Dec 13, 2017  -  Minister for Agriculture, Biosecurity, Food Safety and Rural Communities Damien O’Connor announced today that the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) will reorganise its functions to create a stronger focus on core responsibilities.  Mr O’Connor says government will set up four portfolio-based entities, Fisheries New Zealand, Forestry New Zealand, Biosecurity New Zealand and New Zealand Food Safety.

“Our priority is to achieve greater clarity and unity of purpose for these areas. We are seeking enhanced visibility of government policy and regulatory activities and clearer lines of accountability and engagement for stakeholders.

“We are now looking to the Director General of MPI to work with his team to achieve this, while ensuring prudent and efficient use of taxpayer and industry funds.

“MPI will continue to meet the expectations of our international trading partners as the competent authority.’’

MPI will build up its forestry presence in Rotorua, Mr O’Connor says.

“Rotorua’s location puts it at the heart of our forestry sector and makes it the most appropriate site for a dedicated forestry presence to support the Government’s ambition in this important sector.

“It’s likely further change in the forest space will occur after policy and operational work to deliver the Government’s ambitious goals in this area.”

Reorganisation of MPI’s functions will occur in the early part of 2018 and will be in place by April.

“I would like to thank MPI staff for their commitment and hard work in the primary sector and assure them that there will be no reduction in staff numbers as a result of these changes. This change is about increasing focus and ensuring greater visibility of fisheries, forestry, biosecurity and food safety,” Mr O’Connor says.

The estimated cost to implement the changes is $6.8 million to establish the four portfolio-based business units. Additional ongoing operating costs are estimated at $2.3m per annum.

Mr O’Connor says reprioritised money from the Primary Growth Partnership Fund will pay for the changes so there will be no additional cost to taxpayers.

“This is a prudent and cost-effective change that can be managed with existing monies.’’

| A Beehive release  ||  December 13, 2017   |||

Dec 13, 2017  -  Pumpkin prices increased 176 percent in the year to November 2017, to reach $5.78 a kilo, the highest price since the food price series began in December 1993, Stats NZ said today. Pumpkin and kumara are typically more expensive in November, but both hit record levels after larger-than-usual increases this year.

“Poor growing conditions due to the wet weather early this year had a huge impact on the supply of pumpkin and kumara,” consumer prices manager Matthew Haigh said. “Pumpkin prices have reflected lower supply, with dramatic price increases in the last three months, while kumara prices increased more steadily through the year.”

Kumara prices increased 83 percent in the year to November 2017, to reach a record of $8.99 a kilo. Kumara was $4.92 a kilo in November 2016. Potatoes, also a big contributor to the 6.3 percent increase in vegetable prices, increased 19 percent in the past year.

Higher vegetable prices, along with a 2.3 percent increase for ready-to-eat food (primarily biscuits, cakes, and hot drinks) and a 6.8 percent increase for fruit, pushed food prices up 2.3 percent in the year to November 2017.

Tomatoes and strawberries cheaper in November

Fruit and vegetable prices fell 2.6 percent in November, the main contributor in an overall 0.4 percent fall in food prices. However, after seasonal adjustment, fruit and vegetable prices rose 1.2 percent.

With summer approaching, tomatoes and strawberries had big price falls (down 44 percent and 22 percent, respectively), making them the largest contributors to the overall fall in food prices this month.

The average price for tomatoes was $4.32 a kilo in November, down from $7.68 in October 2017.

“Although tomato prices dropped considerably this month, they’re still at a much higher level than in November 2016 after seeing an annual increase of 27 percent,” Mr Haigh said.

Butter reached another record high, rising 1.3 percent in November. The average price of the cheapest available 500g block of butter was $5.74 in November 2017, up from $5.67 in October 2017 and $3.88 in November 2016.

| A STATSNZ release  ||  December 13, 2017   |||

Dec 7,  2017  -  Synlait Milk (NZX: SML; ASX: SM1) has today officially opened its new Wetmix kitchen, which will enable it to simultaneously run both large-scale infant formula spray dryers.  This will double the amount of infant formula powder which can be produced at the Dunsandel site, from 40,000 metric tonnes (MT) to 80,000 MT per year.

