A range of New Zealand food and beverage (F&B) brands showcased their products Regent Singapore Hotel yesterday, as part of a strategy to gain a foothold in the regional market,  allowing local chefs, buyers and other industry professionals to taste Kiwi treats such as wine and beer, honey, ice cream and lamb, and to interact with key producers.

About half of the 20 exhibitors at the trade show organised by New Zealand Trade and Enterprise featured young brands looking to expand into Singapore and the region. The remaining exhibitors, such as New Zealand Natural and Moa Brewing Company, are already established here.

Durello, which sells traditional Brazilian snacks, was set up in New Zealand three years ago.

Founder Marcelo Menoita told The Straits Times: "We are a brand with Brazilian flavour, New Zealand ingredients, mother's recipes.

"Singapore is an ideal location for expansion as it is an entry point to Asia, and it has high-end consumers who value quality products like we do."

The one-day event was held in conjunction with a panel discussion focusing on food sustainability and changing consumer demands in Singapore.

Said panellist Regina Moench-Pfanner, who founded sustainable food consultancy ibn360: "We need to tap research and development for sustainable food while putting ourselves in consumers' shoes.

"There is increasing international pressure for healthy, quality foods, and the food industry should look at how to turn this into opportunities."

Ms Hayley Horan, New Zealand's Trade Commissioner for Singapore, noted that her country is a leader in food safety and product traceability and a trusted supplier of high-quality products to Singapore.

Currently, Singapore is New Zealand's eighth-largest target country for food exports.

Most of the new brands that took part in the trade show are keen to champion sustainability, quality, safety and health. Some firms featured non-genetically modified products, animal welfare-centric business models and carbon-free manufacturing processes.

Mr Trent Brock, who owns New Zealand Kettle Korn, said: "Our popcorn is all natural. We use carefully selected, high-quality New Zealand-made ingredients.

"We are lab-certified gluten-, soy-, dairy- and peanut-free. Having quality and being allergy-friendly cost us a little more, but we plan to keep it that way."

Mr Brock plans to expand his business into Singapore within the next few months.

|  A release from  The Strait Times  ||  May 19, 2017  |||

Scientists have used some surprising and ingenious methods to get Greenshell™ mussels to breed in captivity and their efforts could soon be worth $200 million a year to the New Zealand economy.

Warm baths and vibrating devices are just two of the clever tricks New Zealand scientists have employed to get the famous (and somewhat shy) Greenshell™ mussels to breed on cue.  The first crop from the SPATNZ hatchery is now ready to harvest and to eat, after years of investigative work in Nelson, New Zealand.

Scientist and SPATNZ boss, Rodney Roberts says it’s taken quite a bit of experimenting to get the mussels to give up their secrets.

“Normally these mussels breed in the wild and we wait for their babies, known as spat, to wash up on beaches attached to seaweed or land on catch ropes.  That made life difficult for New Zealand mussel farmers, who had to cross their fingers and hope they would have enough spat for their farms from year to year.”

“We had to work pretty hard to figure out how to get the Greenshell™ mussels to breed reliably in our hatchery.  We experimented with lighting, different bath temperatures and sounds and we finally settled on a combination of light, temperature and small vibrations that seems to really get the mussels going, encouraging them to produce maximum quantities of sperm and eggs.”

Rodney says the process might sound funny, but it has yielded seriously good results.

“We are now able to produce billions of mussel eggs each month and the great news is that these are growing into strong, faster growing and more consistent mussels.”

Mussel farmers agree.  Bruce Hearn, who farms in the Marlborough Sounds and is also the Chairman of Aquaculture New Zealand says he’s incredibly excited about what it means for the industry.

“There are a lot of aspects to wild spat, it differs in quantity and quality, you never know when it is coming and when you can get it so there is no certainty.  One of the advantages of hatchery spat is that we will know when we are getting it and we can plan for it.  That will make a huge difference.  It may be hard to appreciate just how much difference it will make, but that is a huge advantage on its own.”Gary Hooper the CEO of Aquaculture New Zealand agrees.

Hatchery spat is a game changer for our industry, it opens up all sorts of opportunities around selective breeding and product development in high value areas like nutraceuticals and superfoods. New Zealand mussels are already world famous but the hatchery unlocks a new level of innovation to take our industry to another level.”

