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McCain Foods ploughing on with Canterbury Plains growers

When McCain Foods first opened its new Timaru Potato plant in 1994, the company was focused on forging strong relationships with New Zealand growers. McCain has always underpinned its operations by growing green and local. Twenty-six years later, and this mantra is stronger than ever. The 550 million potatoes processed through the Timaru plant each year are harvested from rich New Zealand soils, including the Canterbury region, which Daniel Lovett – of Lovett Family Farms – calls home. Daniel’s parents, Greg and Joanne, began supplying potatoes to McCain in 2000. Two decades later, Daniel, his wife Emily and their children work alongside Greg and Joanne to continue the relationship – supplying delicious chips and French fries to their fellow Kiwis. Speaking about the challenges the farm has encountered over the years, Mr Lovett explained how the longstanding partnership the family formed with McCain has benefitted their farming operations. “We’ve encountered a vast amount of issues, from weather extremes, seedline issues, fertilizer trials, soil borne diseases, over/under production and the potato psyllid. But we have always been able to work through those problems with McCain’s team.,” Mr Lovett said. “McCain brought Innovator potatoes to us, which is a potato variety which is significantly more resistant to soil borne disease. It grows in fewer days than other varieties, resulting in less spray and risk to the elements.” “The innovator potato now makes up 50 per cent of what we produce. The research, and the expertise of McCain people, particularly in seed development, has seen us increase yield and profitability for our farming operation.” The McCain team’s relationship with Lovett Family Farms has also led to a streamlined supply process. “McCain approached us and another grower in 2010 to build a shed on farm to store potatoes on behalf of McCain,” Mr Lovett […]

Carbon steel flexible screw conveyor introduced

Flexicon Flexible Screw Conveyor Model 1450 can handle diverse materials ranging in size from large pellets to sub-micron powders with no separation of blends. Flexicon have introduced a new base model 1450 flexible screw conveyor with 115 mm O.D. polymer conveyor tube and low cost carbon steel floor hopper and discharge housing. Round, square, flat or beveled flexible screws in any length from 3 to 12 metres are offered to convey virtually any free- and non-free-flowing bulk material including products that pack, cake, seize, smear or break apart. The only moving part contacting material is the inner screw, which self-centres as it rotates, providing ample space between the screw and tube wall to minimise or eliminate grinding. The lower end of the screw requires no bearing, while the upper end is driven beyond the point of discharge, preventing material contact with bearings or seals. Fully enclosed, the conveyor tube prevents product and plant contamination, while the gentle rolling action imparted by the screw prevents the separation of blends. Model 1450 is available with an optional start-stop control panel and a range of flow-promotion devices. The company also manufacture other flexible screw conveyors, as well as pneumatic conveying systems, tubular cable conveyors, bulk bag dischargers, bulk bag conditioners, bulk bag fillers, manual dumping stations, drum/box/container tippers, weigh batching systems, and automated plant-wide systems integrated with new or existing process equipment.

NZ food industry benefits from leading-edge portable drying technology

Drying Solutions Ltd founder Robert and wife Paulette Barnes with their Rexmoi dryer, a unit that services the food and pet-food industry. When Robert Barnes was asked by a friend to build a dryer to dehydrate macadamia nuts 25 years ago, he never thought it would be the start of his own drying machine business. Robert, an electrician and refrigeration engineer by trade, set up his own refrigeration and air-conditioning company in 1989, attracting Port of Tauranga as one of his clients. Since 1995 he has also been using his skills to develop highly innovative Rexmoi Dryers. He sold the refrigeration and air conditioning business five years ago to focus solely on Drying Solutions Ltd. Now Robert is gearing up to exhibit a Rexmoi dryer, at his fourth Foodtech Packtech show next month. Robert says he is proud that his dryers enable people to turn ordinary products, in some cases waste material, into high-quality, high-value finished goods for the ultimate benefit of New Zealand. Rexmoi dryers use a refrigeration system, rather like a heat pump, to create a warm, dry enclosure where the products are dried. Warm, dry, filtered air flows over the product to remove the moisture which is then condensed and drained out through a small pipe. The product is laid out on stainless steel trays mounted on trolleys for easy handling. Several different types of tray are available to suit the various products such as wet slices, nuts, raisins, pet-food and bushy material. The dryers use much less energy than other drying systems and are totally enclosed so no smells or gases are emitted into the atmosphere. They are covered by several patents and trademarks. The drying process is controlled by a programmable controller which Robert sets in conjunction with the client to provide an optimum drying […]