“We were at the point where our current Wetmix facility was at capacity, and our consumer demand was continuing to grow. Building this new Wetmix kitchen will relieve that pressure,” says John Penno, Managing Director and CEO.

Synlait has invested $37 million in the new Wetmix kitchen, which is at the core of the production process.

It’s where the dry ingredients (such as dairy proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals) are mixed into the liquid milk. That mixture is then sent to the dryer, where it is dried into infant formula base powder.

Mixing the dry ingredients into the liquid milk before drying ensures a superior blend quality.

The project has been in planning since December 2015 and contractors began work on site in February 2017. At times there were up to 125 contractors on site per day, but the construction of the Wetmix kitchen did not disrupt the activities of other areas on site.

“We’re really happy with how the build went,” says Mr Penno “it was a smooth process which was completed on time and within budget, without the need to alter our day-to-day operations.”

Designed with staff in mind, some manual steps (e.g. lifting and tipping large bags of ingredients) have been reduced with the help of automation. This creates a safer environment and provides operational efficiencies.

“It was really important for us to make this new facility as user-friendly as possible. We want our employees to be safe at work, and to work under the best possible conditions,” he says.

| A Synlait release  ||  December 7, 2017  |||

Published: December 4, 2017 2:48PM

New management team at Corson focused on extending its maize-based product mix.

NEW BOSS: Daniel Prenter became Corson chief executive in July, after 19 years in food production and food packaging for the meat, horticulture and dairy sectors. He is originally from Hawke’s Bay. Picture by Liam ClaytonThe continuing trend towards healthy, safe food is helping to propel Gisborne-based food ingredients company Corson into the future.

Armed with a new management team and dedicated product development manager, Corson plans to capitalise on the immense opportunities in new maize-based products and markets, says chief executive Daniel Prenter.

Eastland Community Trust would like to distribute $4.5 million to economic development projects this financial year, effectively doubling the fund it makes available for economic development in the region.

The announcement, made in August, represents a step change for the organisation, which has streamlined its approach to economic development following a review of its funding process and the amalgamation of Activate Tairawhiti. But the trust needs good opportunities to back.

ECT chief executive Gavin Murphy says the trust is entering exciting times.

“There’s a commonly held aspiration for our community – one where business thrives, whanau have access to sustainable and well-paid jobs, and communities prosper. Whether working at a regional, community or hapu level, our region is blessed with a community-held fund that can support real transformation.”

There are two funds that organisations can apply to.

The Economic Investigation and Research Fund is designed for those who have a new or innovative business idea but need to test its viability, feasibility or impact further. It’s a contestable fund with $30,000 per initiative and up to $500,000 available for distribution.

“With this fund, we hope to empower smaller or new business to make outstanding decisions and to support those initiatives that incrementally improve the business environment,” says Mr Murphy.

“We are looking to fund research and reports that enable local businesses to minimise risk, and identify and quantify opportunities for growth and job creation further down the track.”

Meanwhile, the Regional Economic Growth Fund is designed to allow ECT to deliberately intervene by investing in or supporting new and growing businesses — creating jobs and increasing GDP. The trust has made $4 million available in this fund.

In recent times organisations such as Hikurangi Bioactives have benefitted from these funding pools, with ECT supporting early-stage research and clinical trials on the Coast.

“In the long-term, these funds have the potential to ensure our community can take charge of its economic future, particularly when combined with the efforts of organisations like Hikurangi Bioactives and with the support of critical regional partners — Activate Tairawhiti, the council and iwi.”

The trust is actively seeking applications for both funds and is looking for projects with the potential to create sustainable, well-paid jobs, enhance business diversity and increase GDP, and align to the region’s key economic drivers.

Those interested can find more information at: www.ect.org.nz

“Developing new food ingredient products is our real focus.

“This will extend our current product mix supplying into the cereal, snack and bakery categories.”

Corson's a household nameCorson has been a household name since Thomas Corson senior shifted here from Hawke’s Bay in 1902, in the belief Gisborne would develop faster.

The company began as a one-man grain and seed broker and manufacturers’ agent, and developed — after adding a major Queensland maize products company to the mix in 2003 — into reputedly the largest maize miller in Australasia.

Corson remains family-owned and has two family members on the board.

