News Ticker

GMP Dairy to develop Chinese market further

The current dairy business climate is both challenging and promising, because regulations on infant formula are still very sticky and unclear. However, Evergrande Group’s investment into GMP Dairy Limited’s business has given the company more opportunities. Evergrande Dairy chairman Mr Xu Wen has mentioned before the group, which had turnover this year of 131.5 billion Chinese Yuan and has 475 billion Chinese Yuan in assets, was attracted to invest in New Zealand because of its strong reputation for food safety. Evergrande has a large team in China to provide innovative marketing and distributing strategies, which has given GMP Dairy Limited more confidence in developing the China market further. On the 12th of June, 2015, GMP introduced their premium infant formula brand, Opobaby, at the Aotea Centre, Auckland Town Hall. Economic Development Minister Hon Steven Joyce, MP Jami-Lee Ross, Economic and Commercial Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in NZ Mr Zhang Fan, along with Evergrande Dairy Chairman Mr Xu Wen officially launched Cowala Superpremium Opobaby Infant Formula. Evergrande Group is a massive Chinese conglomerate, which started out in real estate and has diversified into a range of other businesses including fast moving consumer goods. In October, Evergrande launched its infant formula brand Cowala in China where it made its first appearance in a Chinese Super League football match when the successful Guangzhou Evergrande team, part-owned by Alibaba boss Jack Ma, wore Cowala baby formula-branded shirts. The team officially launched the new Opobaby brand in China after a match late last month. A unique competitive point of difference for Cowala Infant Formula is the world-first patented traceability technology on the cans that allows consumers to use their smartphones to scan a barcode telling them the milk powder’s history. There is even an x-ray picture of the contents. Further research and development have […]

New Zealand King Salmon declares 2.0 interim dividend

A successful branding and market positioning strategy underpins growth for New Zealand King Salmon Investments Ltd (NZKS), which today reported its half year result for the six months to 31 December 2016 (1H17). The Board affirms its full year FY17 forecast as presented in its Product Disclosure Statement dated 23 September 2016. Key highlights include:  Net profit after tax of $8.7 million, up 52% on the comparable six month period to 31 December 2015 (1H16)  Pro forma operating EBITDA of $7.3 million  3,400 metric tonnes of gilled and gutted salmon sold, up 13% on 1H16  Volumes exported up 19% on 1H16  Successful IPO on the NZX Main Board and ASX raising $30 million to fund capital and working capital investment associated with our new sea farms and requisite processing infrastructure  Premium branded strategy continues to drive demand in excess of available supply, underpinning improved value  Salmon farming now underway at all three new sea farms  First harvest from two of our three new sea farms  Sales programme to China implemented in partnership with shareholder China Resources Ng Fung Ltd  Successful launch of pet food range Omega Plus in South Island test market in September “The first four months since listing have given us a good platform for future growth” said Chairman John Ryder. “We are positive about the future of the company and its global potential, and we are on track with our investment in new farm capacity and operational upgrades to support our strategy,” he added. The company continues to execute on its premium branded export plans, said Managing Director and CEO Grant Rosewarne. “Strong growth in export volumes, up 19%, confirms market receptiveness to this strategy, while the company is developing additional pathways to unlock further export sales […]

