Analysis

Fonterra, Nestlé and DairyNZ join forces to tackle nitrogen leaching

Fonterra and Nestlé are teaming up with DairyNZ to expand a promising plantain trial to help improve waterways and reduce on-farm greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Incorporating certain varieties of plantain into a cow’s diet has been shown to reduce the nitrogen concentration in their urine, which can leach through soil into groundwater. To test the benefits in local pastures, DairyNZ has been leading the Tararua Plantain Project in the lower North Island, where farmers have been growing the leafy herb for their cows. The Ministry for Primary Industries is also involved as a key contributor. Now, Fonterra and Nestlé are helping expand the project further through additional funding and by sharing expertise. “We’re all about finding ways to ensure Aotearoa New Zealand has a thriving environment and a thriving farming economy,” says Fonterra’s Director of On-Farm Excellence Charlotte Rutherford. “We can achieve more by partnering with others, so it’s great to join forces with DairyNZ and Nestlé. This is helping to speed up the adoption of plantain by farmers. Ultimately it could be a real game-changer to reduce nitrogen from cows and help mitigate nitrous oxide emissions.” The new collaboration is helping to accelerate uptake of Ecotain – a blend of environmentally functional plantain cultivars developed by seed company Agricom. Currently, 50 Tararua farms have started to use plantain, through DairyNZ’s Tararua Plantain Project. With the funding boost from Fonterra and Nestlé, it is expected these farms and more will increase the amount they grow, therefore maximising the benefits. Ecotain has been used in studies by DairyNZ, Agricom, Lincoln University, Massey University and AgResearch, with results showing it can significantly reduce nitrogen leaching. Preliminary studies also show it has the potential to lower on-farm GHG emissions through the reduction of nitrous oxide, which is promising news for farmers. Nestlé, the […]

Only two in ten consumers say their food is safe to eat

On average less than 40% of food and beverage industry decision-makers place complete trust in the industry to ensure food and beverage safety Zebra Technologies Corporation , an innovator at the front line of business with solutions and partners that deliver a performance edge, today announced the results of its Food Safety Supply Chain Vision Study. The study highlights the views of consumers as well as food and beverage industry decision-makers worldwide from distribution and warehouses to grocery stores and restaurants around safety, traceability and transparency. Surveyed consumers reported their top food safety concerns include restaurant kitchen and wait staff hygiene, foodborne outbreaks, illness from contaminated food, and food and beverage recalls. Consumers can be quite unforgiving if they experience a food incident as approximately six in 10 reportedly would never eat at a restaurant again if they contracted a foodborne illness or food poisoning. Slightly more than 80% of surveyed consumers said companies have an important role to play in implementing food safety solutions and an ethical responsibility to ensure the safe handling of their food. Most consumers (70%) said it is important to know how their food and ingredients are manufactured, prepared, and handled, while 69% agreed knowing how their food is sourced is also important. Given the increased focus on health and wellness, it’s unsurprising both consumers and industry decision-makers are showing a great level of interest in the source, quality and safety of their food. However, a disconnect exists between what consumers believe and what industry decision-makers think. Almost seven in 10 (69%) decision-makers say the industry is prepared to manage food traceability and transparency, but only 35% of consumers agree. Furthermore, only 13% of consumers felt the industry was extremely prepared today to manage food traceability and be transparent about how food travels through the […]

Bringing RSE workers back the right move

BusinessNZ welcomes the announcement that New Zealand will welcome back 2,000 international workers under the Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme BusinessNZ Chief Executive Kirk Hope says the move is timely. “Our exports industries have weathered the Covid storm well to date, but it would have been devastating to let fruit rot on the ground and cause economic damage to regions if access to workers was constrained by border restrictions. “The relatively low unemployment rate is both a signal that New Zealand’s economic fundamentals are holding up well, and also a red flag that the prospect of skill shortages could create more hardship for companies than the impact of Covid and lockdowns. “International workers make a significant contribution to the New Zealand workforce and ensure companies are able to continue to operate and keep New Zealanders in work. Companies are also taking up opportunities to attract and upskill New Zealand workers for these roles and in some cases local workers have the opportunity to upskill alongside RSE workers. “We have a number of industries that need international skills and expertise to supplement the New Zealand workforce, and it is critical for the Government to work rapidly and constructively with industries to understand these workforce pressures and find the right solution, as horticulture, viticulture and the Government have done today.”