Mr Prenter took up the role as chief executive in July. Originally from Hawke’s Bay, he has 19 years of experience in food production and food packaging for the meat, horticulture and dairy sectors.

He was attracted to the role because of consumer trends towards healthy food choices and healthy products, and the potential maize products have within this wider trend.

“Our relatively new team is fortunate to have inherited a strong business that has been well-managed by Thomas and John Corson over many decades.

“We are extremely appreciative of the support from our loyal grower base from Wairoa and Gisborne to Tolaga Bay, which supplies 100 percent of our New Zealand maize,” Mr Prenter said.

“And we’re fortunate we have an experienced, loyal workforce of 25 in Gisborne.

“That loyalty, and skill base, enables us to consistently produce a quality product. We also enjoy strong customer relationships with New Zealand domestic and multinational markets.

“We are a business-to-business supplier.

“We don’t make consumer products ourselves, but there are some segments we don’t currently participate in. Part of our new product development agenda is identifying and filling the gaps.

“Gaining access into new markets will involve further processing of our current mill range.”

Mr Prenter said new product development manager Nicky Solomon, who has a PhD in food science, will help the company capitalise on recognised new-product opportunities.

“We have to make sure our investment decisions position us well for the evolving market.

“For instance, there is a market trend away from traditional breakfast cereals towards snack-style breakfast eating like Up&Go and snack bars. This is a something we have to move with.

“We need to stay relevant within that breakfast and snack space.”

Popcorn, Mexican food and bakery products were also growth areas, he said.

“Popcorn is a $22 million category in New Zealand. It has come into vogue and is seen now as a healthy snack food because it’s popped dry. Ready-to-eat, popped popcorn is a growth category on supermarket shelves.

“The development of the Mexican category is particularly good for us, with corn chips and tortilla being maize-based. Our grain ingredients go into products like Doritos and GrainWaves.”

Mr Prenter said one of the company’s strengths was that it mills a single variety of grain.

“So we can guarantee we are wheat-free, for instance. All our products are free of allergens, gluten and genetically modified organisms. It is a safe option from that perspective.”

'It's good for us and it's good for Gisborne'The international focus on food safety and place of origin will continue to benefit Corson.

“Food safety is an important part of our ability to build strong relationships, a strong point of difference and definitely a lever for developing opportunities in Asia. Gisborne’s — and New Zealand’s — isolation will play a strong part in the future.

“We’re exporting more from New Zealand and Australia.

“There’s huge growth and excitement for us in the Asian bakery market as people there aspire to a more Western-style diet.

“In Seoul there’s a bakery on every second corner. Five years ago, they did not exist.

“People are eating less rice and more cereals, burgers, and bakery and pastry products.”

Mr Prenter said dietary change and concern for food safety, coupled with an enormous population, equates to huge potential.

“It’s good for us and good for Gisborne.”

| Source: Gisborne Herald   || December 4,  2017   |||

Nov 28, 2017 -TBWA Group division Eleven PR has been appointed to launch the iconic Krispy Kreme doughnut brand in New Zealand.  The expected opening of Krispy Kreme’s retail and manufacturing plant in Manukau is due in early 2018 and construction of its retail store and manufacturing facility is already underway.

Sydney-based Krispy Kreme chief executive Andrew McGuigan says he is excited by the venture and the company’s entry into New Zealand. “It’s a fantastic brand and one that has been around for 80 years.

“Krispy Kreme will be one of the many Transtasman brands we manage with Eleven PR Australia.”

“It’s an icon that’s already strong globally and we believe there’s huge opportunity for Krispy Kreme to become a Kiwi favourite.”

Eleven MD Angelina Farry said, ‘We are excited to be working with the Krispy Kreme team to bring this iconic brand to New Zealand. It’s a unique brand built on both community and fun.

“Krispy Kreme will be one of the many Transtasman brands we manage with Eleven PR Australia.

“More and more we are finding marketing teams with brands based in both Australia and NZ benefit from the streamlined, Disruption Live approach our model provides.”

| A krispy creme release  ||  November 28,  2017   |||

Nov 22, 2017  - A five-year growth pattern could see alternative proteins lead the way for consumer choice.  The growth of alternative proteins is becoming a contender for sought after analogue products in its rise to rival that of traditional meat products.  

