FoodHQ Innovation Club

FoodHQ has launched the FoodHQ Innovation Club with the support of AGMARDT and in conjunction with the ANZ Bank.

The FoodHQ Innovation Club seeks to help food and beverage companies tackle the multiple challenges associated with innovating their products and businesses to meet consumer demands in New Zealand and overseas.

FoodHQ Programme Director Mark Ward says the primary benefit of joining the Food Innovation Club is one-door access to 2200+ researchers, leading-edge knowledge, and innovation tools from nine internationally recognised research and innovation organisations – “Experts across the value chain from the paddock, garden, orchard or ocean, to the dinner plate.”

FoodHQ Innovation Club members will create and grow their network with fellow members. They will have access to connections across New Zealand and Asia thanks to the ANZ Bank. Members will have facilitated access to the NZ Food Innovation Network’s four high-tech food and ingredient processing plants for product development, as well as access to New Zealand’s top 500 chefs for product testing.

During the next six weeks, the FoodHQ Innovation Club will be introduced to companies around New Zealand. In the first year, membership has been limited to 10 Gold Club Members and 40 Silver Club members. Once the club’s services are implemented and reviewed, it will then expand. The first FoodHQ Innovation Club networking opportunity will be during the New Zealand Agri Investment Week, 14 - 19 March 2016. For more information about events planned during that week, please visit http://nzaginvest.co.nz/.

Companies interested in joining are asked to contact FoodHQ Programme Director Mark Ward direct on 021 423 156 or by emailing mark.ward@foodhq.com.

FNZ in mailboxes this week

The December15/January16 Issue of FoodNZ will be in mailboxes this week.

The cover image shows a 3M™ Petrifilm™ Rapid Yeast and Mould Count Plate which gives reliable results in 48 hours

Features include:

• Laboratory consumables and equipment
• Conference Report: Food structures, digestion and health
• Rollout of Health Claims Legislation: Donnell Alexander, MPI
  
• Food and beverage industry in Vanuatu

FoodSouth open for business

Canterbury Development Corporation and Callaghan Innovation have formally opened Food South, the South Island hub of the New Zealand Food Innovation Network.  The food innovation centre and pilot production plant is based at Lincoln University.

FoodSouth will provide South Island food and beverage businesses with access to a range of product development services, expertise and equipment to accelerate the development of innovative new high-value products.  The creation of this facility will be a great resource for food and beverage companies to respond to consumer demands and international market opportunities.

Canterbury Development Corporation and Callaghan Innovation are providing joint funding of $5.7 million over five years to establish and operate this new facility. Site services and accommodation are being provided by Lincoln University.

Callaghan Innovation Chief Executive Dr Mary Quin (picture) said, “The food and beverage sector is one of the New Zealand economy’s strongest, accounting for almost one in five people employed and accounting for over half of merchandise exports.   But there is a lot of potential for more growth, particularly through innovative products and increased processing productivity.

FoodSouth, along with the other pilot plants in the New Zealand Food Innovation Network, will help this happen. Callaghan Innovation is pleased to support it.”

AsureQuality first in World to Issue an Accredited FSSC22000-Q Certificate

AsureQuality is the first Conformity Assessment Body (CAB) in the world to be both accredited to the new FSSC22000-Q scheme, and to issue accredited FSSC22000-Q certification to a customer.

First published in February this year by the Foundation for Food Safety Certification, FSSC22000-Q gives organisations the option to have their Food Safety and Quality Management Systems certified under one certification, by way of one integrated audit rather than individual FSSC22000 and ISO9001 audits.

The first dairy site in the world to gain FSSC22000-Q certification is Fonterra’s Te Awamutu site, with other Fonterra sites awaiting certification.

Lesley McKeown, Technical Manager for Management Systems at AsureQuality says, “The number of FSSC certifications is rapidly rising globally, and with increased recognition by stakeholders in the food industry it is quickly becoming the global benchmark for food safety.

www.asurequality.com​

FGC admires Wrigley’s dental work

The NZ Food & Grocery Council congratulates the Wrigley Company Foundation on its Community Service Grants for 2015.

The foundation’s judges recently awarded US$23,000 (about NZ$35,000) in grants to communities, including Northland, Auckland, Waikato, and Bay of Plenty, to help improve access to oral healthcare and education. This work is done in partnership with the NZ Dental Association.

FGC Chief Executive Katherine Rich said the grants were a further example of companies working in the community to improve the health and wellbeing of New Zealanders.

“You can’t help but be impressed by Wrigley’s community participation. In 2014, the foundation’s grant recipients recruited volunteer dentists and dental therapists to treat 159 patients and educate 2120 adults and children in communities that really needed help.

“The Wrigley Company Foundation also helps in the Pacific. The winner of their Pacific Region Dental Aid Grant was the Island of Smiles Project which will send nine New Zealand dental staff to Fiji to treat more than 400 villagers.

“FGC member companies do a lot of great work in schools and communities, including education and advice programmes on healthy cooking and eating, lifestyle advice, and physical activity programmes.”