The SPATNZ hatchery and the science behind it is the result of a collaboration between the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) and New Zealand’s oldest and biggest seafood company, Sanford, through the Primary Growth Partnership.

Sanford CEO, Volker Kuntzsch, who is a scientist himself (he has a Masters in Zoology), says he’s delighted to see the innovations at SPATNZ paying off.

“It’s always very satisfying when scientists can say that they’ve done it – they’ve confronted a problem head on in a smart way and they’ve solved it.  Sanford is delighted that our mussel farmers will get real and significant benefits from SPATNZ’s hard work.”

Sanford and MPI are each investing $13 million into this PGP programme over its lifetime.  Sanford and its contract growers will initially benefit from the research and technology but a requirement of this Primary Growth Partnership programme is that in time the technology will be shared with everyone in the industry.

MPI’s Director Investment Programmes Justine Gilliland says MPI is excited by the progress of the SPATNZ PGP programme and its prospects.

“The key things that we think are amazing opportunities for the programme are around not only the product in its raw form, those beautiful Greenshell™ mussels that we all love to eat, but also the opportunity for example, with nutraceutical products.“One of the requirements of PGP programmes is that, at the end of the day, the knowledge is disseminated more widely to the industry.  We are really excited about the opportunity that the SPATNZ programme presents for the rest of the industry in New Zealand.”

Dan McCall, SPATNZ Operations Manager, says the whole programme is paying off, both in the hatchery and on the plate.

“It's really exciting. It’s a team effort and there have been many people over the years who have been involved, and now it is a reality.  It’s great!  We have already tasted a sample. We cooked some up for lunch the other day and yeah, we know they are good, we know they are delicious.”SPATNZ hatchery mussels are at harvest size now in the Marlborough Sounds and close to 500 tonnes of them will be harvested over the coming months.

Background

• The SPATNZ hatchery opened in 2015 in Nelson New Zealand and hatchery spat are currently growing on mussel farms in Pelorus Sound in Marlborough• 17 people are employed by SPATNZ at present• Greenshell™ mussels is the trademarked trading name for New Zealand green lipped mussels and sales of them in 2016 were worth around $350m• Greenshell™ mussels have anti-inflammatory properties and other characteristics that make them suitable for nutraceuticals• Aquaculture generally is worth around $530m to New Zealand annually and the industry wants to grow to be a billion dollar sector by 2025• When the programme reaches the end of its second stage, SPATnz expects to have developed hatchery methods capable of producing spat for around 30 thousand tonnes a year of adult mussels. Last year the industry produced a total of just over 80 thousand tonnes of Greenshell™ mussels• Mussels can swim.  When they are in the larval stage they spend three weeks swimming around looking for a place to land, settle and grow.

|  A SPATNZ release  ||  April 10, 2017   |||

Sanitarium Health and Wellbeing has appointed Rob Scoines as general manager for its New Zealand operation.

Mr Scoines, who most recently served as general manager for Logistics at Sanitarium Australia, brings 40 years of experience in a variety of roles such as accounting, HR and manufacturing in different locations, including Auckland. As general manager for Logistics, he led Sanitarium Australia to be considered a preferred supplier by its trading partners over the past 10 years.

"We’re the country’s number one breakfast food manufacturer and this offers the church a unique opportunity to make a positive impact in the community."

“I believe Rob will bring excellent leadership to this role,” said Sanitarium CEO Kevin Jackson. “He has what it takes to grow a high-performing team as we continue sharing our message of health and hope for a better life in New Zealand.”

Beyond the workplace, Mr Scoines accomplishes remarkable feats of endurance in ultra-marathon events and his passion for making a difference in the community is well known, whether he’s raising funds for a worthy cause or taking part in his local church’s Road to Bethlehem program.

“I see leadership as a privilege,” Mr Scoines said. “It’s the opportunity to positively impact people as they grow and develop while they in turn make an impact on the business and the community. We’re the country’s number one breakfast food manufacturer and this offers the Church a unique opportunity to make a positive impact in the community. I’m honoured to lead the team that’s going to make the most of that opportunity.”

Mr Sciones takes up the role immediately, replacing Pierre van Heerden, who announced he was stepping down as general manager at the end of 2016.

In the last financial year, Sanitarium New Zealand achieved a sales turnover of $150m and provided more than 500 million serves of healthy products for consumers.

| A Sanitarium release  |  March 17, 2017||

Mettler Toledo is inviting New Zealand manufacturers to a one-day event at its newly established Centre of Excellence in Hamilton on March 29.

