ANZCO Foods’ new Foodplus programme

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
5 December 2012

ANZCO Foods’ new Foodplus programme – comments by Sir Graeme Harrison

ANZCO Foods Chairman, Sir Graeme Harrison, who has worked in the meat industry in various roles since 1973, is enthusiastic about the potential of the new Foodplus programme to enhance business opportunities for the sector.

ANZCO Foods and the Ministry for Primary Industries announced joint funding for the $87million Foodplus programme earlier this week. MPI Director-General Wayne McNee approved funding from the Primary Growth Partnership, which is administered by MPI.

Sir Graeme says it will give a vital boost to the meat industry.

“For too long the meat industry has been criticised as being a production-led commodity business characterised by high volatility and marginal profitability. This government-industry partnership provides a springboard to further transform our industry, to leverage off the inherent strengths of our farming practices and animal health status and to collaborate and capitalise on the benefits of quality New Zealand research and innovation.”

The name Foodplus reflects the programme’s goal of repositioning the market’s traditional and narrow perception of meat products through the development of novel, sustainable, value-added products in food, ingredients and healthcare, he says.

“As Foodplus begins to utilise the PGP’s comprehensive research opportunities, we will introduce more projects that will certainly challenge and re-invent the traditional uses of beef cattle in particular.”

ANZCO has existing manufacturing and meat ingredient food businesses at three New Zealand sites. “The Foodplus initiative will build on the existing expertise within ANZCO Foods but also add considerable new processes and opportunities never before realised in the New Zealand meat industry.”

ANZCO is confident the benefits of Foodplus will extend to its farmer-producer suppliers who can expect to see value extracted in due course from all parts of the animal.

END

More about the company running the PGP programme
ANZCO Foods is a multinational group of companies and one of New Zealand’s largest exporters, with sales of $1.3 billion and employing more than 3000 staff worldwide.

The Primary Growth Partnership
The Primary Growth Partnership is a government-industry initiative that is investing in significant programmes of research and innovation to boost the economic growth and sustainability of New Zealand’s primary, forestry and food sectors. To date it has committed around $600 million of multi-year funding.

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