ClearTech® set to deliver massive water savings for dairy farming

The ClearTech effluent treatment system at Lincoln University Dairy Farm (LUDF) has saved over 600,000 litres of freshwater in its first full month of operation. The quantity of freshwater saved equates to the average daily water use of about 3,000 people, or the amount of water that an individual person would use in eight years. With steeply-rising farmer demand for ClearTech, the new effluent treatment technology will potentially save billions of litres of freshwater a year if used across the New Zealand dairy industry. LUDF Farm Manager Peter Hancox says the impact of the ClearTech system on the farm’s operations has been a revelation. “Our ClearTech plant has been fully operational since the start of our milking season, and already the amount of freshwater we’ve saved is remarkable. We’re saving at least 50% of the water used to wash the yard. “If we continue along this trend, and we fully expect to, then over the whole 10-month season we’ll achieve a total saving of 6,000,000 litres of freshwater.” Hancox says the costs of set-up and ongoing maintenance are relatively modest, and far outweighed by the benefits that will accrue to farms and the wider community. And as the ClearTech system works away in the background, its benefits are delivered with no extra effort on behalf of the farmer. “It’s a win/win for farmers and the communities they’re part of, as every litre of wastewater recycled is a litre of freshwater saved.” The breakthrough technology, developed by Lincoln University Soil Science Professors Keith Cameron and Hong Di, in conjunction with commercial partner Ravensdown, won the Science & Research Award at the inaugural Primary Industries Awards in July 2019, and the South Island Agricultural Fieldays Agri-Innovation Award, as well as a Highly Commended at the 2019 National Fieldays Innovation Awards. The ClearTech […]

E-Nose accurately detects if meat is fresh or spoiled

An NTU Singapore-led team of scientists have developed a new AI-powered electronic nose (e-nose) that can accurately measure the freshness of meat. Led by NTU professor Chen Xiaodong, the team – which includes scientists Jiangnan University, China, and Monash University, Australia – believes their artificial olfactory system could help reduce food wastage by confirming to consumers whether the purchased meat is fit for consumption, much more accurately than a ‘Best Before’ label can. The e-nose comprises of two elements: a colored ‘barcode’ that reacts with gases produced by decaying meat; and a barcode ‘reader’ in the form of a smartphone app that uses AI to interpret the combination of colors on the barcode. According to Xiaodong, the e-nose can be easily integrated into packaging materials – like the underside of the PVC film that the meat is packaged in – and yields results within 30 seconds without the bulky wiring typically used for electrical signal collection. The e-nose’s non-destructive, automated and real-time monitoring capability can also be used to recognise the types of gases that other types of perishable food emit as they become less fresh, providing a broadly applicable new platform for food quality control. When tested on commercially packaged chicken, fish and beef meat samples that were left to age, the team found that their e-nose’s ‘deep convolutional neural network’ AI algorithm predicted the freshness of the meats with a 98.5% accuracy. In comparison, the prediction accuracy of a commonly used algorithm to measure the response of sensors like the barcode used in this e-nose stood at 61.7%. Just like how gases produced by decaying meat bind to receptors in the mammalian nose, the 20 bars in the e-nose’s barcode act as its receptors. Each bar is made of chitosan embedded on a cellulose derivative and loaded with a different […]

David-Surveyor-Alliance-Group-NZ-Food-Man-website-1

Energy-saving technology a first for sheep and beef industry

Alliance Group is investing in a range of initiatives to improve its environmental footprint including a heat pump to reduce diesel use. The new energy-saving high temperature heat pump at the co-operative’s Nelson plant, which will help cut carbon emissions, recycles waste heat from the plant’s refrigeration systems. A first for the New Zealand sheep and beef processing industry, the heat pump has been installed in collaboration with the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA). Meanwhile, Alliance is also examining fuel options for its other plants. It is currently looking at upgrading the existing boiler at its Mataura plant in Southland to provide a number of benefits including improvements to emissions and efficiency, and considering further opportunities for other sites in the future. “Alliance has a comprehensive sustainability programme in place to improve our impact on the environment and we have the financial strength to invest in these improvements,” says Alliance Group chief executive David Surveyor. “We recognise we have to play our part and improve our environmental footprint. Our customers and consumers have high expectations for how the co-operative manages the natural environment and they also expect transparency and ethical food production. “As a 100 per cent farmer-owned co-operative, we are committed to meeting high standards of environmental practices and we are constantly looking ahead to make sure our practices allow us to be in business for the long term so we can continue to support our farmers and rural communities. “It is fantastic that the high temperature heat pump makes sound environmental sense and good business sense too.” Alliance’s seven processing plants, which employ almost 5,000 people at peak season, have annual performance targets for fuel and electricity use, which make up the majority of the co-operative’s annual emissions (107,877 tonnes of CO2 equivalent). “We regularly monitor our […]

Launch of New Zealand Food Network set to bolster support for thousands of Kiwis living with food insecurity

With many New Zealanders facing increased financial hardship as a result of Covid-19, national levels of food insecurity have risen sharply in recent months – and rose further when the wage subsidy scheme concluded in September. Now, a new venture is set to provide much-needed additional support to the hundreds of community organisations around the country that are working overtime to meet this growing need. The New Zealand Food Network (NZFN) will enable food hubs – such as food rescue organisations, iwi and charities – to expand their positive impact in the communities they serve, and beyond, by transforming supply chain processes to create better efficiency and synergy. The NZFN will act as a centralised distribution hub, collecting and safely storing bulk food donations at its Auckland-based warehouse, with food then able to be requested on an as-needed basis (and at no cost) by food hubs around the country, without compromising their existing supply channels. Donations will include not only surplus and rescued food, which would otherwise go to landfill – but also bulk donations of saleable product from a community of generous donor partners. Providing a comprehensive and streamlined solution to connect supply and demand, the NZFN also promises to eliminate the issue faced by many community organisations of a lack of on-site storage infrastructure, which can often see them having to turn away large food donations. The amount of food made available to any single organisation will depend on supply, the levels of deprivation or food insecurity in the communities they serve, coupled with their storage capacity. New Zealand Food Network founder, Deborah Manning, says the launch marks the culmination of over two years of planning and preparation – with efforts expedited from the start of lockdown, to help meet the new wave of demand caused by the […]