Predictions for sustainable foods in 2017

Organic foods The market share of organic foods is expected to approach 7-10 percent in the US, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark and neighbouring countries. With growth in organic farmland slowing, supply shortfalls are expected. Eco-labelled foods – Fairtrade will retain its position as the second largest eco-label for food products, however fragmentation will continue: more fair trade labels and standards are envisaged. As will be shown in 2017 editions of the Sustainable Foods Summit (www.sustainablefoodssummit.com), other eco-labels are gaining traction in specific product categories; for instance, Rainforest Alliance for agricultural commodities, and Marine Stewardship Council for seafood. Sustainable sourcing – the market share of sustainable sourced ingredients is expected to rise. Roughly 20 percent of all coffee is now produced according to some sustainability scheme. The share of sustainable sourced tea, cocoa, vanilla and sugar is expected to increase as large companies – such as Barry Callebaut and Givaudan – make ethical commitments. Sustainability metrics – metrics are likely to become prominent in the sustainability programmes of food and ingredient companies. Whilst carbon and water footprints are still the most popular metrics, expect to see more metrics for energy, resource usage, waste, and social parameters. More natural & organic food companies are envisaged to make carbon neutral and zero waste pledges. Food authenticity & traceability – Greater investment is envisaged in ingredient supply chains to provide transparency and to reduce risks of food fraud and adulteration. Non-GMO labelling schemes are expected to continue to gain popularity in North America, although the GM labelling bill has been passed. Retail sales of Non-GMO Project Verified food sales are predicted to exceed $20 billion in 2017. Waste impacts – as food waste rises on the sustainability agenda, more food companies and retailers will make waste reduction pledges. Food byproducts will get greater recognition as […]

Fonterra says UK needs open trade policy

Open markets encourage investment, increase competitiveness, and allow for more consumer choice and product innovation in the dairy industry, said Fonterra’s Trade Strategy and Stakeholder Affairs Manager, Dr Francis Reid. This was the message he delivered to an audience at the Semex Dairy Conference in Glasgow, ahead of Brexit – or the formal triggering of the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union, in March. He said that Fonterra and New Zealand were examples of the success of open market policy. His talk came amid warnings of a growing protectionist movement globally. Dr. Reid spoke to New Zealand’s economic prosperity that has emerged over a period of economic liberalisation. He noted that in the early twentieth century the UK was NZ’s largest trading partner and the main market for NZ’s dairy exports. This changed when the UK joined the European Economic Community (EEC), also known as the Common Market, in 1973, which resulted in New Zealand losing its preferential access to the UK. Dr. Reid told the audience that following the end of that close trading relationship, NZ suffered severe economic shock. Initially, to counter that, New Zealand adopted protectionist trade policies, including coupled subsidy payments for farmers and a highly controlled economy, to manage the risks that this change brought. He said that eventually New Zealand opted to deregulate its economy, open its industries up to competition, remove subsidies, and pursue a policy of free trade. These policies have laid the foundations of New Zealand’s current economic prosperity and growth. The message for a post-Brexit Britain, Dr. Reid told the audience, was that open markets and pro-competition policies drive economic growth. He said if New Zealand and the UK could establish an open trading and economic relationship post-Brexit, then both countries could build upon the relative strengths of each market, […]

Agrigate to revolutionise farm performance

Waikato dairy farmer Bill Aubrey believes Agrigate, the new online tool, will be revolutionary in helping farmers improve their farm performance. Developed by Fonterra Farm Source and LIC, Agrigate combines all the key data farmers need to make faster and smarter decisions on one, easy to use online dashboard. LIC Chief Executive and Agrigate Chairman Wayne McNee says “having data in one place and working in real time makes it easier to make comparisons, see trends and make better management decisions. A key outcome will be enabling farmers to make the most efficient use of their resources – which is important in both tough and better times.” Fonterra Farm Source Chief Operating Officer Miles Hurrell says “the ultimate goal of this project is to support our farmers by giving them a tool to help maximise their on-farm performance, productivity and profitability. As a simple, easy-to-use tool Agrigate is a great example of dairy industry innovation. It allows farmers to identify areas of their business where they are performing well and areas where improvements can be made.” Agrigate has been designed to help farmers plan ahead, using existing data to assess the interaction between different on-farm factors, such as weather conditions, animal health, milk production, financials, pasture cover and fertiliser applications. Agrigate will help farmers track what effect each factor has on the others so that they can plan accordingly. For example, farmers will be able to see what impact factors like herd size; milking frequency and fertiliser use have on pasture cover, milk volume and quality, and milk solids production per hectare. Agrigate will also allow farmers to benchmark these farm factors on a scale that they haven’t been able to in the past, a feature that has impressed Bill Aubrey. “I can compare past and present, regional and national […]

