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The inboxIn-Brief… a representative collection of product news from the FoodNZ inboxSalkat supplies ShanstarCranberry extractsA new agency for Salkat is ShanStar who manufacture a range ofcranberry extracts in America. Salkat can now supply ShanStar’sfruit powders, cranberry seed oil, spray dried cranberry concentrate,resin extracted phenolic powder, and pomegranate extractamong others.Recent studies report that a group of polyphenols called proanthocyanidins,which have anti-microbial and anti-oxidant capabilities,are the compounds in cranberries responsible forpreventing and treating urinary tract infections (UTI’s). Thesepolyphenolic compounds prevent E coli bacteria from adheringto the wall of the urinary tract. This non-adherence renders thebacteria harmless.The ShanStar patented extraction process captures large quantitiesof polyphenols, anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins. Eachbatch is tested for total phenolic content and ability to inhibitmicrobial growth: this means that their extracts are sold on thebasis of active compounds to ensure consistent bio-activity ofclient’s products.ShanStar is a wholly owned subsidiary of Cliffstar Corporation,one of the largest fruit juice bottling and processing companiesin the world.Trudy Ringrose, business manager at Salkat, is keen to talk tocustomers about this new range, and other products Salkat markets.tion and analysis of liquid and solid samples in ion chromatography.The 815 Robotic Soliprep can be customised on demandto meet individual customers’ specific requirements.The 815 Robotic Soliprep is a state-of-the-art sample processor,which reliably transfers both liquid and solid samples toan ion chromatograph. A broad range of working steps suchas pulverising, homogenising, extracting, filtering or dilutingcan be safely entrusted to the 815 Robotic Soliprep andincluded in the analysis method. The sample rack of the815 Robotic Soliprep is equipped with various inserts, samplebeakers, syringe filters and needles and can be customisedon demand to meet individual customers’ specifications.Applications include, to mention just a few, the analysis of ingredientsand contaminants in tablets, animal feed, sedimentsor food.MetrohmRoboticSoliprepThe cranberry has been used for over 200 years as afolk remedy for infectionsMetrohm Robotic Soliprep fromMEP InstrumentsPressure to increase output while reducing costs makes laboratoryautomation a valuable asset. Metrohm’s new 815 RoboticSoliprep allows laboratories to completely automate prepara-tna intelli-flav® 2 flavouring systemFor over 26 years tna has supplied vertical form, fill and seal(VFFS) packaging systems using fewer parts with a simple designto increase maximum output and flexibility.Last November tna introduced the tna intelli-flav® 2 flavouringsystem as a completely integrated component of the newtna roflo 3 gateless and fully reversible transfer and distributionconveyors for the snack food industry. The tna intelli-flav® 2flavouring system patented software measures flavour rates andproduct flow to monitor and self-regulate the correct feed-ratesfor consistent product flavouring. By proportionally distributingproduct/flavouring to the feeder/flavouring system while controllingthe load balance, the flavour drum enables maximumflavour application runtime and minimises under or over-flavouring.The consistent application and delicate handling alsoresults in minimal flavour wastage and less product damage.The lightweight polymer drum and gateless conveying pans requireno tools for changeovers and cleaning, making this taskeven quicker.The tna intelli-flav 2 flavouring system can be used in combinationwith virtually any distribution and packaging system andwhen fully integrated with the tna roflo 3 distribution systemand tna robag 3, the operation is even further simplified.Additional information about the company is available on theInternet at www.tnasolutions.com.February/March 2010

In-BriefWho’s gone where?Food NZ helps you keep in touch with your peers – and keeps tabs on them too – witha regular listing of members who have changed jobs, left the country, or come home toenjoy life in Godzone again. So here, in no particular order, is the latest on who’s where.NB, if you want to contact any of these people, you can find their emails in the memberssection of the NZIFST website (password required)David List has changed his job from innovation managerat Barkers of Geraldine to technical manager at JuiceProducts NZ.Peta Logan has advised that she is now account managerfor Wilmar Gavilon in Auckland and was account managerfor Penford New Zealand.We welcome back professional member Sue Kay, whoused to work as QA manager for Caterair New ZealandLimited and who is now working for Goodman FielderBaking as vendor assurance quality systems manager.Karen Brooks has advised that she has left AsureQualityand is now working for her family’s business, New ZealandVegetable Oil Limited.Shelly Hague has returned from five years in the UKworking at Leatherhead Food Research, she came backto New Zealand in time to miss the snow but enjoy thesunshine!”Shelley kept in touch with a Nibbles subscription whileshe was away and is now in job-hunting mode.Dr Kyoung-Sik Han is now a research officer at the RiddetInstitute, Massey University, Palmerston North. He wasformerly a postdoctoral scientist at the same Institute.functional food ingredientsinnovative concepts & solutionsSalkat specialise in supplying functional food ingredients to the wellnessindustry and offer innovative formula support and adviceOur Functional Ingredients include: Industries we supply to include: Food New Zealand

Feasting on nutritionIDF WDSNutrition Conference at World DairySummitNew Zealanders will get a chance to experience one of thehighlights of the dairy world, the World Dairy Summit, whenit is held in Auckland in November 2010.In a busy 4 days, nine concurrent conferences will run.• The Dairy Leaders Forum• Dairy Policies and Economics• Dairy Farming• LactoPharma• Dairy Science and Technology• DIAA Cheese Science Symposium (see sidebar)• Marketing• Environment• Health and Nutrition ConferenceHealth and Nutrition ConferenceRunning over two days, this year’s Health and Nutrition conferencepromises to be no different, with an impressive line upof both NZ and Australasian speakers, in addition to expertsfrom further afield. These experts will share with us the latestfindings from current research as well as insights and reviews,building on their depth of knowledge of nutrition and dairyproducts.Dairy food in depthConsumers know how tasty dairy is to eat and how versatile it isuse. The conference will investigate the importance of dairy forhealth as a whole food and all the way down to its special andunique components. Speakers including Connie Weaver fromthe US, Kathy Zhu and Manny Noakes from Australia, TimGreen (previously from University of Otago now at Universityof British Columbia in Canada), Sheila Skeaff and Anne-LouiseHeath, from the University of Otago will talk on topics frommilk and cognition in children through to dairy proteins and theelderly, and the importance of vitamin D and milk to maternalhealth.The conference conveners have aimed to provide somethingfor everyone, ensuring a high percentage of new research anda mix of local and international talent. To ensure that attendeesare kept abreast of the most recent local and internationalresearch there will be a free-papers session with a call for abstractsfrom interested parties. This will be held in partnershipwith the LactoPharma Bioactives conference to cover the fullspectrum of dairy nutrition, bioactives and health.For more information check out www.wds2010.comDIAA Cheese Science 2010 ConferenceThe International Dairy Federation and the Dairy IndustryAssociation of Australia (DIAA) will be holding the quadrennialDIAA Cheese Science conference as part of the WorldDairy Summit, November 10-11, 2010 in Auckland, New Zealand.DIAA Cheese Science 2010 will feature internationally renownedkeynote speakers on topics such as innovations incheese manufacture, starters and microbiology, ripening,cheese structure and flavour, spoilage control, PDO characterisation,and health functional properties.All cheese manufacturers and researchers are invited to attendthis conference to learn of the latest developments incheese science and technology.Call for papersA call for papers is being made for additional papers ontopics that include issues for small-scale cheesemakers, rawmilk cheese, novel coagulants, cheese manufactured frommilk of different species, whey cheese, improvements in artisanalcheese manufacture, bioactive peptides in cheese, effectsof seasonality and pasture quality/type on cheese, andcomparisons between integrated and organic farming systemson cheese quality. Other topics will also be consideredin addition to the keynote speakers.This conference will feature practical and scientific presentationsand will appeal to both the cheese manufacturer andresearchers in institutes, universities, and industry.Invitations are extended to submit abstracts for oral andposter sessions.All abstracts submitted prior to February 1, 2010 will be consideredfor inclusion in the programme. Late applicationsmay also be considered. Abstracts can be submitted electronicallyat http://www.wds2010.com/abstracts.htmlAll accepted oral presentations will be asked to prepare ashort article for publication in the Australian Journal of DairyTechnology (issue 3, 2010) to be given to all attendees at thestart of the conference.For further information, contact the Cheese Science Conferenceprogramme chair, David Everett at david.everett@otago.ac.nzFebruary/March 2010

RESEARCHCawthron – a ‘study’ ofscientistsAnne Scott, MNZIFSTDid you ever have a moment, ‘working’ with your birthdaychemistry set, or in the lab at school, where you sawyourself working in a laboratory and making a momentousdiscovery for the benefit of the world?You’d be right at home at Cawthron Institute. I spent two veryshort hours there late last year and met a group of highly skilledand enthusiastic scientists whose life work is just that, makingnew discoveries, answering tricky questions: applying theirskills and experience with dedication to the question of the day- or the year.As well as its research capabilities Cawthronoffers routine testing of biologicalmaterials for clients across much of NewZealand and consults to solve problemsand assist in research and development formany food companies.BackgroundCawthron Institute in Nelson was endowedby a legacy in 1915 which left the estateof Thomas Cawthron for the creation of ascientific institute and museum. The CawthronTrust Board was created in 1919, andowns the Institute on behalf of the peopleof the “top of the south”. The Institute wasopened in 1921, sited in a large house witha commanding presence overlooking Nelson(still standing, and lived in). Cawthronhas moved across the road to laboratoriesbuilt on the site of its earliest horticulturaltest plots and gardens, within Nelson’s ‘old’ central district.A Board of Directors supervises the management of CawthronInstitute and establishes its strategic objectives and monitorsmanagement’s performance. The day to day management is theresponsibility of the Chief Executive, Gillian Wratt.In addition to the Nelson site, the Institute has facilities at CawthronAquaculture Park, 15 minutes drive from Nelson, on thecoast of Tasman Bay in an area locally known as The Glen.Currently, almost 80 research and consulting staff and a similarnumber of analytical testing personnel, plus 25 support staffman its laboratories.Cawthron Institute provides research and scientific technologiesfor industry and other research operations, supplying expertiseand analytical services in aquatic, food and energy resourcesfor environmental sustainability, social wellbeing and economicprosperity linking biological, environmental and social science.It is funded by sale of its expertise to clients, both routine testingand consulting and research projects; through FRST grantsand by legacies.Areas of ExpertiseYou may be primarily aware of Cawthron’s expertise in aquaticscience, whether in water management, aquaculture, biosecurityor marine biology. For example, Cawthron opened NewZealand’s first large-scale oyster nursery in 2009 and has an activebreeding programme for oysters and mussels.Perhaps less well known is their highly regarded LaboratoryServices Division which undertakes testing of fruits and vegetables,of nutraceuticals and natural products (GMP certification)and of seafood, dairy and wine. Cawthron offer wine exportcertification services, food product testingand certification and seafood safety supportand certification for export markets.Laboratory ServicesWhile routine testing is the bread andbutter of Laboratory Services, their broadexpertise and experience makes them thefirst call for many clients with puzzlingproblems in day to day operations. Whereis that microbial contamination comingfrom? What killed those dogs? Why is ourshelf life less than we expect? How can wereduce our carbon footprint? How can wetest for a specific component on a routinebasis?Highly experienced staff and cutting edgeinstrumentation mean that Cawthron canprovide contractual method development,validation of existing analytical methodsand general chemical and laboratory consultancy services.Cawthron maintains that while large enough to provide the latestin analytical technology, they remain small enough to providea personalised service.Test method standardisationsI spent some time with senior scientist, Dr Patrick Holland, whois recognised for his work in method development and validationfor instrumental methods of analysis in trace analyticalchemistry, with specialisation in GC-MS (gas chromatographymassspectrometry) and LC-MS (liquid chromatography-massspectrometry) instrumentation.Colostrum IgG projectColostrum powder, a high value dairy product, shows naturalvariation in the content of its active components. It is importantto have an accurate method to measure these activecomponents so that both buyer and seller can have confidencein the product they are transacting. This is true for all similarhigh value products. The reference component chosen to rate10Food New Zealand

colostrum is Immunoglobulin G, (IgG) for which there is nocolostrum-derived, certified reference standard currently availableworld-wide. Working with Dr Laly Samuel from the MeasurementStandards Laboratory at Industrial Research Ltd, PatrickHolland and Anne Cargill have produced a standardised IgG.Patrick talked to me about this project. “It is not difficult to extractIgG from colostrum but the material contains aggregatesthat can compromise the accuracy of test results. We have developedmethods to remove the aggregates and extract puremonomeric IgG as the standard. Technically this is quite difficultbut we have generated a small amount of the defined, or standard,IgG. We have now obtained funding through Dr Samuel toscale up our process and produce an IgG reference material foruse in accurate tests by many laboratories.While we can prepare the material and characterise it, we mustalso ensure a 12 - 24 month shelf life, and know the storageconditions required for this.”I asked Patrick about commercial benefit from this sort of work.“It’s not in sale of material but in intellectual property – wedevelop a technique to produce a novel material and licensethe intellectual property. As an example, the IgG project willproduce techniques that can be transferred into a routine lab.”Toxin testingToxin standards are a crucial part of Cawthron business. TheInstitute holds a database of toxins and is recognised worldwide in this area, having helped overseas laboratories to preparestandards for their own work.Cawthron’s toxins expertise was the focus of media attentionon two occasions in 2009. The Institute identified tutin toxinin honey from the Coromandel and then, later in the year, tetrodotoxin(TTX) in sea slugs which killed dogs on Aucklandbeaches. TTX is the deadly puffer fish toxin.Paul McNabb and his team have been working for some yearsto gain international recognition for biotoxin test methods developedat Cawthron.It seems ludicrous in the 21st century, but the internationalstandard for testing a foodstuff for a biotoxin is to inject anextract into a mouse. If two out of three injected mice die thenthe food is declared toxic, if not it isn’t.This method gives no indication of the identity of the toxin.There are variations on the method, which was developedaround WWII but until very recently there was no internationallyrecognised method for testing, or indeed, certification. Overand above considerations of ethics, the mouse method is unreliable:false positives and negatives are common. This issuehas led to France recently abandoning mouse bioassay testingin favour of chemical methods because of frequent closure ofshellfish beds due to false test results (and consequent hardshipfor commercial fisheries).“In 2000 Cawthron took a big punt and invested close to $1millionon its first mass spectrometer and biotoxin lab,” said Patrick.“We developed the methods and got them all validated but thenstruggled to get them recognised by European markets whichstill rely on mouse bioassay for toxicology. They are very slowto change, but are now coming under lot of pressure as the useof mice is no longer acceptable now other methods are available.The frequent closure of European shell fish areas is alsobringing pressure to bear on the bureaucrats.”“Our biotoxin test methods are much more repeatable and reliablethan mouse bioassays and provide better data faster. We arealso able to identify the toxin which gives clues to its source.”The appearance of new biotoxins requires further research,technology and equipment to which end Cawthron investedin a new mass spectrometer in 2008 which does essentially thesame as the older unit but does it much more efficiently, makingit more economical for routine testing and better for methoddevelopment. This equipment is used for routine testing forclients, client-generated research and Cawthron’s own researchprogrammes.Carbon calculatorClimate change, carbon emissions, food miles: these are topicsof concern but the task of measuring a company’s carbonfootprint can be daunting. As a small or medium sized businessyou may struggle to find the time and the money for the project.Recognising this, Cawthron’s Sustainable Business Group hasdeveloped an online, small business carbon calculator, basedon the methodologies and principles of ISO14064-1 and usingthe latest emission factors.The calculator can be accessed via the Cawthron website, andfor a small fee you can calculate your company’s carbon status.The report generated by the calculator identifies where a companycan reduce its emissions and it can be used in the processof becoming certified carbon neutral.Who do you call?While your question may not directly relate to the projects describedabove, it is clear that the expertise available to clients isof enormous potential value. While run as a commercial operation,Cawthron’s charter leaves room for what has been calledpure science – research work that has a long term view of itscommercial value. Meanwhile its scientists have the opportunityto pursue topics of abiding interest.The team at Cawthron is indeed a study of scientists.RESEARCHOverviewFebruary/March 201011

