Auckland university academics are pleading with manufacturers of takeaway food
in New Zealand to reduce serving sizes, saying they – along with energy and sodium
levels – have increased significantly in the past five years.
www.foodtechnology.co.nz 3
Kathryn Calvert
Editor NZ FOODTechnology
You might have blinked and missed the first half of 2018…but the second half looks to be action-packed with
the exciting 2018 FoodTech PackTech show looming large on the horizon. One of the issues sure to be hot there
is trademarking, and we take an alternative look at the recent My Food Bag fight with a German multi-national
competitor over the word hello. From first glance, it looks frivolous to demand another company ‘cease and desist’
from using one of the most common words in the English language but - as Auckland law expert Paul Johns says
- nothing is simple in the world of trademarking. And with the Manuka honey industry demanding protection from
outside competition (such as Australia), the stakes are getting very high. Take a look at Johns' commentary on
page 16 and, while you’re at it, make sure you’ve booked a presence for your business in our September issue – it’s
looking to be a bumper.
EDITOR'S NOTE
BREAKING NEWS
TRADEMARKS
PLEASE
SHRINK
YOUR
FOOD
A study of fast food trends, led by
Dr Helen Eyles, analysing around
5500 fast food products across
12 food groups and 10 major fast
food chains says serving size has increased
by 5%...with associated increases of 6% in
energy density, 14% in energy per serve and
a 12% increase in sodium. “Our fast food
chains should make changes in line with the
‘Healthy Kids Industry’ pledge as part of the
Government’s childhood obesity plan, including
measurable reductions to the serve size and
overall healthiness of products,” Eyles says.
For some food groups, large negative changes
have been seen for several of these measures.
Serve size, energy per serve and sodium per
serve have gone up in desserts and pizzas;
and sodium density, energy per serve and
sodium per serve have gone up in sandwiches
and salads. “However, there was some good
news from the study, with Asian fast food
products displaying large significant decreases
in serve size and energy per serve over the five
years,” Eyles says. “Also, when researchers
looked for potential improvements in products
available for sale over two or more of the
five years, they found a reduction in sodium
density, which indicated some positive change
or reformulation over time. Overall, New
Zealand fast foods have become larger and
more energy dense over the past five years.
Reduction of sodium in products available for
some time is a welcome improvement, but
this has been offset by overall increases in
serve size.” The 5% increase over the fiveyear
period, which increased the amount of
energy and sodium per serve, may have also
increased other nutrients not measured, such
as sugar. Fast food trends in New Zealand is
part of the Dietary Interventions: Evidence
& Translation (DIET) programme funded by
the Health Research Council and led by Prof
Cliona Ni Mhurchu at the University’s National
Institute for Health Innovation, Faculty of
Medical and Health Sciences.
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