Nutrition

New plant for Fonterra’s Edendale site, creating 70 new jobs

Fonterra is set to invest $150 million to build a new UHT cream plant at its Edendale site in Southland to meet growing demand through its Foodservice business. Fonterra CEO Miles Hurrell shared the news while in Malaysia today on a senior New Zealand business delegation with the Prime Minister. Fonterra has a thriving Foodservice business in Asia where demand is growing by integrating dairy into traditional foods such as laksa and milk tea. In Malaysia, Fonterra is looking to build on solid foundations where half of New Zealand exports to the country are already dairy. Miles Hurrell says the investment is part of the Co-operative’s strategy to grow further value by expanding its Foodservice business in Asia and increasing production capacity for high-value products. “Demand for UHT cream continues to strengthen. Globally, we’re expecting demand to increase by more than 4 per cent year on year between 2023 – 2032*. “This is the second announcement we’ve made in as many weeks about expansions at our sites to cater for growing demand. “We believe prioritising our Ingredients and Foodservice channels will create more value for Fonterra and this expansion is a good example of the direction the Co-op is heading,” says Mr Hurrell. The new plant will initially create upward of 50 million litres of UHT processing capacity with the capacity to grow beyond 100 million litres by 2030. Fonterra COO Anna Palairet says the Edendale site is well set up for future growth with decarbonisation work well underway along with a good supply of high-quality cream in the region. “The additional processing capacity will allow us to manufacture more UHT cream products and grow value for farmers.” And she adds, the investment is also good news for the South Island economy. “Adding to the six new roles created through […]

CSIRO serves up innovation initiative for food industry SMEs

Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, has opened its Innovate to Grow program to small to medium enterprises (SMEs) hoping to advance their innovative ideas in food innovation and technology. Led by experienced researchers, the program will help participants examine technical and business challenges, explore research and development (R&D) opportunities, and develop actionable business and funding plans for their R&D idea. CSIRO’s Agriculture and Food Deputy Director Impact, Dr Michelle Colgrave, said SMEs are key to Australia continuing to grow its reputation as a global leader in food technology. “We can combine innovations in fermentation with ‘customer driven’ preferences to deliver reduced sugar beverages, or no and low alcohol wines,” Dr Colgrave said. “To match our growing population, changing climates and evolving consumer preferences, there’s an increasing need to diversify and develop new food and beverages that will be sustainable into the future. “We are well positioned to do that in Australia with our access to the latest technologies and brightest minds. “SMEs will be an important part of that, driving innovation right along the supply chain while delivering sustainable outcomes for the future of our food manufacturing.” Since launching in 2020, Innovate to Grow has helped more than 600 early-stage R&D companies access the knowledge and tools required to progress their ideas. Mr Joshua Poke, from the Tasmanian Oyster Company, participated in the Innovate to Grow program in 2021. “Innovate to Grow really focused me on what I needed to concentrate on for growing our business in the next 12 months,” Mr Poke said. “It also provided me with lots of practical experiences of other (SMEs) that I learned from.” Innovate to Grow: Food Innovation is open to SMEs working in the following sub-sectors: · Beverage manufacturing · Food production · Traditional and complimentary proteins · Bio-manufacturing including precision fermentation · Sustainable […]

Food Recycle seeks $3m capital raise for commercialisation of food waste to animal feed technology