A recently-released global research paper suggested growth of alternative proteins, including plant-based meat substitutes, emerging insect or algae-based products and lab-grown meat products, had started to compete for the ‘centre of the plate’ and was stealing growth from its traditional counterparts.

Authors of the Rabobank report ‘Watch out…or they will steal your growth’ warned a five-year trend could offer the chance for alternative proteins to capture a material share of animal protein demand growth in the EU and an increased market share in the US and Canada.

Report author, Rabobank global sector strategist for animal protein Justin Sherrard also said increasing momentum of the trend would see a move towards a growth in other established markets, such as Australia and New Zealand.

He said: “Three of the strongest demand drivers for alternative protein products are essentially those that are ‘pushing’ consumers away from regular animal protein consumption, namely concerns around health, animal welfare and sustainability. “That said, there is also a number of ‘pull drivers’, such as curiosity to try new products, convenience and personal nutrition. 

“Alternative proteins are not the only answer to the question the market is asking right now. But right now they are the answer that is attracting the most attention.”

| Growth

Based on a prediction of annual growth rates of about 8 per cent in the EU – and the outlook for a relatively flat consumption growth of traditional meat products – Mr Sherrard said alternative proteins could represent one-third of total EU protein demand growth in the next five years.

But Rabobank’s general manager of Food and Agribusiness Research in Australia and New Zealand Tim Hunt said domestic market penetration of alternative proteins would lag that in the EU and US because local food industries were ‘not at the pointy end of the trend towards substitute food’.

“That said, the trends in Australia and NZ often eventually follow what unfolds in the EU and US, and it would be a waste not to learn from the experiences of producers in these markets,” he added.

“In line with their processing partners, meat producers need to recognise what is driving these substitutes, and do what they can to tap into the desire for healthy, sustainable and novel products delivered through a supply chain that consumers trust.”

| A Farmers Guardian release  ||  November 22,  2017   |||

Nov 21 2017  -  Synlait Milk (NZX: SML; ASX: SM1) has opened its new Auckland site, which is home to its second state -of-the-art blending and consumer packaging facility.  Located in Mangere, the site was officially opened today by Auckland Mayor Phil Goff at a ceremony alongside all staff. “We’re expecting customer demand for consumer packaged products to increase significantly in the near term,” said John Penno, Synlait’s Managing Director and CEO.

“We’ve invested $55 million into our Auckland site to meet this demand and expect commercial production to start here in the coming week.” With an annual packaging capacity of 32,000 metric tonnes (MT), the new site doubles Synlait’s overall canning capacity to 64,000 MT.  “A tremendous amount of work has gone into this milestone. We acquired this partially-completed facility in May and have executed a significant programme of work to commission it in just over six months,” said Mr Penno.

“We have employed a great team of 30 people to operate this facility and we expect that number to increase to 100 in the coming year as we add additional shifts ,” adds Mr Penno. Mayor Goff said, “It’s a pleasure welcoming innovative, high value businesses such as Synlait to Auckland. The new site in the high growth commercial district around our airport will create 100 jobs in our city and increase the amount of safe, premium dairy products, for which New Zealand is well known, heading to major markets around the world.” The strategic decision to invest in Auckland has helped to mitigate some of the single site risk faced by Synlait with their original Dunsandel site in Canterbury, as well as increasing future growth in business with infant formula customers. “Under the Chinese Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) infant formula rules coming into effect on 1 January 2018, this second site gives us the opportunity to increase the potential number of our customer brands we can export to China,” said Mr Penno. Acquiring the partially-completed site has also allowed additional consumer packaging capacity to become available much earlier to Synlait than a new development would have.

“We are currently operating at capacity in our canning facility at Dunsandel. Having Auckland in place means we can meet our customers’ needs and continue to grow with them ,” said Mr Penno. 

Registration of the new facility with both MPI (Ministry for Primary Industries) and CNCA (Certification and Accreditation Administration of the People's Republic of China) is progressing well. “We have conditional approval from MPI and we expect to finalise this, along with other registration requirements, very soon . We expect to commence commercial production this week, ” said Mr Penno.

| A Synlait release  ||  November 20, 2017   |||

Nov 21 2017  -  New Zealand hopes to be exporting fresh avocados to China soon after talks to meet regulatory requirements.   A protocol has been signed between the Ministry for Primary Industries and China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine.