Patties invests in Leader Products

And creates a market-leading food manufacturing group across Australia and New Zealand. Patties Foods Limited (“Patties”), an iconic Australian food manufacturer, has announced the acquisition of Leader Products (“Leader”), a manufacturer of quick, easy, delicious frozen convenience food products based in New Zealand. Leader was established by Tony Peterson and Richard Crabb in 1998 and over the last 18 years the business has emerged as the market leader in New Zealand in addition to exporting to Australia and Asia. The company is growing strongly and has doubled revenue in the past five years. Mr. Peterson will continue to drive the company’s growth strategy in his role as Managing Director and will maintain a stake in the combined business. Leader’s product range includes meatballs, burger patties, toppas, finger foods and meal solutions under the brands Leader, Tony’s Tucka and Kauri Coast. Leader supplies grocery retailers, distributors, sporting stadiums, convenience stores, cafes, hotels, restaurants and caterers in New Zealand, Australia and Asia. The company is the market leader in innovation and new product development in the frozen food product sector. Paul Hitchcock, CEO of Patties, said that Patties and Leader were natural partners – both focused on manufacturing high quality frozen foods known and loved by customers. Iconic brands in the Patties portfolio include Four’n Twenty, Patties, Herbert Adams, Nanna’s and Chef’s Pride. Mr. Hitchcock said: “We are delighted to be joining forces with the Leader team. We believe the combination of Patties and Leader will provide significant growth opportunities for both companies given our complementary savoury meals and snack products, manufacturing operations and sales footprints. This deal will create a market-leading food business across Australia and New Zealand. “Leader is a great New Zealand success story and we are very keen to support the team in their continued growth. For example, […]

Sustainable Foods Summit

The summit (www.sustainablefoodssummit.com) is taking place on 18-20th January 2017 in San Francisco for the seventh consecutive year. Agriculture is often cited as the cause and victim of many of the environmental and social issues facing the planet: from climate change, biodiversity loss, water scarcity to social inequality and economic migration. The opening session will highlight the role of sustainable food systems in helping resolve some of these major issues. The Regenerative Design Institute will discuss the solutions provided by permaculture, whilst another paper explores the science of biomimicry. With proteins coming under scrutiny for their high ecological impacts, approaches to reduce environmental impacts of livestock and seafood production will be discussed. Theresa Marquez, Chief Marketing Executive of Organic Valley, will highlight the benefits provided by organic livestock farming. Elizabeth Candelario, Managing Director of Demeter Association, will explain how biodynamic agriculture can produce climate-friendly foods. The Global Salmon Initiative will show how sustainable seafood farming can help alleviate the proteins crisis. Another session gives an update on the growing palette of sustainable ingredients available to food and beverage firms. Seema Kedia from Barry Callebaut will kick off the session with details of the company’s sustainable sourcing programs. She will give insights on how such programs are improving the lives of impoverished growers in developing countries. Other papers will cover developments in marine ingredients, natural flavourings, and natural colours. Although the mandatory GM labeling bill has now been passed, there remain concerns about its scope and implementation. Details will be given of the new bill and its implications to the sustainable food community. Will adoption rates of voluntary schemes such as the Non-GMO Project continue to rise? What new schemes could emerge to cover GMOs in livestock products and / or the foodservice sector? The waste impacts session highlights best-practices in […]