The free event will include a range of workshops covering key industry topics such as foreign object detection, food safety and compliance, and hazardous area weighing. Centre experts will also provide hands-on product demonstrations, guides on good analytical practice, and a new approach to pH measurement.

The workshops are designed for food and beverage, pharmaceutical, and chemical producers interested in improving contamination detection, analysis of pH, conductivity and dissolved oxygen, and hazardous area weighing processes.

“This one-time event is an opportunity for manufacturers to obtain industry insights and product training in one convenient location,” said Country Manager Andy Cashen of Mettler Toledo New Zealand.

“In addition to the workshops, the whole range of METTLER TOLEDO equipment will be available for live demonstrations and use. Attendees have direct, hands-on access to products such as metal detectors and x-ray systems, hazardous weighing equipment, pH, conductivity and DO sensors, and more.”

Partners and customers in New Zealand will also be given an opportunity to tour the new facilities to celebrate the opening.

The newly established Centre of Excellence is the main facility for the company in New Zealand.

For customers and local suppliers, the facility offers many great opportunities, including access to training and demonstrations, expert consulting from technical sales professionals, skilled factory trained local service technicians, and local customer support.

|  A Food Australia article  |  February 27, 2017  ||

3M Food Safety has responded to the needs of the food safety industry with its latest luminometer, now available in Australia and New Zealand and offering greater sensitivity, more powerful and intuitive software, wireless connectivity and a rugged, user-friendly ergonomic industrial design.

Advances with the company’s latest Clean-Trace Hygiene Monitoring and Management System include the use of photomultiplier technology to amplify any luminescence and boost the likelihood of detection.

This is an important element in the luminometer’s re-engineering, and applies techniques used in cutting-edge medical devices, medical imaging and aerospace engineering.

The second area of improvement is the system’s upgraded software. The Clean-Trace Hygiene Management Software has a new user interface, with a streamlined and more intuitive dashboard to make navigation easier, minimize the amount of clicking between displays and allow reports to be generated more quickly.

Thirdly, the new-generation luminometer offers users wireless connectivity, with the capability of transferring data via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth technology to the device or computer where it will be analysed by the system software.

Finally, the housing and structure of the 3M Clean-Trace luminometer has been redesigned to be tougher and more ergonomic in use.

The improved system is being made available at a time where public health authorities worldwide are starting to take a much firmer, more consistent line when it comes to food safety and how it is monitored.

“Certainly, there is a heightened public sensitivity for food quality, resulting in more internal and external controls and reporting, and there’s been an abundance of new regulations,” said Tom Dewey, 3M Food Safety global marketing manager.

In New Zealand, for example, March 2016 was the deadline for compliance with the Food Act 2014 which, among other provisions, requires food businesses of all sizes to have a food control plan. For higher-risk food categories, the plan needs to be customised and to show evidence of how hazards are controlled through the manufacturing process.

In many ways, the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) 2011 Food Safety Modernisation Act set the international trend for regulation to help prevent food contamination rather than simply respond to it.

The ATP hygiene monitoring system can be used to provide evidence that relevant controls have been implemented and continual monitoring is taking place to meet these new legislated requirements.

As Tom Dewey explained, 3M consulted closely with customers in order to develop a system which was effective in automating and streamlining often time-consuming testing procedures, while sacrificing nothing in terms of precision or consistency.

Based on years of hard-edged research, as well as valuable feedback from those in food safety and hygiene management, the improved luminometer provides a rapid and dependable alternative to more time-consuming microbial testing methods.

With many manufacturers expanding the range and variety of their products, more changeovers are required. Despite this, downtime still needs to be kept to an absolute minimum, meaning that potentially high-risk decisions about food safety and cleanliness need to be taken quickly. Hence the need for technology offering the requisite speed and reliability of results.

While many of the features on the latest 3M Clean-Trace luminometer have been improved, its reputation for consistent accuracy was already established with the previous-generation model. When tested by a third-party lab, the precision and consistency of results across time and temperature, and between swabs, outperformed several major competing brands.