AQSIQ will audit New Zealand's system for exporting avocados in mid-December.

New Zealand already exports fresh apples, kiwifruit, cherries, plums, citrus and persimmons to China and it's hoped a significant market can be built for avocados.

In the 2016/17 season, New Zealand produced a record 7.9 million trays of avocados worth more than $200 million.

About $155.5m worth of avocados were exported to markets such as Australia, Japan, Singapore, Korea and Thailand.

"China is very aware of the significant global increase in avocado consumption, the associated health benefits and the strong growth and huge potential in the avocado category," says New Zealand Avocado chief executive Jen Scoular.

| FreshPlaza  ||  November 20,  2017   |||

A Tauranga company has spent seven years developing a unique platform to safeguard the more than 800,000 hives in New Zealand, and satisfy overseas market access requirements, with its globally unique software.

ApiTrak, which launches this month, allows everyone – from hobbyists with 10 hives, to corporates with over 10,000 – to easily track and verify their product throughout the value chain.

Founder and chief executive officer Hayden Stowell says ApiTrak maintains the confidence of overseas consumers and regulators in the integrity of New Zealand Manuka honey, by ring-fencing the industry to easily identify stolen or adulterated product and provide consumers with clear traceability.

“Consumers worldwide are increasingly seeking assurances that everything they eat is safe and can be reliably traced back to its point of origin. They want to be able to connect with where their honey is from,” says Hayden.

20 Nov 2017  - A Tauranga company has spent seven years developing a unique platform to safeguard the more than 800,000 hives in New Zealand, and satisfy overseas market access requirements, with its globally unique software.

ApiTrak, which launches this month, allows everyone – from hobbyists with 10 hives, to corporates with over 10,000 – to easily track and verify their product throughout the value chain.

Founder and chief executive officer Hayden Stowell told Tauranga's SunLiveNews that  ApiTrak maintains the confidence of overseas consumers and regulators in the integrity of New Zealand Manuka honey, by ring-fencing the industry to easily identify stolen or adulterated product and provide consumers with clear traceability.

“Consumers worldwide are increasingly seeking assurances that everything they eat is safe and can be reliably traced back to its point of origin. They want to be able to connect with where their honey is from,” says Hayden.

ApiTrak software can be utilised at every step of the supply chain and its advanced authentication system verifies product and captures all critical tracking events writes 

The cloud-based GS1 compliant system allows users to track honey throughout the supply chain, utilising small NFC (near field communication) tags, which are attached to hives, drums and jars.

Hayden says the ApiTrak complements existing systems and is managed through a web-based platform and proprietary smart phone apps, meaning no expensive extra hardware is needed.

The surge in beekeeping over the past five years, as cited in recent media reports, has created an increased need to safeguard the valuable honey industry.

“By June last year there were estimated to be almost 700,000 beehives, this has grown by at least 100,000 since – our industry is in fast growth. The high market demand for Manuka honey in particular is driving an increase in hive numbers.

“And with larger numbers entering the industry, there are more pressures on land use, and an increased need to ensure hives are correctly sited and that honey can be securely tracked from beehive through to shelf.”

ApiTrak chief technology officer Duncan Williamson says the platform goes well beyond the hive management-only systems offered by some other providers.

“ApiTrak can be integrated with existing hive management systems, providing a bolt-on service to the many platforms that lack our food safety compliance functionality. Our long-term aim is to help create a fully connected industry with robust traceability and food security.”

Sean Goodwin, chief executive of 100% Pure New Zealand Honey, and a member of ApiTrak’s advisory board, says the ApiTrak team had put in a great deal of effort to engage industry participants and ensure they not only created an innovative system, but one that would be widely utilised.

“The key to ApiTrak is the integrated, end-to-end nature of the system, which provides benefits for every user,” he says.

Sean, who is also deputy chair of both Apiculture New Zealand and GS1 NZ and so has strong insight into the requirements of industry and international standards, says ApiTrak has significant potential on the global stage.

Jamie Te Hiwi, Customer Manager in New Zealand Trade & Enterprise’s Maori Business Team, says global consumers are demanding the highest standards of food safety throughout the supply chain.