Food Recycle CEO Norm Boyle (pictured) co-founded the company with his son Nathan Boyle to tackle the global problem of food waste. Food Recycle has patented and patent pending technology to convert any commercial food waste into high-performance animal feeds for industries including poultry, pigs, and aquaculture. Australian company, Food Recycle Ltd, has developed technology to turn commercial food waste into animal feed, leading to less waste in landfill, a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, and contributing to a circular economy. After successful trials with layer hens, prawns, barramundi, and aquaponics, Food Recycle is seeking a $3m capital raise via crowd-funding platform, Swarmer, to commercialise the technology and scale-up in Australia and New Zealand. “The funds raised will be put towards facility mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and systems design, to allow for the first commercial-scale production facility to be built under the Food Recycle patented technology and knowhow agreement,” says Food Recycle CEO, Norm Boyle. “The funds will also help with cash flow requirements as we look to appoint a technology and knowhow licensee for Australia and New Zealand, which will construct multiple production facilities, with Food Recycle receiving royalty payments on the sale of feed by the licensee,” he adds. “The licensee will be required to construct a minimum of 25 production facilities over a 10-year period, and we would expect 12 of these in the first five years.” The Swarmer crowd-funding campaign – which enters a three-week Expressions of Interest (EOI) phase on August 8, followed by a three-week investment phase – allows individual investments starting from $100, with investors given shares in the company. Food Recycle technology is part of a truly circular economy, keeping valuable resources circulating and out of landfill and the environment. The food waste problem According to multiple sources, including the […]

BASF and IRRI join forces to reduce carbon footprint of rice

BASF and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) have entered into a scientific collaboration to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from rice production. Running by the name “OPTIMA Rice” (Optimising Management for Reduction of GHG in Rice), the collaboration with IRRI supports BASF’s commitment to enable the reduction of CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent) emissions by 30 percent per ton of crop produced by 2030. The joint effort is planned for multiple rice seasons in the Philippines and will take place in Laguna, where both organisations maintain research centres for rice. Rice is one of the five most widely produced cereal crops globally and is consumed by about three billion people every day. Although it is grown all over the world, Asia accounts for the largest share of its production. However, because of its geographic expansion and typical manner of wetland cultivation, worldwide paddy rice production contributes about 10 percent of total GHG emissions from the agricultural sector, mainly coming from continuously flooded wetland rice fields. Due to this large carbon footprint, it is estimated that rice production has the greatest potential within agricultural crop production to reduce GHG emissions. BASF and IRRI therefore plan to explore multiple topics related to climate smart farming in rice. These include direct-seeded rice varieties, nitrogen stabilisers, nutrient and residue management, novel chemistry tailor-made for rice farmers, and water-saving technologies such as alternate wetting and drying management (AWD). In addition, IRRI has begun further improvements to its ecophysiological model ORYZA, to include new computation algorithms for estimating GHG emissions, for application to the project. BASF will use its AgBalance™ tool to estimate the GHG emission intensity and will work with IRRI on field tests of their products to obtain high-quality agronomic and GHG data. Both BASF and IRRI aim to further develop and apply models […]

Fortifi launches as global food processing automation platform

Acquisition of MHM Automation expands solutions offering and global footprint Fortifi Food Processing Solutions is a unified platform of global leading brands and products within food processing equipment and automation solutions. Operating in more than 15 countries spanning five continents, Fortifi provides a broad range of solutions across the food industry including applications in protein, dairy, and fruits and vegetables. Fortifi’s technologies enhance productivity, maximize yield, and improve worker safety for customers around the world. “Fortifi’s strategy is centered around a relentless focus on innovation, unparalleled customer service, and expansion through continuous improvement and complementary acquisitions of other leading brands and capabilities,” said CEO Massimo Bizzi. “As a strategic partner to our customers, we strive to offer a full portfolio of solutions across the food processing value chain.” The closing of the acquisition of MHM Automation (“MHM”), a New Zealand-based provider of post-harvest processing, protein processing, and packaging solutions, further strengthens Fortifi’s capabilities with innovative, reliable systems and equipment that improve safety, optimize product quality, and extend our automation and robotics capabilities. Fortifi has also signed definitive agreements to acquire LIMA France (“LIMA”), a France-based supplier of meat-bone separators, deboners and grinders-desinewers, and Reich Thermoprozesstechnik GmbH (“Reich”), the oldest Germany-based manufacturer of thermoprocessing food systems, both of which are expected to join Fortifi in the first half of 2024 subject to customary regulatory approvals. The formation of Fortifi began in 2021 when investment funds affiliated with KKR, a leading global investment firm, acquired Bettcher Industries, a leading provider of innovative protein processing tools. The following year, Bettcher acquired Frontmatec, a global supplier of automated pork and beef processing equipment, forming an end-to-end provider of protein processing solutions. MHM adds capabilities across new food processing segments and applications, including dairy and fruits and vegetables, and further expands Fortifi’s global reach by […]