RESEARCHPlant & Food Research– a deeper understanding is shaping food developmentsOne year on from the formation of Plant& Food Research the company hasconsolidated its operations and optimisedits strengths to realise the potentialbenefits of a greater critical mass andintegrated research across the food valuechain.BackgroundThe company’s chief operating officer, DrBruce Campbell, says that in order to betterunderstand what Plant & Food Research isdoing it is useful to consider how the organisationfits within New Zealand and its role insupporting industries and companies as theycreate new business and economic growth.New Zealand’s prime asset, as we are frequentlyreminded, is its natural environmentand that is great for a growing tourism industryworth $21.7 billion to March last year. Theenvironment includes large tracts of pasturewith good soils and rainfalls and this underpinsour primary production sector exports,worth $36.6 billion to end of March 2008. Of that, $2.8 billionwas from the horticultural sector and included fruit ($1.4billion),vegetable ($668 million) and wine ($764 million) exports. Mostof the exports are of fresh produce but the amount of processedhorticultural products sent off-shore is steadily increasing.Our natural environment also includes the seashore and seabed:its clear waters supporting many species and producinghigh-value seafood. New Zealand has the world’s fourth largestcoastal fishing zone and produced $1.355 billion worth of exportsin 2008. The government recognises the potential to buildon the strong primary production sectors and is investing inresearch to support industry growth in a sustainable way.Plant & Food Research is the second largest Crown ResearchInstitute and is providing research for the country’s plant andseafood-based food industries. While recently formed, the newcompany’s mission is similar to those of its legacy companies,something that has facilitated the merger process. Plant & FoodResearch’s financial performance to June 2009 was beyond expectationsin spite of the considerable effort focused on themerger.Dr Campbell says that in order to ensure on-going high performance,Plant & Food Research has reviewed and assessed itsnew combined capability to deliver research that supports thegoals of industries it works alongside. This includes the Food &Beverage Council’s goal to create value from the primary sector.Four strong areas of capability have been determined: Elite CultivarDevelopment, Bioprotection, Sustainable Production andFood Innovation.“The challenge for New Zealand is to produce more and betterfood from less land with reduced environmental impacts andfewer chemical, carbon and water inputs,” says Dr Campbell.“This focus is important for the production of market fresh andprocessed foods. The sustainable production of high qualityseafood is equally important for fresh and processed markets.”He points out that new systems and technologies are beingdeveloped to improve primary plant and sea-based food productionand at the same time research is underway to improvethe understanding of food and its make-up, how it benefits usand the development of new value technologies, ingredientsand products.Food ResearchDr Kieran Elborough, general manager of science – food innovation,at Plant & Food Research is quietly confident aboutthe potential for the food and beverage sectors for us all, asconsumers. “The increasing ability of science to explore theminute detail of what we eat and how it interacts with our bodies’systems is uncovering information that isn’t always what weexpect,” Dr Elborough says. “For example, we now know thatsome of the components that have been labelled antioxidantsdon’t have a direct role in neutralising the degenerative effectsof free radicals in our bodies. We are defining the mechanismsinvolved and this is just one small part of how a greater understandingwill, I believe, help shape food development.”Dr Elborough says that like any food business, Plant & Food12Food New Zealand

Research keeps tabs on market trends and these help shape the scienceprogramme planning. In addition scientists and science managers monitorthe latest breakthroughs and findings from throughout the world andare proud to be leading the way in many areas. That staff are regularlyinvited to take part in international collaborations and to present keynoteaddresses substantiates this. The on-going exchange of information helpsto ensure leading edge research in New Zealand.Areas of researchMuch of the food research is government funded and has co-investmentfrom relevant industries and companies. This includes several large programmesacross a matrix of science disciplines. Some of the programmesare:Verificationaudits of WineStandardsManagementPlansRESEARCHOverviewFlavours of NZNew healthy berry productsWellnessFoods for FullnessFood Structure PlatformFunctional Packaging of foodexportsFood microbe-host interactionsCybernose TechnologiesGastronomicsFruit compounds for betterbreathingSustainable Decision-Making forFuture FoodsFuture VegetablesHigher Value SeafoodsWildfish 2020NutrigenomicsNutritional MetabolmicsIdentifying and assessing New Zealand flora for foodflavouringsFinding and evaluating bioactive componentsExploring fruit and vegetables for health-enhancingcomponentsDeveloping technologies and finding ingredients thatpromote long lasting feelings of fullnessGaining a better understanding of the intricate structureof food components and how it is influencessensory appealDeveloping systems to keep food safer for longerDiscovering what helps keep the lower digestive tractin humans healthyDeveloping technologies for early detection ofproduct changes by odourFinding out how our personal genetic differencesinfluence food preferencesFinding components to enhance lung functionAssessing the perception of new sciences and theirpotential role in food developmentDeveloping technologies and products to deliver highquality and convenience to affluent markets.Developing technologies to improve the quality andvalue of seafoodDelivering new trawling technologies for live restedfish with excellent eating qualitiesGaining a greater understanding of human genesand their interactions with foods and the influenceon performance and health. (In partnership with TheUniversity of Auckland and AgResearch)Developing tests to evaluate the efficacy of functionalfood componentsBureau Veritas New Zealand hasexperienced Wine StandardsManagement Plan Verifiers.Try our fresh approach toverification. We can provide whatyou want when you want it.We are cost competitive and cancarry out verifications as a standalone audit, or alongside otheraudits such as HACCP, FoodSafety programme, or BRC.Dr Elborough says Plant & Food Research also funds substantial programmesin newer areas of research, including finding components infoods and beverages that improve mood, enhance brain functions andproblem-solving, promote faster recovery from exercise and maintain ahealthy immune status.Essential to the future development of foods and beverages is the supplyof raw materials that consistently exhibit the desired qualities. Plant &Food Research’s other science platforms – Sustainable Production Systems,Bioprotection and Elite Cultivars – are cognisant of the food markettrends and desired qualities and these goals are built into their respectiveresearch programmes. Meeting consumer needs and producing more andbetter food from our land in a sustainable way is on-track.35 O’Rorke Road, Penrose, February/March Auckland 10612010Phone:+ 64 9 526 4546, Fax:+ 64 9 571 228513

NUTRITIONNutrition Security for All– morsels from the 19th International Congress of Nutrition, Bangkok, October 2009Barbara Thomson, FNZIFST, ESRNutrition is fundamental to health and development. Thisis not always appreciated. Malnutrition covers the dualglobal threats of under-nutrition and over-nutrition, the lattercharacterised by obesity. Both too little and too much foodleads to poor health, reduced productivity and economiccost.The recent 19th International Congress of Nutrition, heldevery four years and organised by the International Unionof Nutritional Sciences (IUNS), urged some 4000 delegatesfrom 106 countries to unite in working towards the goalof “Nutrition Security for All People” independent of race,religion and socio-economic status. As one of about 10New Zealanders from Universities, Government CrownResearch Institutes and industry to have the good fortuneto attend, I have put together the following morsels ofknowledge from the conference to share with other foodorientedpeople across New Zealand.Nutrition was afforded the highest political endorsement whenthe Congress was opened and attended by Her Royal HighnessPrincess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, third of the four children ofThailand’s Monarchy, and closed with an address by MechaiViravaidya, a politician renowned for his community developmentachievements in Thailand.The Congress programme included around 270 oral and 2500poster presentations, symposia, panel discussions and workshopsarranged into four cascades and linked by “roadmaps”with themes of:• Agriculture, food and nutrition security• Food culture, indigenous food systems• Maternal and child under-nutrition• Nutrition throughout the lifetime• Obesity and chronic disease• Macronutrients (protein/carbohydrates/lipids)• Micronutrients• Bioactive ingredients/functional or healthy foods• Nutrition assessment• Advances in nutrition research• Nutrition and infection• Nutrition/Food policy and programmes• Clinical nutrition• Food practices/Regulation/ClaimsThe conference title “Nutrition Security for All”, was underpinnedby five plenary topics with messages for, and beyond,New ZealandProgress towards Millennium Development GoalachievementAla Alwan (Assistant Director-General, World Health Organization)spoke of progress towards the UN Millennium Develop-View of a temple and river boats across Bangkok’s ChaoPhrya Riverment Goal – to halve the number of hungry people by 2015.This will clearly not be met. Global recession, high food pricesand climate change have contributed to more than one billionpeople being hungry, with more than half of these in the Asia/Pacific region. We were told by Alexander Müller, (AssistantDirector, Food and Agriculture Organisation, Italy) that this situationhas arisen despite food production tripling in a period ofpopulation doubling. Under-nutrition accounts for the deaths ofthree million children per year. Conversely, more than 500 millionadults suffer over-nutrition and are obese with non-communicablediseases (such as cardiovascular disease, diabetesand cancer) accounting for 60% of deaths worldwide. The challengethat accompanies changing diets is to make healthy foodchoices accessible and affordable for everyone.Global partnerships for combating obesity and chronicdiseasesSrinath Reddy (Public Health Foundation, India) and PhilipJames (International Association for the Study of Obesity, UK)stated that the world is getting fat, not just in OECD countriesbut also in the Middle East, Mexico, China, SE Asia and thePacific. Resultant chronic diseases now pose a major economicburden to all regions of the world. For example, China is expectedto lose around $575 billion between 2005–2015 due tolost productivity from chronic disease deaths. Price, availabilityand marketing are key drivers of food patterns, rather than“consumer choice”. Whilst the science informs a healthy foodpyramid based on cereals, fruits and vegetables, with occasionalsalty, fatty or sweet indulgences, the advertising pyramid promotesthe reverse. The advertising pyramid disproportionatelyencourages the consumption of treats – new-age drinks, snacks,chocolates and fast food. This, in combination with political influence,means that food industries have a role in the increasingdisease burden.Genetics of hypertension: dietary influence of geneticexpressionMost chronic diseases have a nutritional component. GordonWilliams (Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s14Food New Zealand

OverviewNUTRITIONDetail of the statuary decorating the Grand Palace in BangkokHospital, USA) talked us through the genetics of hypertensionand the current understanding of high blood pressure ata molecular level. He explained that because of differences ingenotype resulting in differences in enzyme activities and metabolicpathways, treatment of high blood pressure by inhibitingenzyme activity for example, may be effective for some individualsand not others. It was not difficult to extrapolate thisconclusion to other diseases with a genetic component.Nutrition, lifestyle and cancerIn his plenary on nutrition, lifestyle and cancer, John Milner(National Cancer Institute, USA) reiterated that inappropriatedietary habits are implicated in cancer deaths throughout theworld. This is not new, yet why are the data on diet and cancerprevention not more compelling after 40 years? Whilst correlationshave been made using ‘omic’ technologies, between foodsand cancer risks, causal links have yet to be confirmed and molecularmechanisms remain largely obscure. Evidence suggeststhat both too little and too much of the same nutrient may increasecancer risk so that there is an ideal exposure range. Timingand duration of exposure may be critical for nutrients suchas vitamin D and folic acid. In the plethora of bioactives, targetfoods for reducing cancer risk include soy, tomatoes, spinach,broccoli, garlic, oats, nuts and blueberries.Nutrition as a sound investment for human capitalThe final plenary topic addressed nutrition as a sound investmentfor human capital, with surprising presentations by JuanRivera (Institutio Nacional de Salud Pública, México) and SusanHorton (University of Waterloo, Canada). Nutrition investmentscan reduce health spending, increase current productivityand, through cognitive and educational improvements, increasefuture productivity. How does nutrition rate as an investmentcompared with other global problems like terrorism, conflict,and global warming? The 2008 Copenhagen Consensus judgingpanel estimated that every dollar spent on micronutrients wouldgenerate a $17 return in health and productivity costs, which isa more significant return than investments in global warming orcounter terrorism that require enormous amounts of money tohave any impact.Networking and social activitiesFinding people among 4000 delegates offered a challenge,especially if you did not know them! Unplanned encounterswere often more rewarding. The conference and gala dinner,attended by the Princess, with entertainment from a troupe ofexquisitely costumed dancers, were held at the purpose-builtBangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre (BITEC). Thisbrought together delegates who were accommodated throughoutBangkok – a city of temples, waterways and traffic.Whilst impressions of any conference are influenced by the interestsand knowledge of the attendee, the following morselsstruck a chord in a New Zealand context.Memorable morsels• New Zealand is well placed for the sustainable productionof nutritious safe food. Can we somehow assist the manymalnourished Asian peoples?• Maternal nutrition is critical to ensure the health of the nextgeneration. There is increasing evidence of the importanceof early development on long term health status. Are wedoing enough in this area?• The economic burden of malnutrition and over-nutrition.Thailand has successfully addressed malnutrition andpoverty through public health initiatives and a villagedevelopment programme in partnership with business.Businesses provide mentoring and financial loans – handsup, not hand outs. Can we learn from this?• Nutrigenomic technologies are widely applicable withexamples presented for coronary heart disease, cancer,obesity, eating behaviours, taste and food. It’s good toknow New Zealand is investing and partnering in thisspace.• The food industry has a responsibility and a part to play inreducing the burden of chronic disease in New Zealand.The tension between wealth creation and health protectionneeds recognition and management.• Food labelling can be a useful tool towards combatingchronic disease. Effective labelling must consider regulatoryand consumer perspectives. It is not appropriate in cultureswhere food is largely unpackaged and bought at markets.• Biofortification through breeding or fertiliser use is beingimplemented internationally to increase micronutrientintake. Is this an opportunity?A selection of the presentations is available online at http://www.icn2009.com/congress_information_Presentations.htmlFebruary/March 201015

