Fonterra cements position as the big cheese!
Fonterra has cemented its position as the country’s number one cheesemaker by picking up nine NZ Champion of Cheese trophies this year.
FONTERRA CHIEF executive Theo Spierings has welcomed the release of the Government inquiry report into the whey protein concentrate contamination incident.
It affirms New Zealand's position as a global leader in food production and safety, says Spierings.
"The report and its recommendations will help further strengthen New Zealand's robust food safety regulatory systems," Spierings says.
"The integrity of the system is highlighted by comments from Professor Alan Reilly, the Inquiry's Independent Peer Reviewer, who states: "I concur with the broad conclusion drawn by the Inquiry team that the dairy food regulatory structure in New Zealand is fundamentally sound and compares well with official food control systems elsewhere in the world."
"This independent endorsement of the quality of New Zealand's food safety framework is a welcome contribution following the WPC80 precautionary recall," said Mr Spierings.
"We have learned critical lessons from what has been a difficult experience, and the findings of this forward-looking review are an important step in our own reputational rebuild. It is encouraging that many of the recommendations are in line with our own conclusions about the robustness of New Zealand's food production and safety systems."
Spierings says the constructive level of engagement throughout the inquiry process and said Fonterra is looking forward to working with the Government to progress some of the report's recommendations.
"An exciting proposal for Fonterra, and for New Zealand, is the establishment of a centre of food safety science and research and we would welcome the opportunity to commit our expertise to a project such as this.
"We will continue working with Government, global regulators and other food producers to be even better equipped to deal with food safety challenges in the future. New Zealand is the dairy capital of the world and Fonterra must play a lead role in creating a new global benchmark for food safety and quality," Spierings says.
The red meat sector is welcoming the start of trade negotiations between New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Meat processor Alliance Group's cash-strapped farmer shareholders face a dilemma - either pour more money into the co-operative or risk losing 100% ownership and control.
Farmer-led charity, Meat the Need is calling for donations to enable it to supply more meals to families in need.
Weaker pricing and demand from China continue to impact New Zealand red meat export earnings.
Fonterra has cemented its position as the country’s number one cheesemaker by picking up nine NZ Champion of Cheese trophies this year.
OPINION: Canterbury milk processor Synlait is showing no sign of bouncing back from its financial doldrums.
OPINION: It seems every bugger in this country can get an award these days.