
Study confirms drinking moderately, responsibly the way to go
Date: 16 Apr 2018The NZ Alcohol Beverages Council, a new industry group formed to give a reasonable perspective in the public discussion around alcohol has given its verdict on a recent study into the impacts of over-consumption of alcohol. “While these are the usual shock-horror tactics used to try and scare people away from alcohol, the study actually confirms something we all already know – drinking moderately and responsibly is the way to go,” says Executive Director Nick Leggett. ... more

NZ appetite suppressant pill Calocurb to launch here and in United States
Date: 6 Apr 2018A New Zealand-made diet pill is said to be a "breakthrough" in the war against obesity. The key ingredient in Calocurb, a gel capsule taken an hour before meals, is a hop flower extract developed by Plant & Food Research, and registered as Amarasate. Lab trials on human cells showed the hops extract activated the body's "stop eating signal", said Dr John Ingram, who led the research team from the Crown Research Institute. There has been one clinical trial ... more

Fonterra makes $11m investment in water recovery technology
Date: 15 Mar 2018Construction is underway on an advanced plant that will reduce the amount of groundwater extracted for Fonterra’s Darfield manufacturing site by around 70 per cent. Darfield is already a world leading facility and the $11 million investment in water processing technology will have a significant impact on its environmental footprint. “Thanks to the new plant we’ll save the equivalent of around 100 tanker loads of water every day,” says Robert Spurway, Head ... more

NZ well positioned to be global player in alternative protein market - producer
Date: 12 Feb 2018Eco conscious millennial consumers are reshaping demand for alternative sources of protein according to the country’s largest manufacturer of vegetarian foods. Mark Roper spokesperson for Life Health Foods - which makes plant based Bean Supreme and recently launched Alternative Meat Co. products, says growing concern for the environment is leading this demographic to seek out other options to integrate into their diet. A nationwide survey commissioned by the company has found ... more

FSANZ: Call for submissions on new additive category for coconut milk products
Date: 12 Feb 2018Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has called for submissions on an application to create a new food additive category for coconut milk products. FSANZ Chief Executive Officer Mark Booth said the Australian Food and Beverages Importers Association applied to change the Food Standards Code because of confusion about which food category coconut milk products fall into for food additive permissions. "FSANZ is proposing to create a new category to ensure regulatory ... more

Wrong sugar content on new Lewis Road Breakfast Drink label
Date: 8 Feb 2018Lewis Road Creamery has pulled its new breakfast drinks from shelves because of a labelling mistake. The New Zealand dairy producer revealed on Wednesday night that labels on the chocolate and vanilla flavoured Breakfast Drink released last week understated how much sugar was in the "wholesome" drinks. The labels only stated added sugars, and didn't include sugar already present in milk. The drinks are being independently tested to get the true sugar content, but at this ... more

Fonterra welcomes Government moves on climate change
Date: 19 Dec 2017Fonterra welcomes the Government’s latest move to address climate change, including its plans to establish a Climate Commission. The dairy Co-operative echoes Minister James Shaw’s belief in the importance of ensuring both a sustainable economy and stable climate for future generations. Carolyn Mortland, Fonterra’s Director of Sustainability said the Co-operative is committed to engaging with the Government on the development of a robust Zero Carbon Act, which ... more

O’Connor announces split of MPI functions
Date: 14 Dec 2017Minister for Agriculture, Biosecurity, Food Safety and Rural Communities Damien O’Connor announced today that the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) will reorganise its functions to create a stronger focus on core responsibilities. Mr O’Connor says government will set up four portfolio-based entities, Fisheries New Zealand, Forestry New Zealand, Biosecurity New Zealand and New Zealand Food Safety. “Our priority is to achieve greater clarity and unity of purpose ... more

MPI announces new Food Safety Guidance
Date: 7 Dec 2017The Ministry for Primary Industries today announced food safety guidance which will cover up to 16,000 food businesses across New Zealand. This means that all types of food businesses in New Zealand now have easy-to-follow guidance for keeping food safe. Different types of businesses have different guidance depending on the food safety risk of the food they handle. The new national programme guidance covers businesses with medium to low risk food safety issues. Because of the lower ... more

Fonterra ordered to pay Danone $183m over infant formula scare
Date: 1 Dec 2017Fonterra Cooperative Group has been ordered to pay 105 million euros ($183 million) in damages to Danone over "food safety failures" in 2013, following arbitration in Singapore. In a statement, Danone said it "welcomes this arbitration decision as a guarantee that the lessons from the crisis will not be forgotten." The French food giant sued Fonterra, seeking damages of up to 630 million euros, over the whey protein concentrate contamination in 2013. Fonterra ... more