NEWS 6 OCTOBER 2017 NEWS SNIPS Agrecovery’s nationwide programme to recycle agricultural plastics and dispose of agrichemicals has had its status as a ‘product stewardship scheme’ extended by the Government The supreme winners of the inaugural NZ Chocolate Awards are Honest Chocolat Salted Caramel & Buckwheat milk chocolate tablet and Jo’s Sublime Chocolate salted sesame and caramel bonbon DairyNZ, the Dairy Companies Association of New Zealand and the Ministry for Primary Industries have endorsed the Dairy Declaration of Rotterdam, marking New Zealand’s commitment towards global sustainable dairy development The campaign to retain significant chocolate manufacturing in Dunedin has taken another step forward with a call for expressions of interest from company directors. BAD TASTE AWARDS It’s that time of the year again…Consumer NZ wants nominations for its 2017 Bad Taste Food Awards by the end of the month. Chief executive Sue Chetwin says the awards highlight food companies marketing their products as better choices than they really are. Consumer NZ’s research regularly uncovers foods masquerading as nutritionally superior options, from gourmet salt to sugar-laden breakfast cereals. “We’re inviting consumers to join us in naming and shaming food marketers’ claims to put pressure on companies to clean up their act,” she says. This is the second year Consumer NZ has run the awards. In 2016, Nutri-Grain was among the winners, singled out for being marketed as a healthier option even though it was more than a quarter sugar. Other winners included 98% almond-free almond milk, Gatorade and Powerade sports drinks with their sizeable sugar hits, and Heinz Little Kids Fruit & Veg Shredz, which were nearly 70% sugar. Nominations for this year’s awards close on October 24 and can be made online at consumer. org.nz or by emailing foodawards@ consumer.org.nz. The United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency has opened the doors of a new laboratory to help countries use a nuclear technique to keep harmful insects such as mosquitoes and fruit flies at bay. The modern Insect Pest Control Laboratory located in Austria will boost the Agency’s ability to assist member states in applying the Sterile Insect Technique to combat insect pests that spread disease and damage crops. The environmentally safe SIT, a form of insect birth control, uses radiation to sterilise male insects, which are reared in large numbers and released in a target area to mate with wild females. Since they do not produce any offspring, the pest population is reduced over time. IPCL director general Yukiya Amano says the facility offers a “tangible example of the enormous practical benefits of nuclear science and technology.” BUGS BE GONE A Papua New Guinean coffee producer from one of the most remote coffeegrowing regions in the world is visiting New Zealand this month to educate coffee roasters on the beans his country is growing and the importance of Fairtrade. Coffee co-operative Unen Choit manager Molock Terry is hoping to secure longterm relationships with buyers and coffee companies for his co-operative’s product, grown by 1200 farmers in the loamy grasslands of Morobe, accessible only by boat or plane. Introduced to farmers in the 1920s by missionaries, coffee seeds were planted to give locals the power to earn a living and provide for communities in the area, Terry says. Due to inadequate management, the coffee trees grew wild and became unusable, but the country today boasts around 12,000 trees covering 45 LUNCHBOX DELIGHTS Healthy lunches for kids are possible for little more than $2 a day, but parents and caregivers often labour under the misconception that it is cheaper to fill lunchboxes with convenience foods. West Coast community and public health nutrition health promoter Jade Winter says people often believe eating well comes at a high cost, and there are “many ‘fads’ and ‘superfoods’ marketed that are expensive and not particularly healthy despite their claims.” Workshops on the West Coast saw lunchboxes filled with pasta, vegetables, fruit, yoghurt, bread, eggs, rice crackers, hummus and homemade slices…at an average cost of $2.31 per meal. “Toddlers and young children need appropriate nutrition for growth and development,” she says. “Eating habits are formed from a very young age and it is important to cultivate these as early as possible. Introducing nourishing foods encourages children to learn about and enjoy different tastes and textures.” An easy-to-understand resource Nourishing Futures with Better Kai is available free at: https://tinyurl.com/ycsycdpk FAIRTRADE VISIT LISTINGS FOR THE 2018 ANNUAL DIRECTORY ARE CLOSING 5PM, 24TH OF NOVEMBER.
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