DairyWest Coast; wild countryDave Pooch, FNZIFSTAsk any tourist, local or overseas how they remember theWest Coast. The glaciers, the rain forest; yes but dairyfarms; no. Yet the West Coast produces some $500m ofdairy products each year and employs over 300 people.Unlike the Waikato or Taranaki, where dairy farms are more orless continuous, dairying on the West Coast is in pockets, andfarms are interrupted by great swathes of steep rain forest andbroad-running rivers. Just 2% of the land is in dairying and 84%is in the conservation estate.Ask any tourist what they know about Hokitika and they willtalk about greenstone, gold mining and perhaps the annual WildFoods Festival. But the economic backbone to the township isWestland Milk Products. Located at the edge of town (and apleasant 2km walk to its centre), it backs on to the HokitikaRiver and the forested and snow-striped alps that rise above.The independence geneWest Coasters have a tradition of being independently mindedand this is an area where the kiwi pioneering spirit still thrives.Back in 2001, when the NZ Dairy Board was disbanded and allthe dairy co-operatives had to decide whether to amalgamate ornot, the farmer-owners of Westland voted 100% to be independent.Wanting to control their own destiny, they were prepared16Food New Zealand

Dairyto pay the price of creating marketing and research and developmentdepartments for themselves. These attitudes have engenderedpride in the company and the district. Company staffgenuinely want to do well for Hokitika and the West Coast.On the road to Hokitika I saw lots of camper vans and somedrivers displayed dodgy driving skills. I asked Doug how thetanker drivers got on with camper vans. “Pretty well, but sometimestheir comments are not printable”. So I wondered aloudwhat camper van drivers might have to say about tanker drivers.“Oh,” said Doug with a grin “some of their replies would beunprintable too; but for different reasons”.Bringing in the milkTransport Manager, Doug Cochrane, an employee of some 30years service, knows the Coast well and punctuates his story withlots of numbers. There is just one dairy factory on the West Coastand Doug’s fleet of 20 Scania milk tankers collects milk from250km to the north (geographically north of Wellington) near thestart of the Heaphy Track and 150 km south to the Fox Glacier.The 57 drivers travel four million kilometres per season, collecting500 million litres of milk from 383 farms which have a totalof some 140,000 cows. Doug spoke highly of both the Scania rigsand the trailer units that are made by NDA in Hamilton.R&D the Hokitika wayWestland’s modern R&D facility has good facilities and a staff ofseven; of whom five have PhDs. They are involved with newproduct development, especially in nutritional and value-addedproducts, and the functional properties of powders. I was ableto talk to some NZIFST members there.Kate Arnold has been at Westland for four years. Originally fromthe UK, she qualified there in biology then did a PhD in immunology.Later, she spent five years researching at the schoolof medicine in Christchurch. When I asked her how she got tothe West Coast, Kate gave a delightfully brief and honest answer“I met a boy”. She was very pleased to have found such agood job in Hokitika and is right into her mountain biking and‘other outdoor stuff’. “Our role is in new product development,February/March 201017

DairyNZIFST members in the R&D lab, left to right, Kate Arnold, Shaojiang Chen and Alison Dixoncustomer servicing and production servicing. Within that we allhave different areas of responsibility”.Shaojiang Chen is originally from China. Chen got his PhD inAustralia then did post-doctorate work at Massey University ongenetic aspects of lactic acid bacteria. He has also worked atLund University in Sweden. He came to New Zealand almostsix years ago and loves Hokitika; he can live close to work andthere are no traffic problems. His special interest is whey proteinsand lactoferrin.Alison Dixon has been at Westland for 18 months. She got herPhD from the University of Newcastle in the United Kingdomand her thesis was on Nutrigenomics. Both she and her Englishhusband love the outdoors and initially came to New Zealandfor a look around.The West Coast was their favourite place because of the sceneryand the healthy life style. Then, a vacancy came up at WestlandMilk; she also did not expect to see a technical job of that cali-bre on the Coast; she applied, got the job and it has all workedout well.R&D Manager Kevin Pearce has spent his working life in thedairy industry; including some 30 years at the then Dairy ResearchInstitute in Palmerston North preceded by a PhD inChemistry. He has been the doyen of dairy research in Westlandfor the past seven years and has a reasoned and seasonedperspective.“Westland Milk is a very practical setting for the application ofscience. I can have morning tea with either directors or productionworkers (or together), similarly, I can have personaldiscussions with suppliers and customers. While this is largelybecause of scale, it gives an excellent working environmentand great job satisfaction. The West Coast is quite isolated butthe advent of the internet has been of tremendous benefit”. Hepointed to his computer screen; it displayed a recent issue ofthe Journal of Applied Microbiology. “This was simply not pos-Water-saving technology from AshlandGraham Veale, assistant powder manager at Westland, likes tokeep up with the latest technology and he kindly explainedtwo of his pet projects.Graham is closely involved with a project involving GeneroxMicrobial Control Technology and Westland’s ‘cow water’.(Cow water, for non-dairy readers, is the water that hasbeen evaporated from milk. Literally, it is water that the dairycow produces which, if properly treated, be used for multiplesite applications, saving water and energy cost.)Cow water is generally high in organics and is thus susceptibleto rapid bacteria growth if left untreated. Westland traditionallyused chlorine to disinfect the cow water but wereunable to achieve the required level of control.After being condensed, the cow water is now treated usingGenerox technology, which is ideally suited for this application.Now free from bacteria and after re-warming, the wateris used for wash-up. Both the supplier (Ashland NZ Ltd) anduser spoke enthusiastically about the advantages.Generox uses a lower dosage rate than other compoundswhich saves on material costs. It reduces the amount of waterthat Westland needs to draw and treat so saves moneythere too, along with keeping the powder plant evaporatorcondensers clean and operating efficiently.Andrew Dine of Ashland states that the Generox technologyis being successfully used in brewing and fruit and vegetableprocessing as well as the dairy industry. “This technologycombines an effective chemistry with an equipment packageand service programme to ensure performance and reliability”,he says. Graham Veale reckons that it is all working outwell.18Food New Zealand

DairyManager cream products Sam Scott with the Niro Soavisingle stage homogenisersible only a few years ago”. He mused a little further. “In R&D,applying practical science often means applying ‘old’ scienceto practical problems. Useful science doesn’t have to be totallynew. The No 8 wire philosophy can have its merits. There is lotsof knowledge in the universities and Crown Research Institutesbut it can take too long to identify and recruit that knowledge.Short term issues need a short term response and that is a primetask of my on-site R&D department”.Interestingly, Westland Milk’s well-respected CEO, Rod Quin,also believes that the Westlanders proud pioneering spirit isstill active today. He also observed that when his technical staffmake innovations, they have the potential for a very wide impact.They flow out to the local dairy industry and to Westland’scustomers dotted all over the world. He sees that process asbeing beneficial and encourages his staff to be innovative.Later, I reflected on his staff. The early pioneers in Westlandwere practical people; miners, foresters, fishermen. Kevin’sstaff are pioneers too; knowledge pioneers, shaping a wealthierWestland in their own way.Cream productsSam Scott, manager, cream products, is a born-and-bred westcoaster.He was brought up in Hokitika and started work as anoperator at Westland Milk in 1992. He completed Massey University’sDairy Diploma in 1995. Sam looks fit and tough ratherthan buttery and has competed in the Coast to Coast endurancerace twice. After work he often puts his new racing kayak intoUSEDEQUIPMENTEx rentals RefurbishedComplete servicehistoryUSED FORKLIFTSPremiumS TA N D A R DAVAILABLE NOW!AB EQUIPMENT2 months warranty(terms & conditions apply)BRANCHES NATIONWIDEWHANGAREI 09 430 0717 TAUPO 07 376 9502 PALMERSTON NORTH 06 353 3700 NELSON 03 538 0421AUCKLAND 09 262 2709 MT MAUNGANUI 07 572 9002 HASTINGS 06 879 7601 CHRISTCHURCH 03 344 1820NORTH HARBOUR 09 415 7600 NEW PLYMOUTH 06 757 5197 WELLINGTON 04 568 4171 DUNEDIN 03 466 4270HAMILTON 07 849 6640 www.tradedequipment.com AB EQUIPMENT LTD TIMARU 03 683 9024GISBORNE 06 867 3580 PH 021 349 649PH 0800 30 30 90 INVERCARGILL 03 215 94499943February/March 201019

DairyWestland’s 20 milk tankers collectively travel four million kilometres per seasonthe Hokitika River, just over the back of the processing site, andgoes for a paddle. He grinned.“Its great here, the playground is on our back doorstep. Lots ofstaff are keen kayakers, mountain bikers or road cyclists andwe see them competing atnational sporting events.All up, Westland makes 22-25,000 tonnes of butter and3,000 to 5,000 tonnes of anhydrousmilk fat per annum.Until a year ago, Sam’s departmentmade 25kg packsof salted, unsalted and lacticbutter. Then Sutton Engineeringinstalled two new BenhilMultipac 5000 butter wrappersand a Shafer Flottmanntype 374 cartonner. The lineproduces 100g to 500g patsand can wrap in both foil andparchment. The equipment isgoing well and supplies bothlocal and export markets under the West Gold brand. BrentMudford of Suttons says “this latest generation of German butterwrappers is very fast, wrapping 135 pats per minute and so far,these are the only units in New Zealand.They make milk powder tooWestland Milk supplies Westgold Butter to local andexport markets in 100g and 500g patsGraham Veale, assistant powder manager, cheerfully admits thattheir three Niro and Stork spray driers are small by Edendalestandards but still put out 2, 2.5 and 6 tonnes of product perhour. Westland also runs a freeze drier for producing lactoferrin.When that plant first started up in 2002 it was the biggestin the world.Graham started work here in 1987 and said there were lots ofpeople who had served for20 and 30 years. Some hadserved for 40 years. Westlandmakes a point of investingheavily in staff training, employinglocally and promotingfrom within. Not surprisinglythis has paid off in terms of along serving workforce withpride in their company.The walls of Milk PowderManager Jud Dwyer’s officeare covered with an impressivearray of DIANZ and otherproduct quality awards. Hetakes pride in the consistentquality of products and hetoo waxes with enthusiasmwhen he talks about the scale of Westland Milk. “We can swapand change products easily, so can quickly respond to customerneeds in niche markets. We get lots of visits from customers andthey tell us that our decision making process is really fast. Plus,they say, most staff know farmers personally. Both Jud andGraham are NZIFST members too.Now, just to make you jealous, some staff have prime stands onthe Hokitika river for the whitebait season. Finally, dear reader,if you are ever in Hokitika, the whitebait fritters at the downtownStumpers Café are just brilliant.20Food New Zealand

NZIFST Conference 2010Call For Papers And PostersNZIFSTNZIFST invites the submission of papersfor oral presentation or as a poster attheir annual conference“Inspiration Prosperity” which willbe held June 23-25, 2010, at the EllerslieConvention Centre, Auckland, NewZealand.(Full details http://www.nzifst.org.nz/events/annual-conf.asp)Please forward your abstract (max 250words) by e-mail as an attachment inMicrosoft Word to conference chairman,Kay McMath (mcmath@paradise.net.nz), to arrive no later than 31 March2010. The conference programme chairmanwill allocate each abstract to eitheran oral or a poster presentation. Authorsmay specify a preference; however thedecision of the chairman is final.Publication Rights &ProceduresAuthors need not submit publication versionsof their papers to NZIFST in the firstinstance. However, NZIFST retains theright of first refusal and may request fullpapers of presentations deemed suitablefor publication in Food New Zealand.Oral Paper PresentationMost oral presentations will be 15 to 30minutes in duration including questions.The conference programme chairmanreserves the right to allocate your presentationto a session deemed appropriate.PostersTime will be allocated within the Conferenceprogramme for authors to be in attendanceto discuss their research results.Post-Graduate Student PrizesStudents presenting either oral papers or posters at the conference willbe judged for the NZIFST Student Presentation Awards. There will beone award of $500 in each category. Entrants must be student membersof NZIFST, be enrolled full-time in a tertiary educational institution andunder 35 years of age.Presenters’ Registration: All authors presenting papers or posters must register for the conference.Registration discounts apply for presentersDon’t lose your money inSwitch to a Capital Guaranteed fundFree report.Contact: stuart@savingworks.co.nz ph: (09) 527 8449 Web: www.savingworks.co.nzMy Disclosure Statement is available on request and free of charge.February/March 201021

