queensland, the Cerebos gluten-free range is proving a great aid to his plans to make his entire kitchen gluten-free. Already 50 per cent of the RSL’s menu is gluten-free, due to customer demand. Reid says: “When trialling the FOUNTAIN Gluten- Free Soy Sauce, I did blind taste-tests with our chefs – two stir-fries, one using standard soy sauce and one with gluten-free – and the chefs could not distinguish between the two.” Ph: 1300 365 865.

The gluten-free selection from Cerebos Food Service includes Instant Gravy, Rich Brown Gravy, Celebration Gravy, Chicken Gravy and Demi Glace. In all cases, the flavour, quality and mouth-feel is equal to that of any great-tasting gravy.

For people with gluten intolerance – which includes those with medically diagnosed conditions, such as coeliac disease – food containing gluten (a protein found in wheat, rye, barley and oats) must be avoided.  Coeliac disease affects about one in 100 Australians.

By ensuring your gravies and sauces are gluten-free, you’ll be able to offer “winter warmers” to a greater variety of customers. Meat and vegetable-based dishes often contain gluten only in their gravies or sauces, so the small modification can be worth it. Ph 1300 365 865, customerservice@cerebos.com.au.

The premium, restaurant-quality stocks – comparable to what a chef would make from scratch – use the slow-reduction method to ensure flavour optimisation and contain 100 per cent natural ingredients, with no added salt, sugar, MSG, artificial flavouring or colouring. They’re also 99 per cent fat-free and completely gluten-free, so you can use them as ingredients for gluten-free meals.

The range includes beef, chicken, vegetable, lamb and fish varieties. The beef and chicken stock is available in 1kg and 5kg catering packs, with the vegetable, lamb and fish stock available in 1kg.

Complementing the stock range is its jus, coming in two varieties, classic beef and lamb, with both available in 1kg catering packs. www.essentialcuisine.com.au

As a further incentive to change to A grade fries, McCain Foods is also now rewarding its A grade users with a My McCain Fries Advantage rewards programme.

Each carton of fries now includes reward tokens printed on the inner lids, allowing businesses to easily redeem prizes – ranging from electrical items to children’s bikes.

McCain A grade fries are available in 10mm Fast Fry – ideal for the takeaway market – and 13mm Straight Cut, which maintain their quality, crispness and flavour while in the bain-marie. www.mymccainfriesadvantage.com.au