Cheers to a good brew

Sam Wood (left) and Willy Cowper. -Aaldert Verplanke Brewing your own beer is a challenge for most people and more known for the disasters than the good ”batch”. This story is about Kiwi ingenuity, passion, perseverance, believing in the product and a “sustainability” philosophy. Ian Williams is a brew master and has travelled the world practicing his trade. Encouraged by his uncle to come up with a “fail proof” brewing kit for home brewers, Ian spent about 2 years developing the process and ingredients to produce high quality beer at home. When he finished his first prototype, it was time to consider manufacturing a saleable product. He took the design to Sam Wood at ATI engineering in Hastings to manufacture the brewing appliance. Sam was keen and thought, “great – all the design and development work is done; now we just have to make it.” However, to get to a sellable product it took another year and a half. Producing an appliance that involves heating, cooling and pressure, has lots of challenges. Keeping the cost down was one of them, and still is. The WilliamsWarn BrewMaster was finally created, capable of producing consistently good beer with ingredients supplied by WilliamsWarn. This would not have happened if it were not for NZ and overseas investors who believed in the product – Sam had also become a shareholder. However, the small number of appliances produced meant that costs were prohibitive, so the decision was made to design a lower cost product that could be manufactured offshore using mass manufacturing techniques not available here in NZ. A complete rethink and redesign by Sam resulted in the introduction of the BrewKeg™ that is now produced in four different brew batch sizes, from a small 10L homebrew kit up to 150L for the microbreweries. It […]

NZ bioactives initiative targeting $51 billion global industry

Bioactives from plant-based foods and horticulture an opportunity to kick-start a high value Māori-led export sector An initiative to extract and commercialise high value bioactive molecules from plant-based foods and horticulture for the global bioactive ingredient market, expected to reach USD 51.71 billion by 2024, has the potential to kick-start a new Māori-led export sector. Bay of Plenty-based Te Whāi Ao Ltd has joined forces with Hamilton-based nanotech business Ligar LP to develop a pipeline of high value bioactive molecules to capitalise on the burgeoning consumer interest in bioactives and immunity boosting supplements, alongside plant-based foods. At today’s launch, Te Whai Ao and Ligar signed a memorandum of understanding to collaboratively plan and develop a new entity called The Refinery, a business and facility focussed on the large scale extraction and commercialisation of bioactives. The Bioactives Refinery Project was the catalyst for the public launch of the Solutions Lab led by Te Whai Ao, the first of the regional Federation of Māori Authorities’ member-led FOMA Innovation Solutions Labs designed to provide Māori with new pathways into innovative enterprises and to increase participation in the hitech sector. Te Horipo Karaitiana the Chief Executive of Te Awanui Huka Pak and Te Whāi Ao (pictured above)says bioactives from Aotearoa New Zealand plant-based foods and horticulture present an opportunity to kick-start a new Māori-led export sector. “Bioactives from horticultural waste streams will open up sustainable opportunities for Māori to increase the value of primary sector exports. The initiative is a perfect fit for our innovation company Te Whai Ao, which is focussed on growing revenue by expanding and deepening the impact of horticultural activities, and growing capability and enterprise for Māori. This initiative has the potential to grow a new generation of great jobs for Maori,” says Karaitiana. “By partnering with Ligar we can […]

Fonterra confirms appointment of Teh-han Chow to CEO Greater China

Fonterra is pleased to confirm the appointment of Teh-han Chow to the role of Chief Executive Officer, Greater China. Fonterra CEO Miles Hurrell says since December 2019, Teh-han has been at the helm in an acting capacity, overseeing the Co-op’s overall Greater China business, including Ingredients, Foodservice, Consumer Brands and China Farms. “He’s made an impressive contribution. It’s certainly not been a steady-state. Teh-han has been responsible for implementation of our new strategy across the Greater China business, and over the course of this calendar year, has shown outstanding resilience, resourcefulness and empathy in getting his team and our China business through the ongoing challenge of the COVID-19 global pandemic. “Teh-han’s leadership has helped keep us in good shape during a very challenging set of circumstances, and I’m delighted to welcome him formally to the Fonterra Management Team – it’s well deserved”.

DairyNZ: the top 10 things Government can do for dairy

DairyNZ has released its ten policy priorities for the 2020 election and its ‘The View from the Cow Shed’ report which provides policymakers with insight from the farm, says DairyNZ chief executive Dr Tim Mackle. “This election we wanted to give voice to dairy farmers’ concerns and priorities to help politicians better understand the issues impacting on farmers. So, we surveyed our dairy farmers and asked them what they thought,” said Dr Mackle. “Our dairy farmers are world-leaders in the production of sustainable, emission efficient and nutritious dairy, but we still have a significant farmer confidence and wellbeing issue in this country that pre-dates Covid-19.” The View from the Cow Shed survey compiled feedback from dairy farmers across New Zealand. Key trends include challenges with mental health, technology and government regulation. “It was really encouraging to see that 94 percent of farmers reported they were proud to be working in the dairy industry at the moment,” said Dr Mackle. “But at the same time, 62 percent of farmers said they or someone on their farm had experienced mental health issues over the last year – with an uncertain regulatory framework identified as one of the main contributing causes. “50 percent of farmers said they don’t have access to the broadband internet they need and 52 percent don’t have adequate mobile reception on farm.” Dr Mackle said when asked about their community’s outlook over the next three years, 64 percent of farmers expect things to decline. “Farmers were also asked what motivated them the most to get out of bed in the morning – what was great to see is that working and caring for animals is the main driver for 43 percent of farmers. Providing for their family came in a close second,” said Dr Mackle. “This sends a tremendous […]

