Media release 20 October 2008
Hot chicken for the heartland wins Massey Food Awards
From Wanaka to Whitianga, from Ranfurly to Raglan, busy families in heartland New Zealand can now enjoy healthy hot-roasted takeaway chicken – thanks to the innovation of this year’s Massey Food Awards supreme winner.
Tegel Foods’ Deluxe Roasted Chicken, which releases the family favourite from the confines of supermarkets and makes it available in convenience stores, won the Premier Award in this year’s Massey Food Awards, which recognise the country’s most cutting-edge new food and drinks.
Cost and health issues previously meant hot roasted chicken could be sold only through large supermarkets, so much of small-town New Zealand – including many popular holiday spots – missed out on this tasty meal-in-a-run.
But over four years Tegel perfected a process for cooking, packaging and sealing Deluxe Roasted chicken that allows smaller stores throughout the country to sell New Zealand’s favourite takeaway with confidence. And it did this while ensuring it remained a low fat chicken that contained no allergens such as wheat, soy or dairy products and tastes great.
As well as winning the Premier Award, Deluxe Roasted Chicken won the Food Safety Award, for a product that assures customer safety and provides public confidences.
“Tegel overcame great technical hurdles to deliver a safe and attractive food product that would appeal to the mass market,” said the judges. “Audited every three months Tegel cleared a series of food safety hurdles to achieve this superior convenience product that has nutritional benefits, looks good and tastes delicious.”
In common with many other prize winners, Tegel Deluxe Roasted Chicken focuses strongly on convenience and health, putting food technologists at the centre of efforts to improve the diet of everyday New Zealanders.
Chief judge Allyson Gofton said the entries showed that food technologists were “the home cooks of today”.
“The reality is that in a world that runs at an ever-increasing pace, food preparation takes a back seat,” she said. “We need food technologists and marketers to produce foods with a conscience.”
3six9 dressings from Functional Whole Foods New Zealand, which won the Massey University Enterprise Award was another winner focused on convenience and health.
Functional Whole Foods New Zealand hired an organic Japanese chef with a brief to produce tasty, versatile food dressings, based on flax seed – which is rich in Omega 3, 6 and 9 fatty acids.
The Miso, Mustard and Tamari dressings are the first functional food dressings in New Zealand and Australia, use all natural ingredients, are gluten-free, have no added sugar and can deliver an individual’s daily intake of Omegas 3, 6 and 9.
“These functional food dressings taste great, are healthy and are available in delicious flavours,” said the judges. “The packaging is easy to use and the design is cutting edge.”
Other health and convenience-focused winners included Hubbard’s Berry Berry Good Cereal, which won the Heart Foundation Tick programme Healthier Choice Award. The cereal was designed specifically to provide a healthier, higher fibre children’s breakfast cereal with Heart Foundation Tick approval.
Also meeting the nutrition standards of the Heart Foundation Tick programme Cookie Time Ltd, won the Markem-Imaje Bakery Products Award for its Smart Cookie, a healthy cookie alternative designed for school tuck shops.
Tick national manager Ian Mathieson says that there has been strong growth in the Tick programme this year, with more than 100 new products gaining Tick approval in the last six months.
“It’s encouraging to see manufacturers and food technologists respond to increasing consumer demand for healthier choices with the Tick,” he adds. “It’s more important than ever to encourage manufacturers to put the health of Kiwi kids first.”
New Zealand Natural, which won the BOC Dairy or Dairy Replacement Foods Award for its Zilch! no added sugar, Heart Foundation Tick approved frozen desserts; Green Monkey Ltd, which won the Crop and Food Research Fruit and Vegetable Products Award and the FMCG Magazine Meal Solutions Award for its Green Monkey Premium Organic Baby Food; and NZ Bakels Ltd, which won the Progressive Food for Life Award for its Gluten Free Health Baking Ingredients.
New Zealand Natural also won the Massey University Export Award with its Kiwi Pavlova Ice-Cream, developed specifically for export markets that said they wanted an identifiably New Zealand flavour.
The award winners are announced on Monday 20 October at a food industry gala dinner in Auckland.
Media release 18 July 2008
Snails, vodka and smart cookies finalists in food awards
New Zealand’s first commercially farmed snails, vodka jellies and a smart cookie that gets the Heart Foundation tick are among the 45 finalists in the 2008 Massey University Food Awards.
The biennial awards recognise the country’s most cutting-edge new food and drink products, championing innovation and excellence.
The innovative finalists include the first commercially produced NZ pickled snails and snails in spring water from the Hawke’s Bay, vodka jelly shooters, tart cherry juice that helps you sleep, a low-fat chocolate cream high in omega 3, a power bar developed by a Coast to Coast winner and a smart choc fudge cookie that receives the Heart Foundation tick.
“The finalists’ line up shows that small businesses are leading the way with product innovation,” says head judge Allyson Gofton. “There are a lot of small food businesses, many of them entrepreneurs, doing some truly creative things and it’s great to see such strong innovation.
