April Round Up - Mars Wrigley make the move to 100% recyclable wrappers.

Welcome to the first edition of the Consumer Rumour, a monthly newsletter written by myself to keep you up to date with the consumer goods landscape. I will feature news and articles mainly from Australia but also bringing you the latest in the industry from around the world.

Headlining my first edition is none other than Mars, the largest privately held FMCG company in the world. Although you cant buy any shares in Mars, you can have your fair share of their latest announcements. Other features this month include the hot topic of #vaping, a storm in a teacup (or a coffee mug) and Australia is beefing up its fast food scene with a large American player.

1. 玛氏食品 Wrigley Australia finally roll out their recyclable chocolate bar packaging that can be fully recycled in curb side bins, making the whole process as quick and easy for the consumer as possible. This is a huge step forward for the snack food giant forecasting that the move will eliminate over 350 tonnes of plastic from their value chain. Read the full story from 玛氏食品 Australia here.

2. Albanese government imposes stricter regulations surround the sale of e-cigarettes and vaping products. The crackdown's strictest measure is to limit the amount of retailers in which vapes will be available in to pretty much just pharmacies. This announcement ran in tandem to the news that tobacco and tobacco products will have a tax increase of 5 per cent per year for three years in addition to normal indexation and aligning the tax treatment. Read the story by Michelle Grattan from The Conversation Media Group here.

3. Moccona (part of JDE ) take competitor coffee manufacturer Vittoria Food & Beverage to court over likeness of Vittoria's instant coffee jar to the Iconic Moccona flat top jar. Do you think Moccona have a point, or do they need to wake up and smell the coffee? Read the full story by Katrina Liwanag from Inside FMCG here.

4. US Fast Food giant, Wendy's reveals plans for Australian takeover. The American Burger joint, which currently sits 3rd in the burger rankings behind (you guessed it) 麦当劳 and Burger King in the states, is tipped to open hundreds of locations down under. Take a bite out of the full article by Morganne Kopittke for SmartCompany here.

I hope you have enjoyed reading and if you have any comments or suggestions please feel free reach out or share in the comments.