TechnologyAudit to saveenergy (andmoney)A compressed air auditing programme developed by theElectricity Commission is set to play a significant part inachieving targeted energy savings of $2 billion a year for theNew Zealand manufacturing sector within five to 10 years.Research by the Commission showed electricity savings of 230GWh a year could be achieved through improvements in compressedair systems – enough to keep a city the size of NewPlymouth in electricity for a year. Not having to generate thatamount of electricity would also mean reducing carbon emissionsby 46,000 tonnes per year.The Electricity Commission has been the catalyst in bringingtogether industry interests, including the Energy ManagementAssociation of NZ, University of Waikato and members of theCompressed Air Association of Australasia, to work on ways tocapitalise on the savings opportunities.Why audit compressed air?Compressed air is an expensive form of stored energy – evenwhen a compressed air system is operated perfectly. More commonlythere are many inefficiencies, resulting in less than 10%of the energy input into a compressed air system being usedproductively.Air leakages, inappropriate use of compressed air, or the waythe compressors are controlled to maintain the supply of air,can substantially increase the amount of electricity consumed.Inflating a car tyre uses about $1.50 worth of electricity, but asstored energy, the compressed air is worth only 15 cents. Thedifference is in the amount of energy given off as heat duringthe compression process, which makes compressed air one ofthe most expensive forms of energy.The Executive Officer of the Energy Management Association,Mr Ewan Gebbie, says that there is a huge information gap:quantifying an individual manufacturing plant’s losses is an obviousfirst step in reducing losses.“It builds awareness with management that the hissing noisethey hear down the back of the factory is actually costing them50 cents a minute, so they’ll fix it straight away” he said.Auditing compressed air systemsA framework for certifying compressed-air-systems auditors hasbeen created. The approach mirrors the Commission’s otherefficiency initiatives, for example the highly successful ‘Right-Light’ Programme, and similarly involves co-ordinated industryparticipation in developing commercially viable solutions to acceleratechange and lock in savings.New Zealand’s first two compressed-air-systems auditors havebeen accredited, and thirteen more have completed training atthe University of Waikato and are on the path to accreditation.The Energy Management Association assesses whether the auditorsmeet the requirements for accreditation.So far 115 ‘walk-through assessments’ of compressed air systemshave been completed through a programme supportedby the Commission. Typically, the assessments have identifiedelectricity savings from the air systems of around 30%. Thecompressed air audits also calculate payback time for implementingchanges: in many cases this was less than two years.Significant savingsSeveral major South Island manufacturing companies haveslashed their electricity costs by adopting improvements to theircompressed air systems.Robert Norriss from Christchurch is one of the country’s first twoAccredited Compressed Air System.Silver Fern Farms’ Belfast plant in Christchurch was one of thefirst to have its compressed air system audited by Mr Norriss.Already four times more efficient than European meat works,the plant reduced its annual electricity costs by about $25,000with improvements to its compressed air systems that servicethe stock processing areas and the effluent plant.Mr Norriss said that in addition to their positive contribution tothe bottom-line, the improvements provided Silver Fern Farmswith another green angle when questioned in international marketson the energy costs of its products.Mr Gebbie agreed that New Zealand trade negotiators wouldnow have another card to play, if their international counterpartsaccused our food giants of dragging the chain on climatechange.“Export markets would slap on trade sanctions at the drop ofa hat, if they thought New Zealand was not paying enough attentionto climate change. Once in place sanctions would takeyears to remove”, he said.“They dropped the food miles debate in Britain when MAF provedthat the average shopper spent more energy getting to the super-22Food New Zealand

Andy Logueuses athermalimagingcamera tomonitor thetemperatureon a multistagehighpressureaircompressorat a largeplastics blowmouldingbottlemanufacturermarket, than we spent getting the product onto the shelves.”Other major players in the food industry, such as AFFCO, AllianceGroup, Fonterra, NZ Sugar and Westland Dairy, have alsobeen involved with the Commission in the programme, whichtargets the top 500 industrial users of compressed air.“It’s a no-brainer for the client companies,” said Norriss. “TheElectricity Commission pays for an initial walk-through assessmentof their compressed air system. Many of the improvementsare obvious from that first look. If a follow-up, in-depth auditis undertaken (to more accurately quantify the savings and thepayback on doing corrective work), the client companies makea commitment to actioning recommendations that fit within anagreed payback period.”Andy Logue is the North Island’s first accredited compressedair systems auditor, and his new energy-auditing business isbooming.Three years ago he operated out of his bedroom. Now his company,Energy NZ, is based in smart premises on Auckland’sNorth Shore. He employs 10 staff and he’s just picked up his firstcontract in Australia for a major food manufacturing business.ings from reduced electricity consumption,” Ms Beck said. ”Ourproblem in Australia is that State governments are responsiblefor energy efficiency programmes and they are notorious fordisagreeing, making it difficult to introduce nationwide energyefficiency iniatives but the New Zealand model is providingproof that the Electricity Commission’s programme is workingand we will use this in Australia to convince the authorities thatthis is a winner for climate change,” she said.“Nowhere else in the world has advanced to the stage thatNew Zealand has achieved. There is every reason for the NewZealand model to be picked up worldwide. We are also engagingin the development of an ISO standard for the auditing,which will improve the programme’s international appeal,” MsBeck said.Electricity Commission activitiesThe Electricity Commission has a range of programmes that includethe RightLight campaign, Efficient Street Lighting, MotorBounty Scheme, Motor Rewind Workshop Quality Scheme, MotorSystems Optimisation and the Compressed Air Programme.To date the programmes have provided electricity savings thatwill generate $250 million of net present value to the New Zealandeconomy.The cost of establishing the programmes is around 1 cent perKWh, compared to a conservative estimate of the cost of newgeneration of around 8.5 cents per KWh.The savings represent 90,000 tonnes of reduced CO2 emissionsper annum. With the current price of CO2 at $28 per tonne, thevalue of the CO2 savings (if sold on the international market)would be worth $2.52 million per annum.Energy Saving Tip fromEnergy savings made simple!With Energy Recovery72%Energy SavingRecoverableheat energy94%COMPRESSORSCooler 72%Motor 9%Ambient air 2%Compressed air cooling 13%“We’ve had a huge response to the range of services we offerand have completed projects for many of New Zealand’s big manufacturers and high energy users,” he said.Logue said that until Waikato University starting training staff there were no formal qualifications for developing and assessingcompressed air systems that could be used widely across a range of trades.“EMANZ administers the auditor accreditation scheme, withTotal electricalresponsibility for assessing applications against specific performancestandards. The CAAA has bought into the scheme Heat remaining72% power consumption 100%as a world-leading solution to the recognised shortage of compressedair systems expertise.”in the compressedair 4% It’s a winnerFor your local Kaeser representative contact:Compressed Air Association of Australasia’s project director, JuliaBeck says New Zealand is onto a worldwide climate changewinner with its compressed air programmes.“In Australia, there is potential for billions of dollars in sav-TechnologyFebruary/March 201023

Oils & FatsOils andFats NewsLaurence Eyres, FNZIFSTSymposium in Cairns, July 2010The Oils and Fats Group is not planning any events in NewZealand this year but there is an event in Cairns in July: The InternationalSociety for Plant Lipids (ISPL) with AAOCS runninga concurrent programme.ISPL has now developed up a programme that will be held onMonday 12th and 13th July as a mini-symposium on ‘Plant lipidbiomaterials for the renewable resource economy’.The sessions are as follows:-• Plant lipid feed stocks for industrial chemistry• Plant oil bio lubricants• Plant and algal oil biofuels• Increasing plant oil productivity• Metabolic engineering of fatty acid and oil biosyntheticpathways• Agro-industrial challenges for genetically-modifiedindustrial plant oilsExtra Virgin coconut oilThis author recently visited Dr. Dan Etherington in Canberra,Australia. Dan is the inventor of a cold pressing technique forobtaining high quality coconut oil from coconuts. On islandsthroughout the Pacific and elsewhere, there are few opportunitiesfor communities to make money to pay for food, medicine,and education, let alone such things as roads and electricity. Coconutsare the primary resource in these areas, but until recentlythe only market for coconut was as copra (smoke-dried coconut)sold for the production of refined coconut oil. Revenuefrom copra, however, has been so small that these communitieshave struggled with poverty for decades.In recent years the demand for virgin coconut oil and other coconutproducts has increased dramatically. This has provided ameans by which many small communities throughout the tropicalworld could make a living. Many have turned to Dan’s DirectMicro Expelling (DME) process of producing virgin coconutoil. This process is relatively inexpensive and allows small communitiesto produce their own virgin coconut oil for export, forComing February 2010The New Food Chemicals Codex, Seventh Edition Quality Consistency Compliance ConfidenceThe new seventh edition, publishing in February2010, contains comprehensive specifications,methods, and information for 1,100 foodingredients produced and used worldwide.Whether you supply or purchase food ingredients,using internationally recognized quality andpurity standards from the Food Chemicals Codexis essential to day-to-day business transactionsand supply chain management.Subscribe today and check this important qualityassurance step off your list.Available in print and onlinesubscriptions, includes mainedition and Supplements.To learn more or orderVisit www.merck-chemicals.co.nz or contactMerck Pty. Limited, Ph: 0800 46 37 25.ISO 9001:2000 Certified24Food New Zealand

their own use in cooking and body care, and for fuel to powergenerators and vehicles. Each community independently ownsand operates its own business. Through the production of virgincoconut oil many communities around the world have beenable to pull themselves out of poverty. Dan and his company,Kokonut Pacific, have provided the equipment and training formany of these small scale operations. Dr. Dan Etherington recentlyreceived the order of Australia for his pioneering work.See kokonutpacific.com.auKao halts sales of DAG oil (fromAOCS)Japan’s Kao Corporation has temporarily suspended shipmentsof its portfolio of Econa brand products, including its diacylglycerol(DAG) cooking oil, salad dressings, and mayonnaise, becauseof the presence of glycidol fatty acid esters. The companysaid in a statement that the suspension will continue “until theamounts of . . . [glycidol] esters contained in Econa and relatedproducts can be lowered to levels found in common cookingoils.”BfR, the German risk assessment agency, recommended inMarch 2009 that infant formula manufacturers reduce the levelof glycidol fatty acid esters in infant formulas. This recommendationwas made because animal studies suggest free (unbound)glycidol is a carcinogen.BfR noted that there is no toxicological evidence suggesting thatbound (esterified) glycidol is a health risk. Nonetheless, it madea worst-case risk assessment assuming that all glycidol esters aremetabolised into free glycidol. The German agency also notedthat current analytical methods do not permit the detection ofglycidol esters in vegetable oil. Despite these facts, the BfR actionapparently prompted Japan’s Food Safety Commission totake action regarding glycidol esters in August 2009.Glycidol esters are present in virtually all processed vegetableoils and are believed to be formed during deodorisation. Thevegetable oil industry is working on mitigation: most food safetybodies such as the US Food and Drug Administration and theEuropean Food Safety Authority have called for more researchbefore setting any regulatory limits on glycidol esters in foodproducts.MPOB statement on 3-MCPD estersThe Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) has noted the food safetyissues on 3-MCPD ester and glycidol fatty acid esters in foodsand refined edible oils.The 3-MCPD ester has been reported to be found in all refinedvegetable oils and fats. However, the method of analysis for 3-MCPD ester in vegetable oil is still being evaluated and has yetto be validated. MPOB has been actively developing methodsusing different derivitising agents.The heath risk posed by MCPD esters is ambiguous. It shouldalso be noted that there is, currently, no toxicological data on3-MCPD ester and the BfR assessment has assumed that toxicologicallyrelevant 3-MCPD is released from 3-MCPD ester duringdigestion. Tolerable daily intake (TDI) for 3-MCPD has been establishedat 2 µg/kg body weight and the same value was usedfor the assessment of 3-MCPD esters. Regarding the issue onglycidol fatty acid esters, there was an assumption that this compoundis formed as an interim product of 3-MCPD esters duringrefining. However, there are no methods available to quantifyglycidol or its esters to support this theory. Thus, standardisedand agreed analytical methods are needed. Toxicological studieswere also not available to study the fate of glycidol esters inthe human digestive tract and to provide sufficient evidence forcarcinogenicity studies.Trade Standards for olive oils andolive pomace oilsThe Australian Olive Oil Association has been working to addressmarket access factors for genuine olive oil products inAustralia and overseas. A key outcome of these activities is theproposed development of a Trade Standard for Olive Oils andPomace Oils in Australia that has been strongly recommendedby a number of public and private stakeholders. The Oils andFats group has already sent a letter of support. The Australianolive industry has worked hard over recent years to maintaina focus on quality during a period that has seen many challenges,including water shortages, adverse weather events andaggressive competition from subsidised and often inferior qualityproducts from the Mediterranean.We are now working with Standards Australia to bring togetherthe relevant stakeholders to develop this Trade Standard forOlive Oils and Pomace Oils in Australia and, possibly, NewZealand. It is our intention that this Standard for olive oil willbe fair, based on good science, have support from the supplychain and importantly, simplify the situation for consumers sothat they can make more informed choices.Oleocanthal may help prevent andtreat Alzheimer’s diseaseOleocanthal, a naturally-occurring compound found in extravirginolive oil, alters the structure of neurotoxic proteins believedto contribute to the debilitating effects of Alzheimer’sdisease. This structural change impedes the proteins’ ability todamage brain nerve cells.“These findings may help identify effective preventativemeasures and lead to improved therapies in the fight againstAlzheimer’s disease,” said Paul A.S. Breslin, PhD, a sensory psychobiologistat the Monell Centre in the USA.Known as ADDLs, these highly toxic proteins bind within theneural synapses of the brains of Alzheimer’s patients and arebelieved to directly disrupt nerve cell function, eventually leadingto memory loss, cell death, and global disruption of brainfunction. Synapses are specialised junctions that allow onenerve cell to send information another.“Binding of ADDLs to nerve cell synapses is thought to be acrucial first step in the initiation of Alzheimer’s disease. Oleocanthalalters ADDL structure in a way that deters their bindingto synapses,” said William L. Klein, PhD, who co-led theresearch with Breslin. “Translational studies are needed to linkthese laboratory findings to clinical interventions.”Klein is Professor of Neurobiology & Physiology, and a memberof the Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s disease Centre,at Northwestern University. He and his colleagues identifiedADDLs in 1998, leading to a major shift in thinking about thecauses, progression and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Alsoknown as beta-amyloid oligomers, ADDLs are structurally differentfrom the amyloid plaques that accumulate in brains ofAlzheimer’s patients.Reporting on a series of in vitro studies, the team of Monell andNorthwestern researchers found that incubation with oleocanthalchanged the structure of ADDLs by increasing the protein’s size.Monell Chemical Senses Centre 3500 Market St, Philadelphia, PA19104 267.519.4700 www.monellOils & FatsFebruary/March 201025