“The most notable trend among this year’s finalists is that food products are crossing over to the functional food and nutrition arena, some are even medicinal, and this is something that will grow enormously in future,” she says.
“The finalists also suggest there is a growing drive to meet specialist consumer demand for free-from, organic or preservative-free products.”
People living with celiac disease will be happy with offerings that include gluten-free pikelet, waffle, bread, baking and pastry mixes.
“It is great to see that a number of products targeted directly at school tuck shops, providing healthy snack options that are good for kids and still taste delicious,” Gofton says.
Tuck-shop-focused finalists include the smart cookie, based on the Cookie Time favourite, which is the first sweet biscuit in NZ to achieve the Heart Foundation tick, and Sooshi, a sushi snack pack designed to make the healthy lunch option available to school canteens.
Innovation in packaging is also a focus as food companies take a more holistic approach to their products and their impact on the environment.
The finalists will be scrutinised by a panel of food industry experts to find the winners in 20 categories from which one supreme winner will be selected. The Awards will culminate in a gala dinner in October 2008 when the winners will be announced.
Media release 21 May 2008
Hot and healthy winning recipe in school canteens
Two years after winning two major prizes at the Massey University Food Awards, a healthier alternative to the classic Kiwi meat pie is taking school canteens by storm – and even making its way into the canteens of Australian Schools.
Hot Bites Murphies, from the Tasman Bay Food Group Limited, were developed specifically to entice school children to switch from meat pies high in saturated fat and sodium to something more nutritious and less fattening.
To do that, it also had to taste good. Marina Hirst Tristram, marketing manager of Tasman Bay, says it took the company six months to develop a product with all the right ingredients.
Tasman Bay hit upon a mince “pie” with a crisp bread casing and a swirling potato and cheese topping. With a particularly tasty filling, it also negates children’s desire to add salt- and sugar-laden tomato sauce.
Judges at the 2006 awards were impressed, giving the product not only the enterprise award, but also the New Zealand Heart Foundation Tick Programme Nutritional Award. “The project was well investigated … with manufacturers looking at what influences student’s food choices and the perceived barriers of eating healthy food,” they said. “The resulting product not only answers the health issues required of the study, but also the commercial reality of providing a cost-effective sales option for retailers and wholesalers alike.”
Hirst Tristram says winning the nutrition award, in particular, provided a real boost to the company’s efforts in marketing to school canteens.
“Winning the award provided an excellent talking point and opener for our distributors to help convince schools to try the product,” she says. “It certainly got our distributors excited and helped them believe in the product. We always thought the product was great but it makes it even bigger to have industry recognition.”
But Hot Bites Murphies have received more than just industry recognition – since winning the awards, sales have increased dramatically, and they are now even making a difference to the eating habits of Australian school children.
“Before we developed Hot Bites Murphies our Hot Bites Mince Pies were the biggest sellers out of all our products,” says Hirst Tristram. “We are now pleased to say that Hot Bites Murphies sell 29% more than our Hot Bites Mince Pies. Year-on-year growth for Hot Bites Murphies is 34% and we are looking forward to building on this with different variants.”
New Zealand school children can now buy Chicken Hot Bites Murphies, and the company this month sent its first container of the product to schools in New South Wales.
Now in their 22nd year, the biennial Massey University Food Awards showcase innovation and ingenuity and recognise market leaders in the food production and manufacturing industry.
They are open to products developed for the New Zealand market or for export. All products must be manufactured in New Zealand with a manufacturing base and/or New Zealand address. Complete judging criteria may be obtained from the awards website, along with details on the twenty categories available for entry.
Entry forms for the 2008 Massey University Food Awards are now available on the awards website http://foodawards.massey.ac.nz Entries close June 6 2008.
Released on behalf of Massey University by Goode PR, Auckland. For more information please contact Petra Mihaljevich of Goode PR on (09) 480 9948 or petra@goodepr.co.nz or Marina Hirst Tristram at Tasman Bay Foods Marina@tasmanbay.co.nz
Media release 14th February 2008
2008 MASSEY UNIVERSITY FOOD AWARDS - CALL FOR ENTRIES
In its 22nd year, the bi-annual awards showcase innovation and ingenuity and recognise market leaders in the food production and manufacturing industry. They have set a benchmark in the industry, garnering great support and attracting a diverse range of entrants.
All products entered into the awards will be scrutinised by a panel of food experts, led by this year's new Master Judge high profile food commentator and TV chef, Allyson Gofton. They are marked on a range of categories, which include innovation in packaging design, nutrition, enterprise and food safety.
Past winners have not only received recognition from within the industry but sales, marketing and resulting revenue benefits have accompanied their success.
Following their superb win, the 2006 Premier Award winner Sealord's Simply Natural Tender Calamari with Thai style mild chilli dipping sauce saw huge benefits for business, according to David Welsh, Marketing Manager.
"It gave us a really great profile with our customers and internally it gave us something to be proud of. It was fantastic to acknowledge a lot of people's very hard work in the development area."
Professor Judith Kinnear, Vice-Chancellor of Massey University, says products entered in the Awards are outstanding examples of the quality and vitality of the New Zealand food industry.
