www.foodtechnology.co.nz 7 NEWS SNIPS Wine Grenade, the wine maturation technology start-up, has recruited wine industry business development specialist Cyril Derreumaux to lead sales and distribution in the United States Nelson launched a rolling programme of food and beverage to celebrate the recent International Women’s Day, joining others in Iceland, the United States, Chile, Europe and Australia Rockburn Wines has appointed Rebecca Poynter as general manager, following the resignation of Paul Donaghy who, after six years with the winery, is leaving to pursue new projects The Food Show Christchurch will return to the city on April 7 to 9, with headline act ‘Free Range Cook’ Annabel Langbein confirmed to appear N E W S KIWI TASTE IN UAE BREAKING NEWS: More than 70% of Kiwis want mandatory Country of Origin Labelling (CoOL) for fruit and vegetables, a joint Consumer NZ and Horticulture New Zealand survey says. Nearly three-quarters want to know where their fresh, tinned and frozen fruit and veges come from, and 70% want to buy New Zealand-grown, Horticulture NZ chief executive Mike Chapman says. FACTORY FARMING TEXTBOOK RELEASED: Is it better to live a life not worth living, or not to have lived at all? That’s the quandary students in Years 9 to 13 will be discussing this year, thanks to a SAFE textbook launched in Auckland this month. Animals in Factory Farms, which “opens the doors on factory farms,” has been written by the organisation’s head of education Nichola Kriek, and encourages young people to engage critically with the way farm animals are treated in modern agriculture. SAFE chief executive Jasmijn de Boo says animal issues are central to New Zealand society, and the textbook journeys students through four comprehensive curriculum-linked lessons in the areas of social studies, science, biology and English. “The level of awareness of, and concern for, animal suffering is rising rapidly, particularly among young people,” she says. “Students need to be equipped with knowledge about ethical and environmental concerns.” The textbook, the fifth in the series, talks about topics such as legislative change, the role of citizens in promoting animal welfare, ‘normal’ captive animal behaviour and selective breeding. Kriek says teacher feedback has been positive, with many reporting that their textbook has been borrowed by other subject departments, such as food technology. The United Arab Emirates has been treated to a thorough taste of New Zealand, after more than 10 Kiwi companies showed off their wares at a five-day food show in Dubai. Gulfood, the world’s largest food tradeshow with 5000 stands from more than 120 countries, provided a platform for New Zealand companies to impress 95,000 visitors. Minister for Primary Industries Nathan Guy, who attended the show, says annual two-way trade with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries exceeds $3.2 billion. “Food and beverage is an important part of our trading relationship, built upon the complementarity of New Zealand’s high quality food offering and many Gulf countries’ food security needs.” Guy spoke at a function of more than 200 people, including New Zealand exporters, local importers and distributors, and leading representatives from the hospitality industry. New Zealand has traditionally been associated with dairy and meat exports, but the list of available food products in the United Arab Emirates’ retail sector continues to grow, rising from 13 products in 2013 to 90 in 2017. “A number of our businesses already have a strong presence in this market and are doing exceptionally well selling New Zealand food and beverage products. My visit is aimed at opening doors and helping to further promote New Zealand companies,” Guy says. New Zealand’s presence at Gulfood signals the importance of the relationships with the UAE, Gulf countries and the wider region. Finalising the New Zealand GCC Free Trade Agreement is an important next step to enhancing trade, including food and beverage, even further, Guy says. New Zealand companies attending Gulfood 2017 included Fonterra, Tegel, Taylor Preston, Lowe Corporation, ANZCO Foods, NIG Nutritionals, Milkio, NZ Dairy Company, Open Country Dairy and Spring Sheep. WORLDWIDE SUPPORT FOR CADBURY WORKERS: More than 8000 signatures have been collected on a petition to save the Dunedin Cadbury factory and the jobs of its workers, and another launched by the International Food Union has attracted 4000 more. Union E tu’s industry co-ordinator food Chas Muir says the numbers signing both petitions show the solidarity for Cadbury workers both in New Zealand and globally. The IFU, which has included a letter of protest to Mondelez International’s chief executive Irene Rosenfeld detailing the loss of 9000 Cadbury jobs worldwide last year, says the Dunedin factory produces healthy sales. “But for years, Mondelez has vacuumed equity out of the plant by extracting ‘dividends’ which exceed the company’s net income.” Muir says Mondelez is gaining international infamy for its behaviour by “stripping the guts out of Cadbury plants internationally and throwing their workers to the wolves, with no regard to them, their families and communities. It’s great to see the support in these numbers, not only in New Zealand but across the world.” A petition can be found at: https://tinyurl.com/keep-Cadbury
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