TRAVELLER’S TALEEarle Travel Fellowship– from science to the consumerHamish Conway, MNZIFST, Goodman FielderYou forget pretty quickly, unless you do a lot of travelling,how far away New Zealand is from most of the world andespecially Europe. There is nothing like 26 hours of flyingwith a four hour stop-off in Singapore to quickly remindyou of this. Not that I am complaining of course, because Iwas fortunate enough to get funding from the Earle TravelFellowship and Goodman Fielder to go to Europe to brushup on some dairy science and see the latest and greatestnew products in Europe.The travel plan on paper was simple, fly direct to Amsterdamvia Singapore, head down to Panpendal near Arnhem forthe NIZO conference on Dairy Ingredients, have a weekendin Amsterdam, go visit a German dairy company, visit somesuppliers, then head to Cologne for the Anuga Food Trade Fairthen head home. It had a good order to it as well, start withmore of the ‘pure’ science up front, go see suppliers aboutinnovative ingredients ready for use now and then see whatEuropean companies are making and selling right now.6th NIZO Conference DairyIngredientsInnovations in FunctionalityNIZO was established by the joint Dutch dairy industry in 1948,initially as a quality and food safety control Institute but NIZOwas soon also involved in innovations. This resulted, for example,in the development of famous cheeses such as Leerdammer.With the consolidation of the Dutch dairy industry, and only afew major players remaining, joint research was overtaken bycompetitive research. NIZO realised that its expertise in foodphysics, microbiology and food processes could also be appliedto foods and ingredients in general. Changing its name toNIZO Food Research in the early 1990s, NIZO has developedand applied technologies for improvements in a wide range offood products.The conference had a very scientific focus, looking at the functionalityof dairy ingredients. This meant that a lot of the topicswere either specific to certain areas of dairy such as icecream, yoghurt or whipping cream or else were specific to thefunctionality of particular dairy fractions. The information ondairy fractions is useful for potential future products that can bemade using these ingredients, while the information on products,where relevant, gave me insight into the science of theseproducts and directed my thinking to opportunities for improvementsto Goodman Fielder’s current and future product range.Of course, like any conference, it wasn’t just about the contentbut also about the networking and functions. The main functionwas the conference dinner at the impressive local Burgers Zooin Arnhem where pre dinner drinks were in the tropical rainforest,dinner was in the African savannah and dessert was in thedesert. Moving people around the zoo was a great way to getHamish Conway ‘doing some industrial tourism’ at theHeineken brewery in Amsterdameveryone to mix and it was a great night and interesting to talkto people from all around the world as the conference attracteddelegates from all of Europe, Asia, North and South America,the Middle East, Africa and, of course, NZ and Australia.26Food New Zealand

AnugaAnuga is the food industry’s leading globaltrade fair. It is held biennially in Germanyand involves 6,522 suppliers fromall over the world, although predominantlyEurope, exhibiting to 153,500trade partners.Anuga is an excellent way to see consumerand food service products froma wide range of manufacturers, but inparticular from Europe, and to talk tothem about trends, new products, opportunitiesand any issues.The products ranged from the sublime;my favourite place was the cheese ‘cave’The ‘ridiculous’ pig-shaped ham atAnugawhich was a temperature controlled room full of delicious softcheese from all over Europe, to the ridiculous; the processedham in the shape of a suckling pig.My overall general impressions of Anuga were:• A larger population base allows for a wider range ofproducts, as even 1% of Europe is 7 million people vs.40,000 in NZ. This allows for more consumer choice andfor companies to still be able to make money from moreniche products• Convenience is everywhere from single serve, quick cook,multi singles or multipacks.• Every different company structure and every differentbranding method is here from co-ops to multinationals:from single minded cross category brands to multi-tier andmulti-brands.• Innovation is happening from all companies, often with themost creative products coming from smaller companies.The ideas can be seen as more niche than mass marketOverall, products on offer in Europe are not that far ahead ofproducts available in New Zealand or Australia. However, thelarger population size does allow for a wider range of productsto be sold and still be viable, pistachio flavoured milk anyone?That doesn’t mean we should be complacent as a food producingnation or even too inward looking. We do live in a globallyconnected era: there is still a lot to be learnt from visiting othercountries and cultures and that includes Australia. As a previ-ous MD said about looking elsewherefor ideas, ‘Steal with pride’.GeneralrecommendationsSome other things I learnt or was remindedof.• It is easy at times, with the internet,email and phones, to forget theimportance of meeting people faceto face. The connection made bymeeting someone makes workingwith them remotely a lot easier. Thefact that you came from the otherside of the world also impresses people.• Always switch your mobile phone off at night otherwisesomeone is guaranteed not to know you are overseas andwill call you.• Invest in noise cancelling headphones so you don’t have tohear the screaming baby or the person snoring next to you.• Take lots of cash as a lot of places in Europe often don’taccept credit cards, in particular taxis in Cologne.Want your own trip?My final piece of advice is put together a plan and make a casefor your company to send you on a work trip, whether it is atrade fair, a conference, or to visit or run trials with a supplier.Make sure you have time to go to the local supermarkets andmarkets in general. I guarantee you will come back with newideas, opportunities and contacts.My thanks to Dick and Mary Earle for their support of my travelsthrough The Earle Travel Fellowship in Technology and toGoodman Fielder for agreeing to my travel plans and payingthe rest of the costs.The next Earle Travel Fellowship closes 08 May 2010 so start yourtravel planning now and apply, you won’t regret it.Contact rosemary@nzifst.org.nz for detailsTRAVELLER’S TALEFebruary/March 201027

NZIFSTNZIFST newsNominations for executiveofficersNominations for Fellow ofthe NZIFSTNominations are invited for the following NZIFSTofficers for 2010-2011, to take office following theAGM in June 2010• President• Vice-President• TreasurerAll nominations are to be signed by a proposerand a seconder and countersigned by the nominee.Closing date for nominations is 15th April 2010Nominations are invited for the promotionof NZIFST Professional Members tothe level of FELLOW.Nominations may be made by any groupof three Fellows or Professional membersof the Institute and must be accompaniedby a written statement outlining thecareer of the nominee and a supportingstatement signed by all three nominatorsFor full details of nomination conditions, or a nomination form, please contact rosemary@nzifst.org.nzPlease forward nominations to:Executive Manager, NZIFST, P O Box 5574, Terrace End, Palmerston North 4441Fax 06 356 1687NZIFST Directoryexecutive manager Rosemary HancockP O Box 5574, Terrace End,Palmerston North, 4441Ph (06) 356 1686Fax (06) 356 1687Mob 021 217 8298rosemary@nzifst.org.nzpresidentvice presidentTREASURERDave Pooch021 235 6789dave@peppermintpress.co.nzCathy McArdle021 948 008cathy@mcfoodies.co.nzEric Wilson027 263 9006eric.wilson@insightz.co.nzSPECIAL INTEREST GROUP contactsDAIRY DivisionFood SafetyPACKAGINGSensoryNutritionNeil Walkerfamilywalk@xtra.co.nzDavid LowryDavid.lowry@ecolab.comTom Robertsont.r.robertson@massey.ac.nzHester Cooperhester@brilliant.co.nzJoanne ToddJoanne.todd@fonterra.comAs a member of NZIFST you willbenefit from••Professional development programmesNetworking at regular branch meetings,seminars and the Annual Conferenceand gain•••Information through ‘Food New Zealand’,‘Nibbles’ and our websiteRecognition through awards,scholarships and travel grantsJOIN NZIFST NOW!http://www.nzifst.org.nz/join/28Food New Zealand

NZIFSTINAUGURAL NZIFST FOODINDUSTRY AWARDSBe recognised for your excellence and leadership in innovationand quality in the New Zealand food industryAWARD CATEGORIESINNOVATION AWARDThis award acknowledges a significant new developmentin a process, product, ingredient,equipment or packaging, which has beencommercialised within the last12 months. The product /processmust have been developedin New Zealand but may becommercially produced offshore. This award will bepresented to an individualor team who is recognisedas a major contributor to theinnovation.ECO-EFFICIENCYAWARDNominations and applications are invited for the inaugural NZIFST Food Industry AwardsEnter Now!The Eco-Efficiency Award recognisesbusinesses achieving environmental resourceefficiencies along with waste reduction. Businessesworking to improve resource and waste managementefficiencies bring about benefits that enhanceour Economic, Social, and Environmental responsibility.This award is open to any food or beveragecompany manufacturing within New Zealand. Thisaward will be presented to a representative of thewinning company or site.Promote yourself!Reward a co-worker!$8,000in prizes!Change management, Motivational or general dayto day leadership (but not necessarily in job title).There is no minimum or maximum time duration forthe leadership role/event from which the person isnominated.SUPPLIER AWARDThis award is to acknowledge andrecognise service suppliers tothe food industry and will beawarded based on their innovationor customer service. Examplesof qualifying service includebut are not limited to: Exemplaryservice, Reliability or Responsiveness,Longevity, Problemsolving, Technical knowledgeand assistance, Complaint resolution,or Follow-up.Conditions of entryThese awards are open to any company or employeeof any sector of the New Zealand food andbeverage industry. They replace the Dairy Awards.The top three finalists and the winner in each awardwill be announced at the annual NZIFST ConferenceAwards Dinner in Auckland on 24th June 2010)Nominees do not have to be a member of NZIFST– application/nomination may be made by any interestedpersonLEADERSHIP AWARDThis award recognises an individual for their leadershipin one or more areas or events. These areas orevents include but are not limited to: Managing aproject, Emergency response in the face of adversity,For more information go to http://www.nzifst.org.nz/awards/industryawards.asp or contact rosemary@nzifst.org.nzApplications/Nominations close 31st March 2010February/March 201029

NZIFSTNZIFST ProfessionalDevelopment ProgrammeThe NZIFST is proud to announce an even bigger and betterprofessional development programme for 2010, followingon from the very successful programme we ran last year:attendance was excellent and the feedback very positive.This programme has rapidly developed into a real benefit forour members. It is important, though, that you continue to provideus with feedback and ideas as to what you would like tosee included in the programme.The first events, Nutrition and Packaging, are scheduled and openfor registration. Please provide an indication of your interest inattending as soon as possible, to help us manage the events.Pricing will be similar to last year. Two day seminars will beabout $850+GST for members ($930+GST for non-members)and one day seminars will run at about $530+GST for members($580+GST for non-members).For more information, to book or to comment please contactRosemary Hancock, NZIFST Executive Manager (rosemary@nzifst.org.nz).Further PD SeminarsOther NZIFST professional development activities are underconsideration. The Sensory Special Interest group (SIG) islooking at developing a couple of half day workshops to teachfood technologists working in industry extra tools and skills insensory evaluation and consumer research. A HSNO course isalso planned. We hope you continue to take full advantage ofthese professional development opportunities.NZIFST Professional Development Plan for 2010Month Topic Provider Days Location2nd Mar Nutrition- An Update & Review of Hot Topics Massey University One Palmerston North9th - 10th Mar Packaging - Plastics & Shelf Life Gordon Robertson Two Auckland16th - 17th Mar Packaging - Plastics & Shelf Life Gordon Robertson Two Christchurch13th - 14th Apr Food Innovation Process Massey University Two AucklandMay NZFSA Legislation Updates NZFSA Quarter Auckland3rd Jun Micro for Non Microbiologists AFS One HamiltonJun Engineering for Non-Engineers Massey University Two Palmerston NorthJuly Marketing for Non Marketers Kevin Hawkes One AucklandAugust Statistics for Food Technologists To be finalised One or two AucklandSeptember Effective Writing Fiona Carruthers Half AucklandOctober Food Labelling - Clarifying the Grey McFoodies Half AucklandNovember Sensory Massey University Two Palmerston North Food New Zealand30

NZIFST ProfessionalDevelopment SeminarsNZIFSTRegistrations close 22 February forboth seminars, register now, contactrosemary@nzifst.org.nzNutrition - An Update andReview of Hot TopicsAn interactive one-day seminar.Palmerston North: March 2nd, 9.00am - 5.00pmPlease register now (Closes 22 February)Contact rosemary@nzifst.org.nzSeminar outline:• Update on nutrition concepts, recommendationsand public health concerns• Nutrition claims – Hype versus real benefit• Global and NZ nutrition and food supply• Functional foodsHot topics,• Iodine• Vitamin D• Fibre• Maximising nutrient absorptionIntended audience:Food scientists and technologists with basic nutritionbackground and/or who would like to update theirnutrition knowledge.This seminar will be facilitated by Massey Universityand led by Janet Weber.NZIFST Members: $530 + GSTNon-Members: $580 + GSTIncludes refreshments, course materials, and a networkingsocial from 5.00pm.Registrations close 22 February for both seminars,register now. Contact rosemary@nzifst.org.nzWorkshop on Plastics Packagingand Shelf LifeAuckland: March 9th & 10th, Waipuna ConferenceCentre, AucklandChristchurch: March 16th & 17th (if sufficient demand),Venue tbcWorkshop outline:Few of those working in the food and packaging industrieshave had formal education in food packaging. Decisions aboutwhich polymer to chose or what the effect on shelf life will beif a change is made in package dimensions or polymer typeare often based on trial and error or intuition. This course isan attempt to fill that gap with respect to plastics packagingby discussing the basic principles behind polymer selection,deteriorative reactions in foods, and shelf life. The properties ofthe newer biobased polymers such as PLA and PHA will alsobe discussed.The workshop will provide attendees the opportunity to constructconnections between food chemistry, packaging designand polymer science to expand their knowledge base and competence.Participants will identify key packaging decision-makingprocesses and will validate their new knowledge to reframepackage challenges and make winning food packaging decisions.There will also be an opportunity to discuss your ownreal life examples.Intended audience:• Product Developers• Packaging Technologists• R&D Staff• Food Scientists and Technologists• Technical Sales Representatives• ResearchersInstructorDr. Gordon L. Robertson. Gordon was Foundation Professor ofPackaging Technology at Massey University where he taughtfood packaging courses for 21 years. He then spent 11 yearswith Tetra Pak in Asia. Now he is an adjunct Professor at the Universityof Queensland and a consultant in food packaging, basedin Brisbane, Australia. Dr Robertson is the author of the definitivetextbook on food packaging, Food Packaging, Principles &Practice, the 2nd edition of which was published last year byCRC Press. Seven chapters from this book form the course notesfor the workshop. Another book, Food Packaging and Shelf-life,a Practical Guide, which he edited, has just been published byCRC. More information on Gordon’s background can be foundon his website: http://www.gordonlrobertson.comNZIFST Members: $850+GSTNon-Members: $930+GSTIncludes: refreshments, lunches, course dinner, and a personalcopy of the book Food Packaging, Principles & Practice 2ndedition 2006 by Gordon Robertson (USD 93.95).February/March 201031

