A CALL TO THE BEVERAGE INDUSTRY A recent New Zealand Food Innovation Network report says food and beverage products contributed $30.7 billion export revenue in 2014, but there is major opportunity in the “significantly untapped non-dairy powder space. Consumers are increasingly looking to food for additional health benefits to help fight disease or ageing, and the by-products from common foods produced in New Zealand like kiwifruit, grape and avocado could be better used to help grow the economy,” the report says. “The volume of grape by-product produced in New Zealand is substantial and of real interest to the industry. The active components in grape seed extract are known for their antioxidant activity and there are studies claiming antibacterial, anti-viral and anti-inflammatory benefits. The current average price for grape skin powders is $40 per kilogram upwards.” NZ Food Innovation Network’s The Food- Bowl chief executive Alexandra Allan says the production of non-dairy powdered food products is predicted to play an increasing role in New Zealand’s export profile but a lack of technology is currently holding the industry back. “The health ingredients and functional foods industry within New Zealand is still relatively small compared to international standards and we are missing out on a huge global market opportunity,” she says. “Spray drying and freeze drying are well understood techniques accessible in New Zealand but there are new drying technologies that are not currently available that would offer more viable solutions for business owners to enter the market. DRINKtech NEW ZEALAND Are you in water, milk products, wine and spirits, juices, beer, soft drinks, tea, coffee or liquid food? Do you operate in ingredients, process technology, filling and packaging, automation, designing and labelling, beverage process security, process and production, cleaning, finishing and identification equipment, palletising, materials handling, plastic, metal and glass container production, dispensing or vending? We’re looking forward to working with you. Contact advertising representative Jenny Hojem on 027 540 3317 or email: jenny@hayleymedia.com. Drying technologies allow growers to make use of by-products that would normally be discarded. Kiwifruit growers, for example, are paid by the fruit size and must remove small and odd shaped fruit to meet export demands. When yield is impacted by bad weather conditions, fruit that would normally be discarded could still provide an income. Green kiwifruit is associated with digestive health benefits and provides a strong future growth opportunity for fruit growers.” The report says that for new drying technologies to be fully assessed from a business perspective, businesses need access to pilot scale plants for process simulation and product prototyping. View the full report: https://tinyurl.com/gmzjulh Kathryn Calvert Editor NZ FOODTechnology We’re globally renowned for our wine, craft beer and water, but what about other beverages? New Zealand spends more than $1.2 billion a year on non-alcoholic cold beverages, consuming well over 650 million litres of soft drinks, fruit juice, bottled water, sports and energy drinks, and flavoured milk annually. Add in tea and coffee, and it’s clear why more than 100 New Zealand companies are involved in manufacturing and importing cold beverages. So what do we know about the beverage market here? Do you know, for instance, that New Zealand has a premium tea-growing facility in the Waikato exporting all over the world? Or a company that makes beverages that are a fusion of Asian and Maori herbal ingredients? Next month, we’ll be transforming our WineTech and BrewTech sections into DrinkTech in this magazine to showcase these kind of stories - along with industry opinion, overseas news and case studies - to people who need to know…our readers. We feel it’s important to celebrate all aspects of the burgeoning beverage market, and to be its new voice. If you'd like to share your story, news and achievements, don't hesitate to contact me directly on kcalvert@hayleymedia. com Have a great early autumn. NON-DAIRY POWDERED FOOD PRODUCTS Leading national food and beverage innovators say non-dairy powdered food products are in high demand world-wide and New Zealand needs to act quickly to take advantage of an untapped export growth opportunity. Alexandra Allan IN HIGH DEMAND EDITOR'S NOTE BREAKING NEWS
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