FOOD LEADERS FLOCK TO AUCKLAND Global food industry leaders will gather in Auckland next month for a symposium exploring the future methods of making food more nutritious and sustainable. www.foodtechnology.co.nz 3 Kathryn Calvert Editor NZ FOODTechnology When you look at what we eat in New Zealand today, it’s hard to fathom how limited our selection used to be. In this month’s cover story, Lincoln University researchers Sharon Forbes and Sue Trafford compare their recent study of what breads Kiwis are buying – and why – with information collected in 1978…and the results are fascinating. Forty years ago, 89% of consumers bought white bread and three-quarters tended to always buy the same brand. Today, just 23% buy white varieties, and it’s usually to placate the kids or grandkids who don’t like ‘bits’ in their bread. Forbes and Trafford say their research suggests customers are unsure about the healthiness of bread as a food and are eating it less, and it might be time the industry sent stronger messages to consumers. In other news, take a look at what could surprise organic fruit growers in this country (page 8); see why Coromandel local government wants food manufacturers to contact them urgently (page 23); and check out a new way to prevent ‘off’ flavour in wine. Have a great October/November. EDITOR'S NOTE BREAKING NEWS BREAKING BREAD Hosted by the Riddet Institute, the International Symposium on the Delivery of Functionality in Complex Food Systems will look at cutting edge discoveries in food science, including the challenges around designing healthy and sustainable foods, getting protein from edible insects and how to feed the gut microbiome to achieve healthy outcomes. In its seventh year, the symposium has never before been held in the Southern Hemisphere, conference co-chair Dr Michael Boland (Riddet Institute) says. “Everyday people are told that processed foods are bad for you, and they would be right when you are talking about adding things like high amounts of sugar and salt, but there are scientists all over the world processing foods to make them healthier, more nutritious and actually improving the food through processing,” he says. “Compared to 50 years ago, the connection in people’s minds between food and health is a lot stronger, with a shift to preventive health measures that can be achieved through diet. Overcoming the challenges in food doesn’t just require overcoming the challenges in the science, but overcoming the challenges in public perception as well.” The conference will feature a line-up of 10 expert speakers from Europe, North America and Asia, as well as offered and student papers. One speaker is Professor Perla Relkin of France’s AgroParisTech, who will present about her work on novel approaches to replace animal-derived proteins and the challenges for promoting edible insects as sustainable and novel source of proteins in human food. Professor Paul Ross and Professor Rafael Jiménez-Flores will each present on maintaining a healthy population of bacteria in the gut – an emerging hot topic in the industry. Conference co-chair and Riddet Institute co-director Distinguished Professor Harjinder Singh says New Zealand food scientists are encouraged to attend, as well as industry and young researchers. “This symposium will provide opportunities for academia and industry researchers to discuss latest developments in the field, and develop collaborations in a way that only face-to-face networking can. For students and young researchers, they have the chance to meet world experts and discuss their research projects and ideas.” The symposium will be held at the Grand Millennium Hotel in Auckland from November 5-8, 2017. For more information, go to: https://tinyurl.com/ydfp7uyk
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