NZIFSTBranchNewsHawke’s Bay NZIFST/NZIPIM visit toMasseyFood Innovation New Zealand (FINZ) Future of FoodOn Friday the 20th of November, seven members of the Hawke’sBay branch met other NZIFST and NZIPIM members at MasseyUniversity for an afternoon of presentations from a range ofspeakers.We were welcomed by Professor Richard Archer, who introducedour six speakers on ‘The future of food’.Prof Jacqueline Rowarth focused on the future of foods in NewZealand farming and emphasised that we should be buyingfresh and seasonal produce. She promoted a book entitled FutureFood Farming NZ Inc where researchers and industry leadershave come together to debate the future for agrifood.Professor Ray Winger then spoke about food science and technologyin 2020, expanding on the key consumer drivers of tasteand flavour, price, convenience, safety, health and wellness andprivate label.Professor Julian Heyes gave us an insight into post-harvest issues.Post-harvest technology assists in overcoming the tyrannyof distance by looking at harvest maturity, storage conditionsand processing.These talks were then followed by a break and an opportunityto view the new Massey Pilot Plant.Dr Nicola Roy then spoke about molecular nutrition and gutfunction informing a way forward for future foods, using thescience of nutrigenomics as a basis for personalised nutrition.Dr Mike Boland focused on food of the future: six things youneed to know.• The future is in the past• Wellness foods are here to stay• Water is all• Healthy planet rules• Distribution will continue to be a problem• Personalised nutrition is comingHe emphasised that the food industry needs to respond by innovativedevelopment, and creation and management of intellectualproperty.The last speaker was Professor Bernhard Breier who discussedthe future of human nutrition. In 2006 a poor diet was the leadingcause of death in NZ. He focused on studies which showedthat vitamin D-fortified milk can reduce osteoporosis in postmenopausalwomen and that nutrition during pregnancy influencesthe child’s cognitive function.These talks were then followed by a break and an opportunityto view the new Massey Pilot Plant and microbrewery.Overall, it was a well organised and worthwhile afternoonwhich was then followed by the movie ‘Food Inc’ in Feilding.Nicola ElmslyBuild your own pizza32Food New Zealand

Manawatu/WellingtonPizza and packagingThis event was actually held in two locations to enablemore members to attend. The first version wasin Palmerston North at Massey University. The branchprovided pizza bases and sauce and Fonterra suppliedmozzarella, but it was up to members to bring alongdifferent toppings, which encouraged networking aspeople shared ingredients. It was interesting to see howmuch some students could pile onto one pizza, whileother members showed a more refined taste with anchovies,haloumi cheese and even smoked sun-driedtomatoes making an appearance. Tom Robertson gavehis presentation as the pizzas were cooking, and theneveryone shared their tasty creations and discussed thetopic.Members in Wellington had their chance two days later:New Zealand Food Safety Authority hosted twenty pluspeople for a repeat performance.Tom Robertson is a senior lecturer in packaging technologyat Massey University’s School of Engineeringand Advanced Technology. His presentation focusedon surveys of packaging preferences of younger (19-36) and older aged (over 60) groups of consumers. Inmany respects there were similar likes and dislikes ofthe wide variety of packaging styles that featured inthe research. The research showed that the youngergroup were not as influenced by brand and label asthe older group, and were more concerned about foodprices. The older group had a stronger preference fortin cans, tetra paks, foil and cellophane, with youngergroup ahead on glass and zip lock bags.We were able to relate well to common packaginghates, including difficulty in opening packages; spillingfood; drink and milk bottle seals with tabs too small togrip; plastic wrap film with a peel-open strip that mostfail to find; glass jar lids that need a strong firm hand;and challenging can-opening rings. Also, food labellingfonts that were sizes too small for many in the oldergroup to read are disliked.Tom had many of the packages at hand and demonstrateda number of gadgets to help consumers removelids, plus a new spin on a mechanised can opener,all well and good until you had to work out how tochange the batteries.Tom advises manufacturers that they need to considerpackaging early in the development of new products,particularly where anything unusual is to be considered.Also, clear directions on how to open the packagesneed to be considered, maybe even training to beprovided.In the future, Tom thought there would be scope toproduce bottles, tops, labels and wrappers that weremade of one plastic type for easy recycling and maintainingor improving material quality rather than thedown-grading that often occurs with present waste reductionefforts. Tom says we could be facing most, ifnot all, food items being packaged. Why? To protect thefood, extend shelf life and branding. However, he remindedus that the quantity of actual materials in manypackages was just a few grams at minimal cost, andwhile good packaging can look bulky, it performs wellin protecting food and hence reduces waste.John Legg and John van den BeukenAndrew McKenzieChief ExecutiveNZ Food SafetyAuthorityUsing good science toinfluence the dairy tradeOver the past decade, New Zealand’s ability to tradedairy products in the global marketplace has gone fromstrength to strength. This has been greatly supportedby the work of the Codex Committee on Milk and MilkProducts (CCMMP) of which New Zealand is an activeparticipant.The CCMMP plays a pivotal role in developing durableand globally accepted dairy standards that support thetwin objectives of the Codex Alimentarius Commission(Codex), protecting the health of consumers and ensuringfair practices in food trade.As one of the world’s largest exporters of dairy products,New Zealand’s position on the CCMMP is clear:international dairy standards must be flexible, non-prescriptive,focused on essential provisions and supporttechnological developments.This position is reflected in the committee’s recentchange to the fermented milk standard. Using scientificdata, New Zealand was instrumental in convincing thecommittee to expand the list of ingredients used to makefermented milk products to include dried milk powder,even though fermented milk products are traditionallymade from fresh milk.Milk powder is one of our dairy industry’s biggest exportearners, generating more than $4.9 billion in exportrevenue each year. The inclusion of dried milk powderhas significantly enhanced our ability to maintain marketaccess for this product, particularly to places likeTaiwan.This science-based approach to Codex standards developmentis just one example of how New Zealand’sinfluence in this committee has strengthened the rulesbasedtrading environment for milk and milk products,while at the same time providing consumers greaterfood choices.www.nzfsa.govt.nzNZIFSTFebruary/March 201033

MIA NEWSMIA NewsAli SpencerMeat in focusThe red meat industry has been put in focus with a newpublication that underlines the importance of the industry tothe New Zealand economy.Published by the Meat Industry Association, Meat & Wool NewZealand and Deer Industry New Zealand, Meat in Focus takesa closer look at one of NewZealand’s major exportearningindustries, withexport revenue worth $6.5billion in the year endedJune 2009.The publication emphasisesthat the export-driven redmeatindustry is createdby a partnership between14,000 commercial sheep,cattle and deer farms andMEAT IN FOCUSA closer look at a keyNew Zealand industrysome of this country’s largest companies, and that: “The productionand export of beef, lamb and venison is, and will continueto be, a core part of New Zealand’s economy.”The 25-page, handy reference guide gives an overview of thescale of the New Zealand meat industry and the diversity ofmarkets it exports to. The booklet also looks at the ongoingtechnological innovation within the industry, and highlightshow far it has come since the early days of shipping frozencarcases to Britain.New Zealand renderers have bestyear ever‘Everything used but the squeak’ goes the old adage andit’s true even today with an often unseen, but essential,part of the meat industry that plays an important role inmitigating greenhouse gases (GHG) and contributing valueto the industry and country. The 2008/09 year was the bestyear ever for New Zealand’s renderers with production of340,000 tonnes of products, worth $308 million in exportvalue. Food New Zealand takes a closer look.Rendering is the processing of the meat industry’s 760,000tonnes of perishable ‘left-overs’ – the heads, bones and trimfrom sheep, beef, poultry, deer and other sources – into stable,value-added products. The edible and non-edible productsare ground and cooked. The fat is separated to become tallowwhich is used in soap, biodiesel, candles and lubricants. The remainderis dried to become meat and bone meal (MBM), lovednot only by gardeners around the globe but also by animal feedcompanies and, in particular, the burgeoning pet food industry.There are also several other blood products used by the pharmaceuticalindustry.According to the Meat Industry Association (MIA)’s RenderersGroup, the industry deals with a volume of material that wouldfill two-thirds of Wellington’s Westpac Trust Stadium annuallyand would otherwise have been diverted to landfill, creatingNew Zealand red meat industry export productmix, year ended June 2009Diversity of exportsWhile sheep, beef and venison muscle cuts make up themajority of exports, the industry also exports a wide rangeof co-products, such as hides and skins, offals and tallow.These products provide significant revenue ($1.2 billionin the year ended June 2009) and allow the industry tomaximise the value of each carcase.Did you know?The New Zealand meat industry’s exports of co-products,such as offal, hides and skins, and tallow, were worthmore than New Zealand’s exports of wine in the year ended2009 ($1.2 billion vs. $990 million for wine).Bruce Rountree presenting in Weifang, China during arecent market visitharmful greenhouse gases like methane and carbon dioxide.“It also contributes to the New Zealand economy through exportsand jobs,” Renderers Group chair, Bruce Rountree says,adding that about 1,000 people are employed directly and indirectlyby the sector.34Food New Zealand

Rountree is general manager of Hawke’s Bay Protein whichservices the meat industry through the lower half of the NorthIsland. He says with the increase in trade and hygiene rulesimposed on the meat industry, his company has invested heavilyin logistics and bought specialty trucks for transporting theoff-cuts hygienically and efficiently.His company is one of thirty seven renderers in the Group,which comprises 23 meat processors with rendering plants and14 independent processors, plus 15 associated companies. Together,in plants throughout the country, they produced 200,000tonnes of MBM and 140,000 tonnes of tallow, together worth$308 million to year end May 2009. This is comparable to thevenison industry’s ($287 million) and apple industry’s ($340 million)and was a record year for the industry.In the past five years, while volumes have remained relativelysteady, the value of exported tallow has risen by about 92%.Tallow prices are linked to palm-oil, which has been used forbiodiesel in recent years. Meanwhile MBM export values haveleapt upwards by 158%.Rountree puts it down to New Zealand’s “very high internationalreputation. It’s because of our high processing standards,disease-free status for both foot and mouth and BSE, and highlyregarded livestock standards.”One of the major customers for New Zealand tallow is China,which takes nearly three-quarters of the exports annually predominantlyand uses it for soap manufacture. Indonesia andthe US are the top two markets for New Zealand MBM whereit goes into animal feed and the booming, high-end pet foodindustry, especially in the US.Rountree was part of a recent, very successful visit to China, organisedjointly with the Australian Renderers’ Association, withwhich the New Zealand Group works closely. The focus was onintroducing MBM to customers there. While no sales were expectedfrom the visit, the exercise was regarded as relationshipbuilding as part of a long-term marketing strategy, he says.“By accessing the feed mills and nutritionists and making themaware of the value and possibilities of using meat and bonemeal as a feed ingredient, we are planning to develop a newmarket for the future, especially in aquaculture.”At home, air quality – odours from the plants – continues tobe a challenge. The Renderers’ Group is countering this bydeveloping Best Practice Guidelines, introducing odour controltechnologies, building relationships with stakeholders andregulators and profiling the importance of the industry to NewZealand.Walk the ‘sustainability talkGrant Smith, Energy for Industry’s industrial portfoliomanagerSilver Fern Farms’ recent investment in award-winning,renewable energy technology at its Finegand plant nearBalclutha (FoodNZ, July 2009) is an example of far-sightedawareness of the long-term benefits of energy efficiencytechnologies, says Energy for Industry’s industrial portfoliomanager, Grant Smith. That’s rare in New Zealand andis an issue that will have implications for New Zealand’sexport-based economy – especially the food sector, heargues.He told delegates at the MIA conference in September that withthe consumer-driven climate-change revolution now underway,New Zealand’s problem is that we are 10 years behind many ofour trading partners in technological terms.“We need to mobilise our innovators, entrepreneurs and manufacturingindustries or the emerging 2020 Climate Change protocolis likely to bury us,” Smith said, adding that now is the timefor New Zealand businesses to start the long and challengingjourney to future growth and prosperity.This means walking the ‘sustainable’ talk and protecting NewZealand’s international brand as a producer of environmentallyresponsiblequality food products. In turn, this means investingin 21st century energy technologies and energy sources thatprovide for more sustainable business practices, rather thancontinuing to rely on traditional methods.“This is particularly important for New Zealand’s export businesses.We need to adopt and invest in strategies that embraceglobal change and consumer demand.”The ‘triple bottom line’ of economic, social and environmentalmeasures often features prominently in company annual reportsbut is less evident in business investments, according to Smith.He warned that consumers will reject unsustainable productsfrom companies that rely just on government-negotiated emissionsreduction targets.Smith said new industries have emerged in the early adoptercountries that positively embrace globalisation and sustainableproducts. They see huge opportunities to contribute to economicand social well-being.Consumer brands will then move to a fourth and most telling‘bottom line’ measure of sustainability – global equity.“New Zealand has, along with the USA and Australia, one of thehighest per capita emissions levels in the world. “Unless smartbusinesses begin now to address this, both their brands, andthat of 100% Pure New Zealand, will suffer on world markets,”Smith says.He believes New Zealand has been slow to capitalise on thiscountry’s natural advantages in developing and selling sustainableproducts. “We are slow because we are also not great investorsand not yet fully tuned into new world markets.”“Smart businesses should be shifting their focus from carbon accountingand environmental compliance to issues such as howto gain market leadership by understanding and responding toconsumers’ environmental concerns.“As food producers, this is critical and the focus should be onensuring our story matches the expectations of the consumermarket,” Grant Smith said.MIA NEWSFebruary/March 201035