“We also know the risk we run if the consumer loses trust in our ability to control the safety of their food. To earn more from the food we export, solutions like ApiTrak will help attract the premium price from consumers willing to buy the intangible attributes like food safety, country of origin labelling, and traceability.”

Hayden, who has been involved in the Manuka honey industry since the early 2000s, founded the Honey Network honey auction site, and is a member of the Maori Honey Working Group.

The cloud-based ApiTrak platform makes food safety compliance easy and significantly cuts down on paperwork for apiarists, processing facilities and marketing companies.

The ApiTrak system has potential applications beyond the honey industry to a range of other food producers. Consumers worldwide are increasingly seeking assurances that everything they eat is safe and can be reliably traced back to its point of origin.

Victor Goldsmith, general manager of Ngati Porou Miere Limited Partnership, who also serves on ApiTrak’s advisory board, says the partnership owns 1000 hives on its own land blocks and will continue to increase the numbers.

“We need to give our customers assurance that what they are buying is authentic and we will be able to demonstrate this with ApiTrak.

"As we grow the business to include extraction processing and bottling, we will be one of the only honey businesses that is truly integrated from the land right through to the brand. ApiTrak will be vital to our growth.”

| A SunLive release  ||  November 18,  2017   |||

14 Nov 2017  -  The mother of all produce sanitisation machines has arrived in Australia, fresh off the ship from Germany, as the country takes its food safety technology to the next level. Dubbed ‘The Food Safety Supercharger’, the custom-made 250-kilogram test-unit creates a stream of ‘supercharged air’ by applying an electric current to normal air. Using this disruptive technology, it has the capacity to kill microbial pathogens on the surface of fresh produce and nuts, without leaving any chemical residues.

Housed at a NSW Department of Primary Industries laboratory, this world-first machine aims to eliminate microbial contaminants such as Salmonella, Listeria and E.coli which cause foodborne illness outbreaks. Other spoilage-causing moulds can also be suppressed, offering a longer shelf-life and reduced food waste.

Hort Innovation fund manager Tim Archibald said the technology – which is part of a $5M jointly-funded project with the NSW Department of Primary Industries – has never been commercially used on food.

“The Food Safety Supercharger is here, and Australia is on track to introduce some of the most sophisticated sanitation technology in the world,” Mr Archibald said. “While there are good post-harvest practices already in place in Australia, when isolated contamination incidents occur, farmers are devastated.”

“This supercharged air technology has the exciting potential to limit product recalls, minimise trade disruptions and ensure consumers are confident about the produce they are buying. It also offers an environmentally-friendly alternative to traditional food sanitisers.”

Lead researcher, Dr Sukhvinder Pal Singh, explained that supercharged air is plasma, which is the fourth state of matter after solid, liquid and gas.

“Natural plasma in the universe, such as the sun’s surface, has a temperature of thousands of degrees Celsius, while human-made, non-thermal plasma is only 30 to 40 degrees. That is why the technology can also be referred to as ‘cold plasma’,” he said.

Dr Singh presented the bold idea of applying cold plasma technology to fresh produce and nuts to Hort Innovation about a year ago.

“It was a transformative idea that presented a high reward for the horticulture industry if it worked,” he said. “Non-food sectors such as automotive, aerospace, textile, polymer, electronics and biomedical were already using the technology – particularly overseas, but it had never been applied to fresh produce.

“Once support was secured from Hort Innovation, which encourages disruptive technology, our team was able to start the research with the first-generation plasma unit. We then engaged a world-leading machine manufacturer in Germany to create a custom unit.”

Dr Singh said through their early testing, his team has determined that it is possible to kill bacteria and moulds in a short treatment time but there is a still a lot of research to come. He said now the latest generation of the machine is in the lab, the efficiency at which researchers can decontaminate produce is significantly higher than with their previous test unit, which was one-fifth the size.

He said after determining which fruit, vegetables and nuts are responsive to the treatment, the research team needs to ensure the killing of microbial pathogens does not compromise the quality and nutritional value of food.

“Ultimately, we would like to see this technology work and provide a pathway to commercialisation and for growers and packers to adopt it. Time will tell, but the early signs of this research are certainly promising.”

The research is due for completion in 2021. See a video of the technology in action.

| A Hort Innovation release  ||  November 14,  2017   |||