Coriolis chief executive Tim Morris, Industry Advisory Panel chair Sam Robinson, Plant & Food chief executive Peter Landon-Lane, Massey Vice-Chancellor Professor Jan Thomas, FoodHQ chief executive Dr Abby Thompson, Economic Development Minister David Parker, Fonterra director of group research and development Mark Piper, FoodHQ chair Sue Foley and Assistant Vice-Chancellor Operations, International and University Registrar Stuart Morriss.
A report on opportunities in the $29 billion food and beverage export sector says chocolate bars, cherries, cereals, muesli bars and flavoured drinks are some products with the greatest growth potential.
The report, commissioned by several government departments, was launched today by Economic Development Minister David Parker at Massey University’s Manawatū campus under the FoodHQ umbrella.
FoodHQ is a partnership between AgResearch, AsureQuality, the BioCommerce Centre, ESR, Fonterra, Plant and Food Research, the Manawatu District Council, the Palmerston North City Council, the Riddet Institute and the University.
The report, Emerging Growth Opportunities in New Zealand Food & Beverage Report 2017, was presented by author and Coriolis director Tim Morris. He highlighted the methodology used to find the emerging opportunities in chocolate, fresh cherries, breakfast cereals, muesli bars and flavoured beverages.
Mr Parker said he was deeply impressed with the report. “Our total investment in R&D, at around 1.3 per cent GDP, is about half of where the OECD average is at, so plainly we have to do something different, and plainly the food and beverage industry will be a big part of that,” he said.
Parker talking about the report.
Future of food and beverage
FoodHQ chief executive Dr Abby Thompson says the report looked at a wide range of New Zealand food and beverage exports and identified several areas with significant potential for development.
“New Zealand’s economy was built on producing and exporting food and beverage products. We know international markets’ demands are changing, and it is important to identify areas that have the potential to further grow our exports in the coming years.
“The report has identified areas where we take advantage of our reputation for high-quality produce, our culture of innovation in food and our geographic location, which lets us supply out-of-season products to the northern hemisphere.”
The report was commissioned by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) with support from New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) and the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI).