Field Notes Issue 603 Field Notes Issue 603 Field Notes Issue 603

[21st April 2022]

This week in New Zealand, many of the top stories are centred around policy and regulation. The government announces an NZD$25m investment for recruiting and training farm advisers with an annual grant of up to $22,500 per person, a Parliamentary select committee is left divided on the live export ban, and even more voices are added to the growing demands for a review and update to New Zealand’s genetic modification laws.

Internationally we see a set of new innovations, environmental commitments and consumption trends across several articles. Asahi Beverages has committed to make approximately 111 million soft drink bottles out of 100% recycled plastic in Australia, including Pepsi Max, Solo and Schweppes. In China, data is showing that an increase in seafood is offsetting the structural decline in pork consumption as a flow-on effect of the African swine flu pandemic, and researchers in Japan have created chopsticks with a weak electrical current to transmit sodium ions from food through the chopsticks to increase saltiness taste by “1.5 times”. 

The Week in Agrifoodtech: eGrocer BigBasket bags $131m, Choco lands $111m to fight food waste [14 April, AgFunder]

Indian start-up BigBasket (an online shopping start-up) and German start-up Choco (a start-up focused on eliminating food waste from the supply chain) reported the largest funding figures last week at USD$131 & USD$111 million, respectively. New Zealand’s Leaft Foods, a start-up aimed at creating alternative protein from leaves, also received substantial funding at USD$15 million. A complete list of start-ups and their descriptions and funding received can be found in the news article link.

Tags: International, Food Innovation 

Talks to fast-track supermarket regulation and break apart stores [14 April, Newsroom]

In response to Foodstuffs and Woolworths' duopoly of supermarkets in New Zealand that saw NZD$1 million a day above typical revenues earlier this year, Commerce Minister David Clark aims to make sure consumers are not taken advantage of. Clark said he expects to follow the Commerce Commission's advice for the situation (e.g., consistent unit pricing) but is investigating if the government could go further and break the duopoly apart.

Tags: Food Retail, Policy & Regulation

Newest Food Innovation: A burger vending machine NOW exists [16 April, Fansided]

US business RoboBurger has developed the world’s first burger vending machine. Currently offered at Newport Centre Mall in Jersey City, New Jersey, customers can fully customise their burger to their liking, and the machine will cook it from scratch, including freshly grilled patties.

Tags: International, Food Innovation 

NZ export leadership roles a man’s world [14 April, Newsroom]

A report published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade looking into the inclusivity of New Zealand exporting firms finds that just 15% of export companies hold more women than men in senior leadership positions. Comparatively, 28% of non-export companies had more women in leadership positions. Factors such as gender discrimination and fewer women being enticed to work in the industry are proposed to cause these findings.

Tags: Agribusiness, Trade & Exports

Comvita x Microsoft mixed reality goes to Asia [19 April, Foodticker]

In collaboration with Microsoft, New Zealand Honey company Comvita has created a multi-sensory experience utilising Microsoft’s HoloLens headset (an augmented reality headset) to provide customers with the sight and sounds of a New Zealand forest while tasting Comvita’s honey. The project will expand to two stores later this year, one in Kuala Lumpur and another in Shanghai.

Tags: Food Innovation, Food Retail, Trade & Exports