MIA NEWSInnovationAgResearch Smart Measurement team leader, ShaneLeath (left) and AgResearch business developmentmanager Ross Clarke with the NIFT-D machineMeasuring temperature: outside inAssurance of temperature control is crucial in ensuring NewZealand meat products reach overseas markets in tip-top condition.Accurate measurement of the average temperature of chilledboxed product, without breaking the seal of the carton, is nowavailable commercially and it’s been developed right here inNew Zealand by the Smart Measurement team at AgResearch.Looking like an airport baggage scanning machine, NIFT-D usesmicrowave technology to measure temperature based on theamount of moisture absorbed by the product. A box is simplyfed through the machine to get an accurate reading of the averagetemperature of its contents.NIFT-D can be used at key points in a supply chain to give amanufacturer confidence that every carton at every stage meetsstorage and shipping temperature requirements. It can also beused to test the efficiency and cooling rates of chillers in aprocessing plant.“Communication was key to coming up with the ground-breakingdesign, with an electrical engineer, a refrigeration engineer,a meat scientist and a chemical engineer making up the team”,says AgResearch smart measurement team leader Shane Leath.“If we’d had any of those missing, we wouldn’t have come tothe conclusion we did.”NIFT-D has made a valuable contribution to quality assuranceat Taranaki-based ANZCO Prepared Foods Ltd, producers offrozen meat patties and suppliers to McDonald’s throughoutNew Zealand and the Pacific Islands. ANZCO technical managerDavid Sadler brought in NIFT-D to ascertain the averagetemperature of meat at several points in the processing chain.Meat brought in for processing must have an even temperaturewhen it is minced, or the product shape and weight becomeirregular.“NIFT-D was a great investigative tool to make sure our systemsand standards were working and validate our process. It waseasy and quick to use and gave us a full, across the board checkin much more detail than we could otherwise possibly do.”For more information: ross.clarke@agresearch.co.nz.New flexible solution for fatstandardisationDanish meat equipmentsupplier, FOSS has recentlyreleased the ProFoss inlinenear infrared analyserfor a number of applicationsin food and feed production.One of these is inmeat production where itprovides a highly flexiblesolution for fat standardisation,the company claims.As an ‘in-line’ solution,the ProFoss continuouslymeasures the fat content ofground meat in production,allowing manual or automaticadjustment of the processfor savings in raw materialand improved productquality. The ProFoss meatanalyser can be used withany type of ground meatproduction equipment andcan be installed in existingproduction lines with onlyminor modifications, Fosssays.The ProFoss is ideal for productionof patties, sausage,salami and mortadella, the company says.The analyser is housedin a robust cabinet andis mounted at a relevantlocation in the productionlineMeat created in the lab for first timeDutch scientists created meat – described as ‘soggy pork’ – inthe lab for the first time in December and are now investigatingways to improve the muscle tissue, according to www.meatinternational.com.Cells were extracted from the muscle of aliving pig and put in a broth derived from the blood of animalfoetuses. The cells then multiplied and created muscle tissue inthe research funded by the Dutch government and a sausagemaker.Novel chewing robot developedRiddet Review (December 2009) covered the development byPhD student Richard Sun, of a novel and simple chewing robot,to simulate human chewing behaviour in terms of kinematicsand the force applied to the food. A full range of chewing trajectorieshave been developed to cope with fibrous and brittlefoods. The robot is also able to apply a force of up to 150N onthe food within the range of measured chewing forces on asingle tooth. Results showed that human chewing results couldbe reproduced by the chewing robot. Future developments includecompliance force control and a food manipulation deviceto simulate the functions of the tongue in mastication.36Food New Zealand

Meaty MorselsMIA NEWSMeat industry snippets from research, technical, market and policy sources.Ali Spencer• The Topp Twins will be tasting, judging and helping toselect the tastiest lamb in the country at the 2010 GoldenLamb Awards (aka Glammies) during the Upper CluthaAgricultural and Pastoral (A & P) Show in March. Veteransof the A & P show scene, the Topp Twins will sample the20 finalists alongside leading New Zealand chefs, GrahamHawkes and Michael Coughlin and former All Black,Richard Loe. Across the country, farmers and butchersare currently selecting their premium lambs in the hopeof being named the 2010 Glammies Grand Champion orChampion Meat Retailer. Finalists in the Meat & Wool NewZealand competition, run by Beef+Lamb New Zealandand sponsored by Pfizer Animal Genetics, will be selectedthrough initial tenderness and yield analysis at CarneTechnologies. The top four in each category will move onto the final on March 12 at the Upper Clutha A & P Showin Wanaka. Entry forms can be obtained from Kim Doranat Beef+Lamb New Zealand on freephone 0800 733 466,email kim@beeflambnz.co.nz or visit the competitions linkon www.beeflambnz.co.nz• Lamb numbers showing recovery – More lambs willbe available for export in the 2009/2010 season. Figuresrecently released by Meat & Wool New Zealand’s EconomicService show that this year’s record lambing percentageincreased lamb numbers to 28.9 million, up 1.7 millionor 6.20% from the 51-year low of last spring. While lambnumbers are still well below the 32.8 million average of thedecade to 2007, excellent spring lambing weather broughtsome recovery, director Rob Davison said. The boost in theDarlings of the A & P Show circuit; Jools and Lynda Toppare this year’s celebrity judges in the GlammiesWalk-through, automated bootand sole cleaning machinesBootmaster Solewash and Bootmaster Bootwash arestep-through machines which clean and sanitise bootsquickly and efficiently. Bootwash and Solewash machines areboth fully automatic, with manual options if needed.Ask us about our other products: Handwashes, apron washes,soap dispensers, Halving saw sterilisers, Knife sterilisers.We can help with special requests.Bootmaster SolewashLease options availableBootmaster BootwashDesigned and distributed by McIndoe Brothers Industries. Patent number 541532.Contact Jim or Dan McIndoe, jim@mcindoegroup.co.nzVisit our website for brochure and more information. www.mcindoegroup.co.nz44 Waitete Road Te Kuiti. Ph: 07 8785026February/March 201037

HEAD OFFICE & PENROSEMIA NEWS Silver Fern Farm’s top quality cuts as seen in NewZealand supermarkets before Christmaslamb crop means that the number of lambs available forexport markets is estimated to rise by one million to 23.5million, a 4.4% increase on last year.• Silver Fern Farms lamb on New Zealand supermarketshelves – Top quality cuts, normally found in premiumrestaurants and European supermarkets were availableto New Zealand consumers before Christmas, as SilverFern Farms shifted its focus into local supermarkets. Thecompany says it’s all part of its strategy to capture valueacross the entire red-meat value-chain. Boneless leg roast,loin fillets, rumps and stir-fry were initially available in 160supermarkets nationwide. The roll-out comes hard on theheels of the meat processor’s launch of portion-controlledcuts into France via the Intermarché group. The move intothe consumer branded domain has meant significant capitalinvestment, particularly in packaging technology, chiefexecutive Keith Cooper says.• Alliance Group reports surplus – Alliance Group Ltdhas reported an annual operating surplus of $42.1 millionin what it describes as a successful year for both thecompany and its shareholder suppliers. The companyexperienced strong supplier support, despite reducedlivestock availability. Plant performance was very good, itsays, and sales were well managed – especially creditablegiven the global economic turmoil. With supply anddemand in balance and a favourable exchange rate, thecompany was able to realise increased value from its brandand marketing programmes. However, an “unhelpful NewZealand dollar” is looking to undermine returns in 2010.• AFFCO supplies gap in UK market – AFFCO reportsin AFFCO Express that it was being asked for increasedearly supply of New Zealand chilled lamb by Britishsupermarkets well before Christmas. Sweden, France,Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and Switzerlandwere other good customers for AFFCO’s chilled lamb atChristmas, the newsletter says.38Food New Zealand

• US TPP moves nearer – In December theUnited States confirmed that it will startnegotiating entry into the Trans PacificPartnership (TPP). The formal notification toCongress follows President Obama’s expressionof support to move ahead with negotiationsto join the TPP at the recent APEC meeting inSingapore. At the time of President Obama’sannouncement, Meat & Wool New Zealandand the MIA expressed delight at the “fantasticnews” and sent congratulations to New ZealandPrime Minister John Key, trade minister TimGroser and officials “for achieving what islikely to be a hugely significant agreement forNew Zealand in the context of world trade.”MIA chairman Bill Falconer said the newswas a significant signal with the US beingNew Zealand’s largest beef export destination,receiving 178,000 tonnes – 50% of total NewZealand volume – in 2008 and generatingNZ$786 million (42% of total New Zealand beefexport value). M&WNZ chair Mike Petersensaid the TPP, once it includes the US, will bringequality between Australia and New Zealand,given the access arrangements Australia has tothe US under its free trade agreement.• Targeting Taiwan – As Taiwan, New Zealand’sfourth biggest beef market, moves to allow US bone-in beef backinto the market, M&WNZ launched a new promotional campaignto remind Taiwanese consumers that New Zealand beef isavailable, natural, safe and healthy. Posters have been distributedto importers and retailers to pass the messages on to consumersand let them know New Zealand beef is available, says M&WNZchief executive Scott Champion. With a slogan ‘your lean andtender choice bred in nature’s pastures’, the brand aims to furtherdifferentiate grass-fed beef from its competitors and connectdirectly with consumers, while giving them peace of mind,Champion says.• AgResearch to host GHG research centre – Agriculture ministerDavid Carter announced the appointment of AgResearch, incollaboration with eight other New Zealand research organisations,as host provider for the new, Centre for Agricultural GreenhouseGas Research (CAGGR). Partners are the Pastoral GreenhouseGas Research Consortium (PGgRC), Dairy New Zealand, Lincolnand Massey Universities and Crown Research Institutes LandcareResearch, NIWA, Plant & Food Research and Scion. Collectively,the group represents almost 95% of the research conductedinto agricultural mitigation in New Zealand and it has stronginternational links, reflecting New Zealand’s leading reputationin the area, the minister commented. The Centre is to be fundedto the tune of $5 million a year for 10 years and will undertakeresearch to complement and build on existing R&D activities,particularly those of PGgRC.• Loughlin joins AgResearch Board – Former Richmond chiefexecutive John Loughlin has joined the AgResearch board ofdirectors. He joins two other new Board members, Dr MikeDunbier, chairman of the Pastoral Genomics Consortium, andBarry Harris, who hails from the dairy industry. Chairman SamRobinson welcomed the trio enthusiastically.For further information on any of the above itemscontact the Meat Industry Association on04 473 6465 or byemail info@mia.co.nz. Visit the web-sitewww.mia.co.nz.ElectricMotorswith or without brake• In stock now• Huge range of power / sizes• Differing flange options orfoot mounting• Optional built in speedcontrol up to 3 kW• Servo motorsADD-ONS available• Thermisters• Encoders (large variety)• Forced cooling fans• IP56 enclosures• Increased safety, flameproof• High inertia flywheel fans• Manual hand release for brakeWhen you install an electric drive product from SEW (say it like BMW), you canbe sure of long term future service and a wide choice of ancillary products toimprove, expand or alter your drive systems quickly and efficiently, wheneverthe need arises.SEW are totally committed to the New Zealand economy and New Zealandemployment.ASSEMBLED IN NEW ZEALAND:SEW have purpose-built plants in Auckland and Christchurch and a sales officein Palmerston North. The company have provided a complete drive service toNew Zealand industry for over 20 years.Every SEW geared motor is assembled by New Zealanders to exactspecifications for every individual customer requirement. This ensures theoptimum performance, cost efficiency and energy efficiency.FAST ASSEMBLY FROM IN-STOCK COMPONENTS:This concept is unique to SEW worldwide. A huge range of components areheld in stock ready for fast turnaround customised assembly. Motors in a largerange of power/sizes from 0.12 kW upwards are in stock right now ready to beassembled, delivered and serviced 24/7. All types of gear configurations andmountings can be achieved, straight through’s, right angle, in-line worm, helicaland helical bevel.CONTROL SYSTEMS and ADD ONS:SEW drive controllers from stock, can be quickly customised for applicationsranging from simple and basic, to powerful sequencing and positioningsystems utilising the famous SEW servo motor range also from stock.INDUSTRIAL DRIVE TECHNOLOGYAUCKLAND 82 Greenmount Drive, East TamakiPO Box 58 428 Botany, Manukau 2163Ph: (09) 274 5627 Fax: (09) 274 0165PALMERSTON NORTH Ph: (06) 355 2165CHRISTCHURCH 10 Settlers Crescent, FerrymeadPO Box 19 825, WoolstonPh: (03) 384 6251 Fax: (03) 384 6455Email: sales@sew-eurodrive.co.nzwww.nz.sew-eurodrive.comMIA NEWSFNZ1-2-2010February/March 201039

