NEWS 6 SEPTEMBER 2017 NEWS SNIPS Auckland Airport has awarded a $50,000 Tourism Development grant to EatNZ, a collective of some of the country’s best chefs, producers, media, event and tourism operators that brings together a platform to connect and promote New Zealand’s food industry Wattie’s Hastingsbased staff have volunteered help to feed the hungry by beating last year’s Rise Against Hunger record of 130,000 packed dehydrated meals completed in just two hours and 15 minutes Marlborough mayor John Leggett is visiting China to sign a formal sisterregion agreement with that country’s winegrowing region of Ningxia, and hopes to build wine industry opportunities for the two regions My Food Bag founder and co-chief executive Cecilia Robinson has been named the supreme winner of the Women of Influence Programme 2017. Cheesemakers preparing to celebrate New Zealand Cheese Month with their customers will be cheered by sales data that shows Kiwis are eating more locally made cheese than ever before. Neilsen data shows supermarket sales of New Zealand specialty cheeses have risen by 6% since August last year, with 771,383 New Zealanders reporting they had bought specialty cheese in the first three months of 2017 - an increase of more than 20% when compared with the same period in 2014. This bodes well for the New Zealand Specialist Cheesemakers Association’s cheese month in October, chair Miel Meyer says. The celebratory month is a chance for members to host tastings, invite Kiwis to events across the country and educate people about cheese in the leadup to the summer entertaining season. Events will be held at Countdown and New World supermarkets, Sabato, Farro Fresh and Canterbury Cheese Mongers. Go to www.nzsca.org.nz for more details. Redesigning and streamlining food safety requirements under the Animal Products Act 1999 will make the rules easier to understand and be more accessible for businesses in the future, Minister for Food Safety David Bennett says. “Industry feedback told us streamlining notices and regulations would help them run their businesses more efficiently, with a greater understanding of expectations keeping their customers,” he says. The MPI-run project will look at consolidating and simplifying 41 regulations under the Act, on the back of a Government inquiry which recommended some changes to strengthen New Zealand’s food safety system. Targeted industry workshops will gather feedback to better understand what is and isn’t working, Bennett says. “We are continuously trying to find ways to make it easier for people to achieve and go beyond the world class food safety system.” SAY CHEESE A tiny Kiwi company making dairyfree milk from coconuts, almond nuts, oat crops and soy beans is keen to take on the giants of dairy milk and offer New Zealanders an alternative to what they’ve been brought up on. Stir marketing manager Bruna Rodrigues says the new 100% ‘not milk’ powders break with tradition and are entirely natural with no preservatives or flavouring “of other weird, unidentifiable ingredients. We’re offering a product which is less harmful to the environment, creates much less waste and is rich in good fats and proteins for the environmentallyaware and conscious Kiwi consumer.” All four new varieties are packaged in convenient and environmentally-friendly pouches, allowing Kiwis to make healthy ICECREAM A GROWING TREAT FOR CHINESE Nearly half of urban Chinese consumers eat icecream at home as a snack these days, compared with just one in four in 2015. New Mintel research has revealed that consumption of the sweet indulgence is on the rise, with food and drink analyst Cheryl Ni saying ‘better-for-you’ options are among the more popular premium features, with 59% of urban Chinese consumers willing to buy icecream products that feature a ‘100% natural/no additive’ claim, especially amongst soft-serve ice cream users. “Urban Chinese consumers are paying more attention to their health, while still looking for opportunities for indulgence, which should not be compromised,” Ni says. “There is scope for icecream to be positioned as ‘mood food’, allowing consumers—especially the younger generations—the ability to soothe life’s stresses away as they indulge in a treat while paying a premium price for it.” The icecream market has experienced significant growth in online channels, increasing from 3% to 16% between 2012 and 2017. This growth is driven by high earners who are more likely to be fans of online channels. TAKING ON THE DAIRY BIG GUNS EVENTS TO DIARY High-Value Nutrition NZ Conference 2017 Where: Auckland When: September 25 and 26 2017 NZ Beverage Council Annual Conference Where: Rotorua When: October 10 and 11 IDF World Dairy Summit 2017 Where: Belfast in Northern Ireland When: October 29 to November 3. ANIMAL PRODUCTS ACT REVIEW
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