Cheaper food comes with other costs – why cutting GST isn’t the answer

–Allan Renwick, Professor of Agricultural Economics, Lincoln University, New Zealand. As New Zealand considers the removal of the goods and services tax (GST) from food to reduce costs for low income households, advocates need to consider the impact cheap food has on the environment and whether there are better options to help struggling families. Globally, we have become used to an abundant, season defying food supply. For decades, the price of our food was on a sustained downward trajectory before prices began to rise again in the mid-2000s. In many developed countries the proportion of income that we spend on food has declined to around 10%. However, the price we have been paying for our food does not represent its true cost to the planet and to our health. Nowhere is this more obvious than in New Zealand. We have the third highest adult obesity rate in the OECD, at an estimated cost of NZ$2 billion in healthcare services each year. Our agricultural sector accounts for nearly half of our greenhouse gas emissions, and has been associated with declining water quality and biodiversity loss. The issue is that many of these costs don’t just come from the food we eat, but also from the food that is lost or wasted. The cost of waste Globally, it’s estimated between 20% and 40% of food is lost or wasted each year and New Zealand is just as guilty as other countries. Food loss occurs throughout the supply chain due to factors such as harvest losses and poor storage. It mainly occurs in developing economies. Food waste occurs at the point of sale (retailing or food service, for example) and in the home, and is more of an issue in developed economies. All this lost and wasted food is a serious environmental issue. If food loss and waste was a country it would be the third largest global […]

Why global food prices are higher today than for most of modern history

Global food prices shot up nearly 33% in September 2021 compared with the same period the year before. That’s according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)‘s monthly Food Price Index, which also found that global prices have risen by more than 3% since July, reaching levels not seen since 2011. The Food Price Index is designed to capture the combined outcome of changes in a range of food commodities, including vegetable oils, cereals, meat and sugar, and compare them month to month. It converts actual prices to an index, relative to average price levels between 2002 and 2004. This is the standard source for tracking food prices – nominal prices, as they’re known, which means they’re not adjusted for inflation. While nominal prices tell us the monetary cost of buying food in the market, prices adjusted for inflation (what economists call “real” prices) are much more relevant to food security – how easily people can access appropriate nutrition. The prices of all goods and services tend to rise faster than average incomes (though not always). Inflation means that not only do buyers need to pay more per unit for food (due to its nominal price increase), but they have proportionately less money to spend on it, given the parallel price increases of everything else, except their wages and other incomes. Back in August, I analysed the FAO’s inflation-adjusted Food Price Index and found that real global food prices were actually higher than in 2011, when food riots contributed to the overthrow of governments in Libya and Egypt. Based on real prices, it is currently harder to buy food on the international market than in almost every other year since UN record keeping began in 1961. The only exceptions are 1974 and 1975. Those food price peaks occurred following the oil price spike of 1973, which […]

Corbion appoints IMCD in Australia and New Zealand as distributor of biobased food and non-food ingredients