HISTORYFrom the left, the first hardcover edition, the ‘Gas’ cookbookand the early recipe leaflets.100+ years ofEdmonds cookbooksRon Hooker, HonFNZIFST, FNZICRon Hooker was food technologist at T J Edmondsin Christchurch from 1963 to 1983. He is a fount ofrecollections of the early days at Edmonds, the companythat has been ‘cooking with Kiwis’ since 1879....in the beginningFrom the earliest days of T J Edmonds, a recipe was printed ona circular paper designed to fit on top of the ‘Sure to Rise’ bakingpowder in the tin before the lid was closed. The cookerybooks, which followed on from this early marketing activity,were called “The ‘Sure to Rise’ Cookery Book”.The first cookery book for sale was a 50 page book dated 1908.Even though it was not marked as the first edition it is reasonableto assume that it was.There were some earlier free recipe books or leaflets: the 17thEdition of the De Luxe Edition, 1980, notes. “The EdmondsCookery Book has become continually more and more popular,with no other cook book to be found in as many New Zealandhomes. It first appeared in 1907 as a free giveaway consistingof less than 20 pages.”The Evening Post newspaper on the 8th December 1908, Page 5,contained an advertisement which stated: “Free Cookery Book.Kindly send us your name and address, on receipt of which wewill have pleasure in posting you an up-to-date Cookery Book.EDMONDS BAKING POWDER Christchurch”.In my archive, I hold copies of most of this early range ofbooks. The 2nd edition is dated 1910, 3rd edition 1914, the4th Edition, of 150,000, was dated 1923. The 7th Edition showsno date. At this time the covers were quite plain and the bookcontained 84 pages. The 7th Edition recipes and pictorials werelater represented as a new book called the Standard Editionwith an updated pictorial cover and printed price of 20c. It wasalso described as the ‘Economy Edition.’A gift for engaged couplesThe “Economy Edition” or “Standard Edition” was still beingposted to recently engaged couples well into the 1970’s.The advertising agency (Illots Ltd with manager Ron Scottfor many years) extracted the names and addresses of engagedcouples from newspapers and the Edmonds officestaff mailed these to the engaged couples at no charge. Inthose days addresses of engaged couples were listed in thenewspapers so that various firms could contact them – noprivacy act then.When stocks were depleted, in the late 1970’s, the practiseof sending them to engaged couples and selling them fromthe Edmonds office in Christchurch ceased.This Standard/Economy Edition, which was reprinted in 1971,was probably the last of the original books.By the late 1970’s, the De Luxe editions, introduced in 1955,were selling well in retail outlets.Design developmentThe early covers are a delight to view with great design andcolour while photographs inside the book showed the factory,the horse-drawn delivery carts and so on and appear in manyeditions. It is interesting also to see the development of printingtechniques and the early sketches of prepared products changingto photographs.The Factory building and the garden photographs on the frontcover record frequent changes in this view over the years – theyare a useful source of garden, art or social environment informationfor deeper study. From 1985 the cover no longerdisplayed a photograph: the factory and a small area of gardenwas a sketch.The first De Luxe Edition was produced in 1955, with 120,000printed.40Food New Zealand

Subsequent editions have a list on the inside front cover whichshows previous editions printed with the year and numberprinted.Often the covers stated the number of new recipes added, suchas the 1983 printing of 100,000 which stated “30 New Recipes”and the book held approximately 640 “everyday recipes andcooking hints”.The books were first prepared by Edmonds and then later withthe assistance of a consultant, Mrs Law, of the Christchurch GasCompany and the Edmonds factory manager, Cyril Cox, (TinyCox). Later, when home economists joined the Edmonds staff,full responsibility for the production of the cookery books returnedto the company.This was an ongoing development which, apart from recipe additionsand deletions, included recipes based on new Edmondsproducts launched, such as the wonderful Orange Icing recipeusing the Orange Tang powdered drink mix.One of the secrets of the book’s continuing success is that itsrecipes were all tested and proven in T.J.Edmonds kitchen-laboratories.Successive editions were brought up to date, to keeppace with innovations or changes in taste or fashion and asnew products were launched and new baking methods wereadopted such as gas, fan and microwave ovens.I was a member of the team when we introduced gas cookinginformation; when the recipes were changed to metric units,times adjusted for fan ovens and then microwave recipes wereincorporated. The Edmonds laboratory had one of the first microwaveovens in Christchurch (supplied by Philips) which tookages to master and during this time we blew out many of thetubes as we learnt the techniques the hard way.Arranging food for photography for these books and for newspapersand TV advertising were challenges for the home economistsover the years. We also worked closely with the ovensuppliers and Illots Ltd.Many recipes were selected from the winners of various Bake-Off competitions arranged by Edmonds and the electric stovemanufacturers.There was the occasional mis-step. I remember that we discontinueda rabbit recipe and later had to restore it in response topublic demand. Even an apparently innocuous and simple triflerecipe had to be brought back.Still ‘cooking with Kiwis’While primarily a complete recipe resource for home cookery,the Edmonds cookbook served as a promotions and marketingtool for the brand, and continues to do so. Have you got onein your kitchen?HISTORYSpecial EditionsA number of special editions were produced and included:–Gas Cooking Edition, 1971, 80,000 copies.Edmonds Cake Mix Cook Book, 1971Edmonds Prima Cook Book; 34 pages for use with Edmonds“Prima” range of pasta products.Colonial Cook Book; these recipes used the Edmonds bulkpacks of “Colonial Soups”.Edmonds American Recipe Book.Edmonds Microwave Cookery Book, 1989An OXO cook book; “The book of meat cookery”, sponsoredby OXO Ltd, published in London, was imported.The 1976 15th edition stated 80 new recipes and 16 newpages but still only claimed 630 recipes.This edition was thefirst with spiral binding and was completely re-set to presentrecipe quantities in metric and imperial measures. The factoryphotograph on the cover was still the old dark greencolour.The 16th edition, released in 1978 to mark the firm’s centennialachieved 166 pages.The 17th edition, in 1980, introduced a special colour sectionof recipes which reflected the growing popularity of poultry.The 19th edition, 1983 states 30 new recipes and 640 everydayrecipes and cooking hintsThe 21st Edition was the first Hard Cover Edition.The 32nd Edition, 1992, was a new revised edition with over200 new recipes plus new sections including nutrition, pastaand rice, international and breakfast.Since Edmonds was taken over by Bluebird Foods a numberof other Edmonds cook books have produced.February/March 201041

EVENTSAustralasian Courses and ConferencesGenes-diet and gut healthFebruary 21-26, 20104th Asia Pacific Nutrigenomics conference: Genes, diet andgut healthAuckland, New Zealandwww.nutrigenomics.org.nz/index/page/220March 15-19, 2010Approved Persons Course for Thermal Processing of Low-Acid FoodsWerribee, Victoria, Australiawww.csiro.au/events/Low-acid-food-thermal-processing.htmlMarch 21-24, 20105th IDF International Conference on MastitisChristchurch, NZwww.fil-idf.orgApril 20 – 21, 2010The 9th Annual Food Safety SummitRendezvous Hotel, Aucklandwww.conferenz.co.nzMay 4-6, 2010EMEX 2010Aucklandwww.emex.co.nzMay 18-20, 2010NZ Ice Cream Manufacturers Assn (NZICMA) AnnualConferenceTauranga, NZMay 19-20, 2010ConTechPlus (confectionery technical conference)Albert Park, Victoria, Australiajulie.barnes@aigroup.asn.auJune 13-15, 2010Fine Food New ZealandAuckland, NZwww.finefoodnz.co.nzJune 23-25, 2010Innovation – Prosperity NZIFST ConferenceEllerslie Convention Centre, Aucklandwww.nzifst.org.nz/events/annual-conf.aspJuly 25-27, 201043rd Annual AIFST ConventionThe Sebel & Citigate, Albert Park, Melbourne, Victoriawww.aifst.asn.auAugust 18–19, 20105th Innovative Foods Conference: Higher Valued Foods(FIESTA 2010)Bayview Eden Hotel, Melbourne, Australiawww.innovativefoods2010.com/innovativefoods/October 10-21, 2010FoodTech PackTechASB Showgrounds, Aucklanddmg World MediaNovember 4-11, 2010IDF World Dairy SummitAuckland, NZwww.fil-idf.org4th Asia-Pacific conference on nutrigenomics: 21-24February, 2010, AucklandDoes nutrigenomics research apply to the food industry?Can nutrigenomics guide the development of new and successfulfood products?What is the future for nutrigenomics as a research discipline?These issues and others will be debated at the Conference.The conference is an opportunity for the food industry tolearn more about nutrigenomics research and it’s applicationto new products.Sepakers are international researchers working at the cuttingedge field of nutritional genomics (nutrigenomics).Speakers include:• Prof Chris Mathew, Kings College, London, UK: – thegenetic basis of ulcerative colitis.• Prof Ian Rowlands, University of Reading, UK: – theeffect of the microbiota and potential use of probioticson colon inflammation and colon cancer.• Prof Jerry Wells, The University of Wageningen, TheNetherlands: –intestinal homeostasis and the role ofmicrobe-host signalling in the epithelium.Programme, registration forms and more informationon speakers at www.nutrigenomics.org.nzFoodTech PackTech 2010Don’t forget to add Foodtech Packtech to your 2010 Diary12th-14th October 2010ASB Showgrounds, AucklandPlease note that there has been a date change since theshow was launched to the market.Please note that Vanessa White has taken over from JulieDeacon as Exhibition Sales Manager of Foodtech Packtech.www.foodtechpacktech.co.nz42Food New Zealand

International Conference DiaryList compiled by Dr David Everett, University of OtagoEVENTSApril 9-11, 2010Managing Agri-Food SupplyChainLucknow, Uttar Pradesh, Indiawww.iiml.ac.in/Agri-Food.pdf?PHPSESSID=1c4c3a5695b3e5ec9c77ee591d673b27April 9-14, 2010Conference for FoodProtectionProvidence, Rhode Island, USAwww.foodprotect.org/biennialmeeting/April 14-15, 2010Dairy SustainabilitySymposiumChicago, Illinois, USAwww.idfa.orgApril 22-24, 2010Wine & Gourmet JapanTokyo, Japanwww.koelnmesse.com.sg/wineandgourmetjapan/en/index.htmlApril 26-30, 20105th International FoodLegumes ResearchConference (IFLRC V)Antalya, Turkeywww.iflrc-ecgl.orgMay 3-6, 2010Third InternationalSymposium on LoquatAntakya, Turkeyloquat2010.mku.edu.trMay 17-21, 2010IDF/ISO Analytical WeekMontreal, Canadawww.fil-idf.orgMay 18-20, 2010Food Ingredients Central andEastern EuropeWarsaw, Polandwww.fi-events.comMay 23-26, 20102010 Food Safety EducationConferenceAtlanta, Georgia, USAguest.cvent.com/EVENTS/Info/Summary.aspx?e=0076080c-a4e7-40b2-a429-e8b206e6c7ccMay 23-27, 2010Practical Short Course:Trends in Margarine andShortening ManufactureCollege Station, Texas, USAfoodprotein.tamu.edu/fatsoils/scmargarine.phpMay 24-26, 2010Milk and Cultured DairyProduct SymposiumRosemont, Illinois, USAwww.idfa.orgMay 26-28, 2010International Conferenceon Agricultural and FoodEngineering, ICAFE 2010Tokyo, Japanwww.waset.org/conferences/2010/tokyo/icafe/June 8, 2010IGC Grains Conference 2010London, UKwww.igc.org.uk/en/conference/confhome.aspxJune 8-10, 20102nd International MoniQAConferenceKrakow, Polandwww.moniqa.orgJune 8-10, 2010Food Ingredients SouthAmericaSao Paulo, Brazilfi-events.comJune 8-11, 2010NutraSource Research 9thVahouny Dietary FiberSymposiumBethesda, Maryland, USAwww.nsresearch.orgJune 8-11, 20102nd InternationalSymposium on Gluten-Free Cereal Products andBeveragesTampere, Finlandwww.helsinki.fi/gf10June 9-11, 2010IAFP’s Sixth EuropeanSymposium on Food SafetyDublin, Irelandwww.foodprotection.orgJune 16-18, 2010Korean Society of FoodScience and Technologyannual meetingInchon, Koreawww.kosfost.or.krJune 19-23, 2010Reciprocal Meat ConferenceLubbock, Texas, USAwww.depts.ttu.edu/meatscience/June 20-24, 201010th InternationalHydrocolloids ConferenceShanghai, Chinawww.10ihc.orgJune 30 - July 2, 2010Food Factory 2010, 5thInternational Conferenceon the Food Factory for theFutureGothenburg, Swedenwww.food-factory.seJuly 5-7, 2010Food Oral Processing— Physics, Physiology andPsychology of EatingLeeds, UKwww.food.leeds.ac.uk/fopJuly 11-15, 2010American Dairy ScienceAssociationDenver, Colorado, USAwww.adsa.orgMay 6-7, 2010World Milk CulturesParis, Francewww.fil-idf.org/WebsiteDocuments/pdf/World-Milk-Cultures-Preprogram.pdfMay 9-12, 20106th Food AllergenMethodologies ConferenceToronto, Ontario, Canadawww.moniqa.org/node/1480May 13-15, 20106th China InternationalFoodstuff ExpositionGuangzhou, Chinawww.cifexpo.orgMay 30 – June 1, 20102010 CIFST / AAFCConference - Safe andHealthy Food: Harvesting theScienceWinnipeg, Manitoba, Canadawww.cifst.caJune 7-11, 2010Microstructure of DairyProductsSymposium on Science andTechnology of FermentedMilkTromsø, Norwaywww.idffer2010.nowww.idfmic2010.noJune 15-17, 2010International ProbioticConference 2010Kosice, Slovakiawww.probiotic-conference.netJune 17-18 2010Food Innovation AsiaConference 2010: IndigenousFood Research andDevelopment to GlobalMarketBITEC, Bangkok, Thailandhttp://www.agri.ubu.ac.th/indigenous_foodJuly 17-20, 2010Institute of FoodTechnologistsChicago, Illinois, USAwww.ift.orgJuly 25-30, 20103rd International Symposiumon Tomato DiseasesNaples, Italywww.3istd.comAugust 1-4, 2010International Association forFood ProtectionAnaheim, CAwww.foodprotection.orgIf you would like us to include your course or conference in this listing contact Dr David Everett, DrCheese@mac.comFebruary/March 201043

23-25 June, 2010Ellerslie Convention CentreAuckland44Food New Zealand