Massey University is proud to be associated with an event, that rewards the efforts of food technologists in progressing one of this country's most important industries," she says.
Massey University is the leading provider of research and human capacity to New Zealand's land-based economy. It offers New Zealand's only specialist food technology degree and is committed to the development of new food products and boasts numerous research facilities that offer expert knowledge to companies. It is also one of only a few organisations able to conceptualise, create, produce and test products all in one place, making it a superb fit for location and sponsor of the Food Awards.
Sponsorship support has again been strong for the 2008 Awards, evidence of the unique opportunity sponsors are presented with in helping New Zealand food organisations to showcase the latest and greatest in their product lines.
The awards welcome products developed for the New Zealand market or for export. All products must be manufactured in New Zealand with a manufacturing base and/or New Zealand address. Complete judging criteria may be obtained from the awards website, along with details on the twenty categories available for entry.
The Awards will culminate in a celebration Gala Dinner on October 20 2008, where the winners will be announced.
Entry forms for the 2008 Massey University Food Awards are now available on the Awards website http://foodawards.massey.ac.nz Entries close June 6 2008.
Sponsorship opportunities are still available to support this exclusive event. For more information please contact Tony Goode at Goode Events 09 480 9948 or email tony@goodepr.co.nz
Media release 16th October 2006
Massey University Food Award 2006 Winners
Innovative creations for healthy eating
The winners of the Massey University Food Awards 2006 were announced last night at a glittering Awards Gala Dinner held at the Hyatt Regency Auckland.
The results revealed an almost universal acknowledgement of healthier food. This was reflected both in the entries, the judges approach and was the hot topic at the discussion table.
The Massey University Food Awards 2006 were the culmination of a month long judging process which began with submissions from an eclectic range of New Zealand’s foremost food manufacturers as well as emerging companies. Coming from all corners of the country, more than 100 products were entered for judging which took place in two phases. The initial phase saw the judges individually and exhaustively assessing and scoring all the entry documents and packaging details which gave the team a solid background with which to participate in the final tasting and discussion round three weeks later.
Sealord Simply Natural Tender Calamari Rings with Thai Style mild chilli dipping sauce sachet by Sealord NZ Marketing Ltd scored a tri factor walking away with not only the Massey University Premier Award, but also the New Zealand Trade and Enterprise Export Award as well as the Alcan Danaflex Meat, Seafood and Poultry Products Award.
Judges describe the product as an excellent instance of a simple to prepare, great tasting product that allows the consumer to extend their seafood repertoire and over come the concern of how to cook seafood and eat healthily. Innovative processing techniques allows for a tender yet texturally consistent end product that fits perfectly into the convenience food category with all the hallmarks of authenticity, good taste and simplicity. Sealord identified correctly that although calamari was increasingly popular in restaurants and cafes as an entrée, there were limited offerings in the retail market for the home cook. In addition to this, Seafood also offers retailers better margins to other protein food sources making this product very commercially viable. Attractive packaging and accompanying dipping sauce make the product an easy way for consumers to enjoy a good source of Omega 3 in the home. This is an example of New Zealand’s continued progress in food product development and innovation.
Two other products were equally honoured.
Tasman Bay Food Group Ltd’s revolutionary school lunch offering Hot Bites Murphies was awarded the Massey University Enterprise Award, the Imaje Coding Technologies Bakery Products Award, the Rapid Labels Food Service Award as well as the Heart Foundation Tick Programme Nutritional Award.
The NZ Food Safety Authority Award, Specialty Products Award and the New Zealand Institute of Food Science and Technology Research & Development Award was awarded to Cookie Time’s One Square Meal.
Common to both products was their emphasis on health and convenience.
Chief Judge Nick Baylis, Chief Executive of M&C Saatchi was very encouraged by the acknowledgement of healthy eating in the entries this year. “It was refreshing to see this huge emphasis from both the small players in our food industry but more importantly from some of the bigger companies too. Perhaps the most surprising observation coming from this trend was that the move to healthier eating options was in no way a limitation on innovation, in fact I would argue it has driven and stimulated innovation to the benefit of the industry and the consumer alike.”
On the back of this trend was also a continued emphasis by manufacturers on producing quality products that reflect the busyness of today’s society resulting in a focus on clever thinking to deliver great tasting food that was both easy and convenient in its preparation. This led to innovation not being limited just to the product itself but also around its packaging and its preparation methods and the awards given out reflected both a products ability to cater for this high demand consumer led benefit and the overall push towards health conscious solutions.
Baylis concludes that “Overall the standard of entries was high but there were a small group of products who clearly led the field and consistently stood out in the categories they were entered into which made the final decision making by the panel a slightly easier task.”
Released on behalf of Massey University by Goode PR, Auckland . For more information please contact Connie Clarkson at Goode PR on 09 480 9948 or email connie@goodepr.co.nz or visit http://foodawards.massey.ac.nz/
For further information about Massey University please contact:
Helen Vause on 09 414 0821, email H.E.Vause@massey.ac.nz or visit www.massey.ac.nz.