DNA technology to accelerate improvements in agricultural production

A new deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) analysis technology called Genotyping by Random Amplicon Sequencing (GRAS) uses analytical materials. This technology is capable of dramatically improving the efficiency of identifying and selecting useful genetic information for agricultural plant improvement. This technology should lead to substantial time and cost savings in the agricultural plant improvement process. Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC0 is involved in a wide range of initiatives in order to help achieve a sustainable society. In addition to improving the fuel efficiency of its vehicles to help prevent global warming and to also enhance energy security; TMC is also supporting various bio-technology businesses. For example, TMC has applied its wealth of knowledge about production control systems and process improvements to the agricultural field so as to help develop the cloud-based agricultural IT management tool (Housaku Keikaku). At the same time, TMC is also developing a technology that would help to increase the yield of sugar-cane as an alternative biofuel source. Conventional agricultural plant improvement to increase crop yields involves selecting and interbreeding of parent varieties based on extensive past improvement data, assessing progeny over the long term, as well as selecting new progeny with the desired property. However, although the recently developed marker technology(1), which uses genetic information to predict plant characteristics has helped to improve the efficiency of this process, the lengthy time needed as well as the high cost of this method of DNA analysis have sought to hinder its adoption. In response, TMC has paired its proprietary sample preparation technology(2) with a next-generation sequencer(3) to develop GRAS, a new technology that can substantially simplify the process of identifying and selecting useful genetic information. GRAS is capable of analyzing DNA in about one-tenth the time needed, and at around one-third the cost of conventional techniques that are being utilised. This […]

Mood buoyant at co-located Foodtech Packtech and MHL Expo

A record attendance of more than 4000 (mainly) food manufacturers descended upon the biennial Foodtech Packtech and MHL Expo trade show last week in Auckland, with organisers claiming it a huge success. More than 240 exhibitors were on display across 4 halls of the ASB showgrounds in Auckland – the largest contingent of exhibitors in more than a decade with the show collocating with their recently acquired Materials Handling and Logistics Expo. More than 80 of the 240 exhibitors were displaying materials handling related product – so it really fulfilled the brief for trade attendees – helping complete the “Pasture (or seabed) to plate” story for Food Manufacturers visiting the show. “Exhibitors have been completing post-show surveys saying the quality of visitor was spot on,” says Brent Spillane MD of the show. “We’ve had feedback that the sector was very buoyant with many outlaying large CapEx to buy plant, packaging, machinery, equipment and technology for their factories,” says Spillane. The event attracted a strong contingent of international visitors too – with large groups of Chinese and Australian delegates. “We’re excited about the growing internationalisation of the event with ongoing dialogue with industry stakeholders around creating an international food week and conference attached to the show in years to come. When you get this many industry professionals attending the show – there’s a natural progression to create ancillary conferences.” The event hosted three full days of seminars hosted by the NZ Institute of Food Science and Technology, The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport and other relevant sector bodies. “We had a very high calibre of speakers covering issues ranging from Risk Management in Exports through to a new $15m MBIE funded Food Research fund – across the three days.” Rebooking for FTPT and the MHL Expo have already been strong […]

Measuring the benefits of cover crops in maize

Globally there is increasing interest and research in cover crops within cropping systems. The questions New Zealand growers are asking are, ‘what benefits can they bring to our systems and how can they be practically managed’?’ Allister Holmes, FAR’s Waikato based Research and Extension Manager, says weed suppression, improved soil health and reduced erosion, nitrogen fixation, improved biodiversity and the ability to provide in situ or cut and carry animal feed are just some of the reported benefits associated with the use of cover crops. However, he says, more work is required in order to understand how any effects, either positive or negative, can be managed in individual farm systems. “Recently FAR have increased their research into cover crops, focussing on their integration with maize systems. Much of this research has been based at FAR’s Northern Crop Research Site (NCRS) at Tamahere in Waikato, where currently six cover crop trials are underway. These trials are investigating issues such weed suppression, growth and development patterns, growing cover crops under maize, intercropping, establishment techniques and the impact of cover crops on following crops.” Cover crops and weed suppression Assessing different cover crops and their weed suppressive abilities. The trial, which is looking at faba beans, gland clover, oats and annual ryegrass, builds on a trial from last season, investigating a range of pre- and post-emergent herbicides and whether the weed control provided by cover crops could be used to reduce herbicide applications. The cover crops were sown in early winter and maize will be over sown in spring, before harvest assessments are carried out in autumn. Trevor James and Mike Trolove from AgResearch’s Farm Systems are undertaking this work. Growth and development patterns Observing growth and development patterns of a range of cover crop species were sown with two sowing dates, and […]

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