KiwiHarvest urges Kiwis to waste less and feed more this World Food Day

Today, on World Food Day, Aotearoa’s largest food rescue organisation, KiwiHarvest is calling for New Zealanders to Waste Less and instead Donate Food to local organisations – as the economic impact of COVID-19 means that more Kiwis are struggling with food hardship than ever before. Blandina Diamond, KiwiHarvest General Manager, says that while initial donations from generous individuals and businesses have been a significant help, demand for food has remained consistently high, even since lockdown came to an end. Between April and September of this year, KiwiHarvest distributed over 1.2 million kgs of food – an increase of over 60% from the same time last year. Before COVID-19, KiwiHarvest distributed an average of 98,000kgs of food per month to its recipient agencies which rose to 216,000kgs at its peak in June, an increase of 120.4%. “The support we’ve received from businesses and individuals so far has made an enormous difference to those in need. In spite of this generosity, we’re going to see the fallout of COVID-19 being felt for a long time, and food insecurity in Aotearoa being an ongoing issue for many of our most vulnerable whanau and families. “At the same time, figures from Love Food Hate Waste estimate that each and every year Kiwis throw away over 157,000 tonnes of food which could feed over 337,000 people. It’s disheartening to see so much good food going to landfill which wastes growing and supply chain resources and creates greenhouse gases, when it could instead be redistributed to communities in need. “This World Food Day, we’re encouraging individuals and families to look at their own food choices and behaviours to see how they can reduce their food waste and instead donate food to their local food bank or organisation to help create a food secure Aotearoa,” says Diamond. […]

Agricultural equipment sector remains positive

The agricultural equipment sector remains in a positive mood throughout the country says the Tractor and Machinery Association (TAMA), which represents the sector in manufacturing, retailing and distribution. TAMA sales statistics for the year to date (September 30) are down around 18 percent compared with 2019‘s record-breaking year, however indicators remain positive as New Zealand enters the peak of another growing season. TAMA president Kyle Baxter said despite sales volumes being down in some equipment ranges, members were confident regarding business trading across dealerships and local equipment manufacturing. Customers were already discussing their machine requirements for autumn and spring 2021, which was a really encouraging sign, Mr Baxter said. “Everyone has benefited from a mostly favourable winter around the country. This weather was greatly appreciated by many customers in a year that has seen a never-ending list of challenges.” Mr Baxter said one big challenge still facing TAMA members was the continuation of international border restrictions. “Many TAMA members rely on overseas staff to fulfil a broad range of roles within dealerships, manufacturing and technical support roles. With these roles not being able to be filled from overseas during the season, and possibly beyond, TAMA is urging its members to look at other options available.” These options included COVID-19 government funding for businesses who take on new apprentices or retrain unemployed people from other sectors. The TAMA triennial employment survey, which came out in August, showed that the industry had 318 apprentices but needed 176 more. The survey also showed that around 25% of the workforce could likely retire in the next 15 years while only 32% of staff are aged under 30. “We want to attract more under 30s into our industry to help ensure sound succession planning. Given the huge uptake and integration of […]

ABB Ability Liquid Routing Library launched for food and beverage production

Process automation technology provides customers with optimal routing and ‘cleaning-in-place’ to increase efficiency and reduce costs. ABB has launched ABB Ability Liquid Routing Library which is a control engineering inventory for food and beverage manufacturers and those in other liquid related industries, including tank farms, pharmaceuticals and chemical resin plants. The new digital application draws on ABB Ability System 800xA, the most powerful Distributed Control System (DCS) automation platform in the market and will support routing and cleaning in place (CIP) functionalities needed for liquid-led production. It can be used wherever products are transported, stored or processed in tanks and lines and is particularly relevant to dairy, brewing, sugar, mills and edible oil application programming. Ready-made objects including libraries, typicals, and templates for product routing, with recipe-based CIP, track and trace, preventive plant maintenance, Excel-based bulk data tools are made available for customers through the library. Functionalities include alarm handling, alarm propagation between different units, queue handling for online production changes, control and supervision of process objects, interlocks and transfer of product and equipment settings like product codes, unit names and unit states. ABB Ability Liquid Routing Library will support food and beverage customers in their digitalisation journey. Customers are driving innovation in process automation, digitalising their production sites for greater speed, consistency and quality and Liquid Routing Library is an important piece of this jigsaw. Having a complete library for product routing, with ready-made objects and templates will allow users greater visibility and understanding of what is happening at each stage of the process. We know that routing and cleaning in place support are vitally important in food and beverage plants. This is built-in and at-any-stage ABB support from experts or additional documentation is available. Operators will be able to diagnose issues quicker than before and have solutions ready, […]

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