Friday, March 29, 2024

Green Kiwi story sells food

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New Zealand food needs a brand to differentiate it as free-range, grass-fed and free of genetically modified organisms, special trade envoy Mike Petersen says.
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It would tap in to consumer concerns by differentiating NZ food from competitors, Petersen told the Deer Industry conference. The topic was picked up by other speakers including two major venison customers.

Petersen said imagery of NZ countryside, farms and livestock helped market NZ food but it needed data to validate its health and freshness claims, which could be combined in to a NZ Pure or some such brand.

Ireland had launched the Origin Green brand for accredited food exporters, which validated suppliers as providing assured product from environmentally sustainable farms including a property’s carbon footprint.

“The NZ story is there, we have good imagery but we need to back it up with statistics, integrity and validation.”

Petersen said a NZ Pure brand couldn’t come fast enough given the steps taken by Ireland. 

HIs view received some heavyweight support from Rodd Willis, the director of natural and specialty at Dot Foods, the largest food redistribution company in the United States and Ben Veldkamp, the head game and poultry buyer for Hanos, one of the Netherland’s largest food service companies.

Willis said NZ food ticked all the boxes of US consumer concerns by being grass-fed, natural, no antibiotics, no GMOs and operating under high animal-welfare standards.

“Consumers are clamouring to hear this story and NZ has it.”

Organic manufacturers were including quick response (QR codes) on their products so consumers could use smartphones to see the producer’s story, including from video.

Willis said US consumer resistance to GMOs was becoming a “big deal”.

The restaurant chain Chipolte was recently sued for claiming its food was GMO-free when it was proved animals had been GM-fed.

The state of Vermont recently passed a law that all GM food must be labelled, a move Willis said could be adopted by other states.

Many consumers were attracted by what he called “buzz words” on products or promotional material at the point of sale, often with little understanding of what that wording meant.

Silver Fern Farms marketing manager Sharon Angus said they had QR codes on their product so consumers could see where the meat came from while Glenn Tyrrell of Duncan and Co said they included check cards in meat boxes promoting their products’ attributes to chefs and to help educate wait staff so they can inform customers.

Veldkamp said NZ venison resonated with consumers.

He was impressed with how farmers managed their environments saying it was a major selling point for NZ food.

NZ venison came from an integrated supply chain, was of premium quality, lean, healthy and produced from animals that had the highest animal welfare standards.

That compared favourably to European venison which was shot by hunters in the wild.

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