NEWS
SNIPS
www.foodtechnology.co.nz 7
AUSSIE
ACADEMIC
INCORRECT
Infant formula manufacturers want
to put more information on labels so
mothers can make better-informed
choices about which product to buy
– not product pricing as claimed by
an Australasian academic. The Infant
Nutrition Council says the implication
that the infant formula industry is more
concerned about price than health and
safety of infants is alarming and doesn’t
help mums who want more information
on products. “The infant formula
industry is dedicated to providing safe
and healthy options for mothers who
cannot breast feed their babies or who
choose not to, and that includes making
as much information as possible
available on the label,” chief executive
Jan Carey says. “Research shows that
one in three mothers feel they receive
insufficient information when they’re
buying formula for the first time, while
40% say they’re not aware of the
ingredients and nutrients in a product.
Not all infant formula products are the
same. Different manufacturers innovate
with different new and improved
ingredients, which can be added only
after approval by food safety regulator
Food Standards Australia New Zealand
(FSANZ). But the law as it stands won’t
allow us to show this by putting that information
on to the front of labels, and
that means mothers can’t differentiate
between products to find the most
suitable product for their baby.” FSANZ
is presently reviewing the standards
that govern what can be put on labels.
Dr Nina Berry from the University of
Sydney School of Medicine has claimed
that the lack of information on formula
containers means mothers are not
being provided with risk information
and ingredients.
Blenheim is
looking into the
idea of a wine
fountain like
those in Italy
and Spain for its
town centre
Leading
Wairarapa
wine producer
Gladstone
Vineyard is
entering a new
chapter as the
business is set
to be acquired
by Odyssey
Capital Group
in partnership
with Flying
Winemaker
Holdings
Limited
Regional fuel
tax legislation
will up the price
of fresh fruit
and vegetables
to consumers,
Horticulture
New Zealand
has warned
Jenkins
Freshpac
Systems is over
the moon about
employee Ross
Craig’s success
in being named
the Competenz
Print Diploma
student of the
year
New Zealand’s
first iHemp
Summit will be
held next month
with the aim of
kick-starting
a homegrown
iHemp
(industrial hemp)
economy.
INVESTMENT CRUCIAL
ation’s main product is Mighty Mooo
milk powder, which provides authentic,
clean and green New Zealand product
to children from three years to 12 years
of age. More than $2 million of product
made in Auckland, Waikato, Invercargill
and on the Gold Coast is exported overseas,
with the company’s main products
being milk powder, breakfast cereals,
cookies, probiotics and pregnancy powder.
One of the major suppliers of its
vitamin is DSM, a Dutch multi-national
prominent in health, nutrition and materials
headquartered in Heerlen which
employs more than 20,000 people in
50 countries, posting net sales in 2016
of $NZ7920 billion. Olivia’s technology
partner is UK-based firm Provenance, a
blockchain provider that offers product
transparency and traceability which
enhances food security. “The blockchain
verifies our business and supplier
profiles for greater supply chain integrity
and substantiates our claims with data
gathered from across the supply chain,”
Ho says. “The system demonstrates
our social and environmental impact at
every point in the chain and reduces risk
by proving the authenticity of our goods.
It’s like a digital passport for every
product, linked to every individual item.
The economic implication of blockchain
supply for New Zealand businesses
is huge, and it adds value to our clean
green, authentic environment.”
Investment in science research will help
protect the environment and grow New
Zealand’s national and regional prosperity,
Science NZ chief executive Anthony
Scott says. Responding to the latest
government spending announcement,
Scott says the R&D tax credit at 12.5%
relief for companies’ spending more
than $100,000 per annum will amplify
investment of science-based innovation
in both existing and new sectors. The
Green Investment Fund will complement
this by accelerating private sector
investment into new strands in the
economic matrix; the Provincial Growth
Fund will recognise that great ideas
can be developed locally and add to the
national wealth by building regional prosperity
and wellbeing; and the National
Research Information System’s $10.1
million in funding over four years is a significant
initiative. “The additional funding
for environmental protection, pest control,
biosecurity and the primary sector is
essential to protecting and growing the
economic base throughout the country,”
Scott says. “These areas are deeply personal
to New Zealanders, and part of our
national identity. Each area is producing
science-based solutions and innovations
that are being translated into global
opportunities for New Zealand firms.”
A science cooperation agreement with
Singapore highlights that New Zealand is
a highly-valued niche player, Scott says.
“Data-based science is key to the future
of science, and the future foods work
promotes the skill and track record of
New Zealand in food innovation.”
Do you have an interesting or breaking story, or an opinion on
something happening in the industry, that you’d like featured in
the magazine? If so, let us know. Contact editor Kathryn Calvert
at kcalvert@hayleymedia.com and we’ll take it from there!
/www.foodtechnology.co.nz
link