Corbion, supplier of biobased food ingredients and lactic acid specialties, has appointed IMCD, a leading distributor of speciality chemicals and food ingredients, as the new distributor of most of its ingredients in Australia and New Zealand. For manufacturers of confectionery, beverages, baked goods, sauces, dressings, condiments and prepared foods, IMCD will represent Corbion beginning July, 2020. For meat, poultry and seafood, The Hela & Schwarz group will continue as Corbion’s exclusive distributor partner in the region. “We’re very pleased to appoint IMCD as our exclusive partner in ANZ,” says Andrew Pearce, country manager, Australia & New Zealand at Corbion. “Corbion is uniquely positioned to anticipate and respond to the trends that are defining today’s food industry, and IMCD’s presence, growth ambition and customer-first approach are closely aligned to ours. “As a result, we see a significant opportunity to expand and improve our service levels to customers both existing and new, as we help them create and commercialise foods and beverages that set them apart on retail shelves.” Pasquale Piscopo, general manager Australia and New Zealand, food & nutrition at IMCD adds, “Corbion is an excellent fit for IMCD as we share sector expertise and growth ambitions in the region. We see Corbion’s clean label food solutions, lactic acid derivatives and emulsifiers as valuable tools for formulators throughout the industry to create healthy, convenient and sustainable foods and beverages, and we’re looking forward to working together to bring more to market.” Additionally, IMCD assumes responsibility for distributing Corbion’s lactic acid specialties and derivatives product portfolio servicing the home personal care, I&I, chemical, pharmaceutical and cosmetic sectors in Australia and New Zealand beginning July, 2020. “Choosing a strategic distribution partner to represent Corbion was a decision not only focused on the food industry,” says Pearce. “We are also wanting to expand our […]

Milk from NZ dairy cows: sustainable, nutrient-dense, tasty too

By Dr Tim Mackle Chief Executive, DairyNZ As Kiwi families and friends sit down at the table this summer and plan picnics at the beach, they can be confident the dairy products from our New Zealand cows are both highly sustainable and one of the best sources of human nutrition on the planet. When deciding what food to eat, I’m a firm believer people need accurate, science-based information grounded in the New Zealand context, and aimed at ensuring we know what’s healthy – and sustainable. To mark the holidays when most of us will be celebrating with delicious food, I’m plating up some of the wealth of evidence being offered independently by scientists that New Zealand cows’ milk is both highly sustainable and nutritious – and, of course, makes for some tasty tucker too. My intent is to help you with informed decision-making about what to eat that’s best for human health and wellbeing, as well as what’s best for the planet – and equip anyone wishing to get involved in conversation about food and the environment. New Zealand is already world-leading in sustainable nutrient-dense dairy products. As identified by the International Dairy Federation New Zealand Committee, if all dairy producers were as efficient as we are, more than half the global emissions from dairy production could be eliminated. The sustainability and nutritional value of the food we’re eating is on the minds of many people, an ongoing topic of conversation on social media feeds, and hitting the headlines in mainstream media. Among recent coverage are in depth articles in two notable New Zealand magazines – North & South (December 2019) and NZ Listener (October 5-11 2019). With due recognition of these publications, their writers and the food scientists they interviewed – and to avoid any risk of the more […]

The Good Food Boost

The Good Food Boost is a mentorship programme for four fledging food businesses. The programme is now in its fourth year and is proven to deliver tangible benefits across distribution, production, commercialisation and strategy. Winners receive: • Five mentoring sessions from experts in food and business development (plus two group mentoring sessions). This will give the winners tips and inspiration on how to develop a tasty product that looks good, sells well and endures the test of time. • Business sustainability advice. (The Good Food Boost is free to enter.) What has the Good Food Boost enabled previous winners to achieve? • One entrant teamed up with a mentor’s distribution line and now has their product nationwide. • One entrant was approached by a mentor to help create a menu for a restaurant and the co-lab between them resulted in a new product line for the business •The mentoring programme taught one entrant that their business needed substantial changes. As a result they changed products entirely and are now hugely successful. • A mentor lined up an entrant with a food procurer for NZ’s top restaurants and now the product is in those restaurants • An entrant went back to a mentor a few months after the programme because they needed to restructure and that’s when they benefited most from the connection • Hundreds of contacts, connections and ideas are shared • The four winners help and support each other with ideas too Applications are now open. Contact: holly@sustainable.org.nz

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