The 3M Clean Trace luminometer is one of many innovative solutions from 3M Food Safety for managers requiring efficient and reliable answers to the challenges generated by today’s fast-moving food and beverage industry.

|  A 3M release  |  February 01, 2017  ||

Most of the smart factory discussion has centred around discrete manufacturing, but modern smart sensing technologies can also be applied to improve many aspects of the food and beverage industry, particularly for food safety and track and trace, improved packaging and new product opportunities.

The concepts of Industry 4.0, IIoT and ‘smart manufacturing’ have been gaining much press in recent times, particularly in relation to discrete manufacturing. Those working in an industry such as food and beverage — overwhelmingly driven by batch manufacturing processes — may find it difficult to see how such technologies could assist and improve their business. There are, however, definite areas in which these modern technologies can help modern food manufacturers improve efficiencies, market share and food safety.Food recalls and traceability

A food or beverage product may be recalled for a number of reasons: complaints from consumers or customers, or by order of retailers or government. It might also be recalled as a result of testing and auditing at a food business or in the upstream supply chain (raw ingredients). Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ)1 classifies the types of problems that can occur as including:

Microbial contamination: Pathogenic microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses or parasites.Labelling errors: Non-compliant labelling, incorrect food ingredients on the ingredient list, incorrect date markings or other food labelling errors.Foreign matter: Contamination with material such as glass, metal or plastic objects.Chemical or other contaminants: Contamination with substances such as cleaning products, pesticides, machine oil, etc.Undeclared allergens: Due to incorrect labelling, incorrect packaging or contamination of the product by an allergen.Biotoxins: Contamination with biological toxins such as histamine in fish and paralytic shellfish toxin in oysters.Other faults: Those not covered above, such as packaging faults or unsafe levels of additives.

In recent times there has been mounting pressure on food and beverage manufacturers to initiate and achieve product recalls in ever decreasing time frames, making effective product track-and-trace imperative.

Continue to full article > > >  

MELBOURNE, Australia, Jan. 18, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mondelēz International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ) has reached an agreement to sell most of its grocery business in Australia and New Zealand to Bega Cheese Limited (ASX:BGA) for $460 million AUD. The transaction adds the iconic VEGEMITE brand and other well-established grocery brands to Bega’s portfolio. The move enables Mondelēz International to further focus its portfolio and drive profitable growth by investing in its core snacks categories and Power Brands, including Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate and Oreo biscuits.

“We’re extremely proud of our history as the custodian of the VEGEMITE brand for over 90 years, transforming it from its local roots into a global icon that’s synonymous with Australia,” said Amanda Banfield, Vice President Australia, New Zealand and Japan for Mondelēz International. “It’s been a privilege stewarding this brand, which is found in almost every Australian household and is part of the fabric of the nation. As we continue to execute our strategic growth plan, with a keen focus on core snacks categories and global Power Brands, we’re excited to see VEGEMITE and these much-loved brands continue to grow and thrive under Bega’s ownership.”

Bega Cheese’s Executive Chairman Barry Irvin said he was ecstatic to be bringing together two companies with an Australian heritage spanning over 200 years. "We believe these iconic brands alongside the Bega Cheese brand are strong building blocks to enable Bega Cheese to become a great FMCG business.

“We feel privileged to be taking on the responsibility and guardianship of one of Australia’s most loved brands, VEGEMITE, and look forward to working with the people at 1 Vegemite Way in Port Melbourne to continue the legacy of this great company.”

Included in the sale are Mondelēz International owned brands – VEGEMITE, ZoOsh, Bonox – and other products that use the Kraft brand under license, such as peanut butter, nut spreads, processed cheese slices, ambient cheese spread, mayonnaise, parmesan cheese, Kraft Easy Mac and Kraft Mac & Cheese. Bega will receive a license to the Dairylea brand for use in Australia and New Zealand. The Philadelphia business is not included in the deal as it is a Mondelēz International Power Brand.

The Port Melbourne manufacturing site will transfer to Bega as part of this agreement and approximately 200 colleagues who spend most of their time working on this part of the business will be offered roles on comparable terms with Bega. The transaction is expected to close in the coming months.

BCDS Group has been appointed master distributor for Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Rim region by labelling automation manufacturer FOX IV Technologies.

FOX IV systems will be offered through ALS (Auto ID Labelling Solutions), a BCDS company, which is headed up by Bill Boursianis who has had more than 10 years’ experience with both FOX IV products and other printing and labelling equipment.

BCDS Group was selected due to their technical expertise, regional sales and service coverage, as well their ability to provide complete solutions from supplies to installation.