Compostable cucumber wrap adapted for magazines

A compostable shrink-wrap developed in South Australia for cucumbers has been adapted to magazine film opening up a potentially huge market for its Adelaide manufacturer. The alternative plastic wrapping was invented by Adelaide-based compostable bag producer BioBag World Australia last year with a number of supermarket chains now using the product for fruit and veg. The bio-wrap was first used on cucumbers sold at South Australian independent grocer Drakes Supermarkets following a partnership with produce and packaging business IG Fresh Produce. Company managing director Scott Morton said the development of the plastic alternative mailing film was the result of a partnership with South Australian-based Direct Mail Centre of Australia. “It took us about a month to develop the first film wrap, which was an industrial compost version,” Morton said. “We then tried to take it one step further and we created a new version which was suitable for home compost … so that even outside of South Australia, where industrial compost isn’t necessarily available, we would have a solution.” The cucumber wrap was launched in September as an environmentally friendly alternative to the traditional polyethylene plastic wrap and has since been adapted for a range of uses – most recently as a magazine film. BioBag World Australia’s bioplastic film is made from a compostable resin called Mater-Bi that uses substances obtained from plants including non-genetically modified corn starch. The company’s Adelaide operation is the Australian base of BioBag World, which is headquartered in Norway and has a number of other subsidiaries around the globe. According to the State Government’s environmental services body Green Industries SA, plastic production rose from 15 million tonnes in 1964 to 311 million tonnes in 2014 and is estimated to weigh almost the same amount as the entire human population. Green Industries SA expects plastic waste to […]

First Fieldays Online a virtual success

The Fieldays Online concept and digital platform was created in just under 108 days. As New Zealand went into the national lockdown the New Zealand National Fieldays Society (NZNFS) began building an online event following the cancellation of the physical Fieldays; effectively transforming the largest agricultural show in the Southern Hemisphere into a completely virtual experience. The success of the event, which was held from the 13th – 26th July, was measured in several ways, from visitor numbers to global reach. Total digital visitors hit 90,455, with attendees from over 75 countries accessing nearly 300 exhibitors and over 24 hours of Fieldays TV content. Digital adoption in higher age groups exceeded expectations with 40 per cent of registered users in the 50+ age group. “The analytics show great viewership and engagement with the explosion of international visitors and, locally, a much higher regional spread beyond the traditional Fieldays. The success of this years’ event was a testament to the strong collaboration with our exhibitors and our relationships with industry leaders that got behind it despite not having a benchmark,” said Peter Nation, CEO NZNFS. The timing of the event was positioned to allow time for exhibitors to return to business post lockdown and leverage the event to the fullest; whilst this fell during the beginning of calving, registered users in the dairy industry ranked third in industry type. “It’s great to see Fieldays increasingly showcasing how we take our agricultural innovation global. Supporting growth and uptake of agritech will help future-proof the industry, increase high-value exports while improving sustainability and efficiency,” remarked Simon Yarrow, Agritech Group Manager at Callaghan Innovation. International supporters, Enterprise Ireland, who attended Fieldays for the 14th year, found that moving to an online event widened engagement with clients and colleagues overseas. “Despite the cancellation of the […]

Research finds meat consumers prefer local

The country of origin is the number one characteristic consumers use when choosing meat, and they mostly prefer their own local products, a new Lincoln University study shows. This emphasis on locally grown meat was identified in new research* by Dr Nic Lees and Joshua Aboah. Dr Lees said the results had significant implications for New Zealand meat exporters, as in many markets New Zealand is competing with local products. “In these countries we need to provide consumers with a reason to choose our products rather than their locally produced beef or lamb. “Traditionally we have been able to compete by selling at a lower price. He said while the research showed that price is an important factor, there were other areas New Zealand could focus on to compete. For example, Dr Lees said, the fourth most important factor for consumers was the type of production system. “New Zealand has an advantage here because of our natural, grass-fed farming systems. “There is an opportunity to take greater advantage of this, however this requires communicating these attributes directly to consumers.” In the research, they sought to determine the most important indicators of quality that consumers use in their purchasing decisions, and analysed the results of 47 recent research articles on the topic. There were some exceptions to the “local products first” finding in countries where their consumers do not having confidence in their own food safety standards, such as China and Brazil. *Consumers use of quality cues for meat purchase: Research trends and future pathways https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0309174020300966?via%3Dihub

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