Food industry experts from New Zealand are gearing up to take the lead in discussing innovative food solutions focused on new ways of delivering nutrition, fraud prevention and food safety at the Food & Hotel Asia (FHA) conference, held in Singapore from 24-27 April 2018.
The speakers will join 22 other food companies from New Zealand who will be exhibiting over 60 innovative products at the New Pavilion at FHA. Some of these products include sheep milk from Spring Sheep New Zealand and syrups made using real ingredients for flavouring from SHOTT Beverages.
Hayley Horan, New Zealand’s Trade Commissioner to Singapore, applauded New Zealand business’ commitment to innovation for the Asian market. “The focus from consumers and regulators on food safety has risen dramatically across Asia,” she said. “People are now becoming more aware of the food they’re buying and where that food comes from. New Zealand’s reputation as a trusted food producer has never been more relevant, and our businesses are ahead of the pack in meeting this need.”
A group of New Zealand innovators will lead a pre-conference masterclass exploring the latest innovations aimed at improving health and nutrition for the Asian market. United under the Māori name Nuku ki te Puku (Everyday Good Nutrition for Human Wellness), this venture connects food and beverage businesses from New Zealand’s indigenous Māori community with leaders in science and innovation to develop novel solutions for the food industry.
Providing a preview of the “New Nutrition: High Value Consumer Designed Nutrition” Masterclass session, Nuku ki te Puku board member Wayne Mulligan said that “research shows that there has been a rise in dietary issues and nutrient deficiencies in Asia, including Singapore. This comes alongside an epidemic of Type 2 diabetes and an increase in lung conditions linked to urban pollution.
“We are focused on developing nutrition that will address these issues and are looking forward to attending FHA to contribute to the industry discussion around how we can help deliver more high-value nutrition to consumers across this region.”
In addition to nutrition solutions, other New Zealand food leaders will look into the increasing demand for safer food in their discussions, highlighting fraud prevention methods and some of the key factors to consider when entering markets like China.
Kerry Russel, general manager of AsureQuality, South East Asia and China, will be speaking on ‘Where does your company sit when it comes to Food Safety & Fraud Prevention.’
“Food safety is a priority for consumers across Asia. At the same time, social media is also making it easier for consumers to raise any concerns about their food. This makes it even more important now for food companies, especially the small medium enterprises (SMEs) to ensure that they have best practices around food safety and risk management in place to protect their reputation.
“I look forward to sharing some of the basics around food testing regimes and procedures with other industry leaders at FHA,” said Russel.
With robotics and agritech development a keen topic in Singapore, Trade Commissioner Hayley Horan is also pleased that New Zealand food leaders will be driving this discussion at FHA. “New Zealand is a frontrunner in the field of agribusiness and we are really excited to share how we’re harnessing new developments in robotics,” she said. “As we continue to develop clever ways to improve efficiency and productivity, our businesses are evolving from being trusted food producers to food tech leaders.”