“BCDS’s expertise in integrating barcode, auto-ID and RFID equipment made them an excellent fit for representing FOX IV,” said Rick Fox, President and CEO.

“It was clear that they share our commitment to our customers in Australia, New Zealand and the region. Through BCDS, FOX IV customers can continue to expect quality equipment as well as knowledgeable support and service.”

Ian Jefford, Managing Director of BCDS, concurred. “This new appointment by FOX IV comes with much excitement within the BCDS Group, allowing us to further succeed on our business purpose of making our clients lives easier,” he said.

Over the past 20 years, more than 1000 FOX IV print and apply systems have been installed in Australia. BCDS will provide parts and service for existing FOX IV equipment as well as supply new FOX IV equipment, including the 2010 Series and FOX IV’s innovative Zebra based print and apply systems.

|  A Ferret release  |  January 11, 2017  |

Comvita, the manuka honey products company, has sold its Medihoney brand to US partner Derma Sciences for about $19 million, and will reap a further $11 million selling Derma shares in a takeover offer of the Nasdaq-listed company.

The gross proceeds of the Medihoney deal will amount to US$13.25 million, with a US$5 million earnout payable on sales milestones being achieved, Comvita said in a statement to the NZX. Comvita also owns 1.1 million shares in Derma Sciences, which announced on Jan. 10 that it will be acquired by Nasdaq-listed Integra LifeSciences for US$7 per share by the end of March. That values Comvita's stake at about $11 million, it said.

Derma Sciences already held the exclusive global rights to Medihoney wound care products, and in 2016 paid $2.1 million to Comvita in royalties for the use of the brand and trademarks. Those royalties will stop when the sale is completed.

Comvita will retain the use of the brand to develop its over-the-counter business, particularly for products to treat eczema, while Derma Sciences will hold the regulatory approvals to make products to European and US medical device quality standards. The deal also includes a 10-year honey supply agreement between the two.

The Te Puke-based company told shareholders in October that it expects to post a loss for its first half, ended Dec. 31, after tough trading and significantly lower sales in the first quarter due to the impact of regulatory changes in China. It expects a full-year profit of $17.1 million, entirely produced in the second half. In August 2016, Comvita posted a 15-month profit of $18.5 million after changing its balance date. Comvita previously reported a profit of $17.2 million in the 12 months ended March 31, 2016.

In 2013, Comvita raised about $9 million selling about 2.3 million new shares to Derma at $3.90 apiece, a 3.7 percent discount at the time, giving Derma a 7.3 percent stake while its chief executive Edward Quilty joined the Comvita board. Derma ceased to have a substantial shareholding in Comvita in May 2016, selling down to 4.7 percent of the company at $12.06 per share.

Comvita shares last traded at $8, up 0.9 percent today. They have declined 7.6 percent in the past year, having peaked at a record $12.85 in May 2016, after the company joined the NZX50 Index in April, but falling back over the remainder of the year. Derma shares last traded at US$6.95, up 33 percent this year having disclosed their acquisition by Integra.

|  A ShareChat release  |  January 12, 2017  |

New Zealand make-at-home yogurt business EasiYo Products is looking to grow its business in Europe through a tie-up with Ireland-based dairy group Ornua.

An agreement between the two companies will see EasiYo's yogurt mixes made outside New Zealand for the first time.

Ornua will blend and pack its Irish dairy powders into EasiYo's mixes at its site in Leek in central England.

Brian Dewar, EasiYo's CEO, said: "The UK and EU markets represent a multi-million pound opportunity for us to capitalise on this growing consumer trend of people who love to make fresh wholesome food at home. Moving manufacture and supply closer to our key accounts means we can respond to our customers' needs much faster as well significantly improving our environmental footprint."

EasiYo sells its products through UK retailers including Holland & Barrett and Lakeland. Much of its distribution in Europe is through TV shopping channel QVC, although the brand does have listings in stores in Belgium. The company would not comment on whether it was targeting multiple retailers but does want to significantly increase its distribution. Its customers in New Zealand and Australia include major grocery chains Countdown, Woolworths and Coles.

Alastair Jackson, the managing director of Ornua Nutrition Ingredients, said the Irish company's manufacturing would "provide a strong platform for the production of EasiYo as it expands its presence in the UK and European marketplace".

|  A just-food release  |  January 11, 2017  |