Exploring nutritious food creations - an overview
In the dynamic world of food production, New Zealand stands out as a leader in creating high-value, healthy food products. This achievement is the result of a collaborative, multidisciplinary process that brings together food technologists, nutritionists, sensory scientists, and manufacturing engineers.
The mission of the National Science Challenge High-Value Nutrition Ko Ngā Kai Whai Painga was to grow the science excellence and knowledge that New Zealand needs to produce and deliver food and nutrition to the world, helping people stay healthy and well. This mission has been instrumental in positioning New Zealand as a global player in the food and beverage industry, with high-value nutrition food exports worth over $20 billion per year.
One of the key institutions driving this research and development is Plant & Food Research, the New Zealand Crown research institute responsible for adding value to vegetable, fruit, crop, and food products. Their work focuses on investigating naturally occurring phytochemicals and carbohydrates in grains, vegetables, and fruits as a means of producing high-value foods that promote appetite control.
The development process integrates scientific innovation, nutritional science, sensory analysis, and engineering expertise, all aligned with strict food safety and regulatory standards.
- Innovation and Sustainable Ingredient Use: Research often starts with identifying or developing sustainable, high-quality raw materials. The University of Auckland’s Circular Innovations Research Centre, for example, developed a sustainable process converting native kānuka plant biomass into natural food flavoring that enhances taste and shelf life.
- Formulation and Nutritional Optimization: Nutritionists guide the formulation phase to ensure products meet health criteria, such as enhanced nutrient profiles or functional benefits like prebiotics. Regulatory frameworks like those from Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) provide guidance on novel ingredients, such as the approval process for enzymes aiding functional fiber production.
- Sensory Evaluation: Sensory scientists assess product taste, texture, aroma, and appearance to ensure consumer acceptance. Their input guarantees that health-oriented product modifications do not compromise palatability, which is crucial for market success.
- Manufacturing Process Development and Safety: Manufacturing engineers design and optimize production processes that maintain product quality and safety at scale. Food safety protocols like HACCP and standards (FSSC 22000, BRC) are implemented collaboratively with quality assurance experts to manage risks from raw materials to finished goods.
- Cross-functional Collaboration: The teams work closely throughout, sharing data and insights. For example, food technologists develop prototypes, nutritionists validate health claims, sensory scientists provide feedback on consumer appeal, and manufacturing engineers convert formulations into scalable, safe production processes. This alignment helps produce high-value, nutritious food products that comply with regulations and consumer expectations.
Human clinical trials can be part of the process for developing healthy food products. The High-Value Nutrition National Science Challenge, which harnessed New Zealand's world-class scientific expertise to create knowledge for a competitive advantage in food and beverage exports, also estimated the worldwide diabetes market will be worth $45 billion by 2020.
The Australian and New Zealand governments are conducting a review of the Health Star Rating system for food, which was upgraded in 2022 to be tougher on sugar and salt. The system is currently voluntary, but the government may make it mandatory if uptake by manufacturers does not meet a 70% target by 2025.
Eating a varied diet that includes vegetables is part of keeping healthy. Consumer New Zealand uses the Bad Taste Food Awards to call out manufacturers who promote their products as being healthier than they are. New Zealand has an international reputation for high-quality, efficiently produced, safe foods and beverages.
The High-Value Nutrition National Science Challenge, which finished in June 2024, has made its content freely available on Figshare, and the University of Auckland will host the Challenge's website, providing continued access to information about the Challenge's research. Many consumers are willing to pay more for foods with health benefits, making the development of high-value, healthy food products a valuable investment for the future of New Zealand's food industry.
[1] University of Auckland. (n.d.). Circular Innovations Research Centre. Retrieved from https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/about/our-university/our-research/our-research-centres/circular-innovations-research-centre.html
[2] Food Standards Australia New Zealand. (n.d.). Approval process for novel ingredients. Retrieved from https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/science/scientific-assessment/submitting-a-novel-food/approval-process
[3] HACCP International. (n.d.). HACCP International. Retrieved from https://www.haccp-international.com/
[4] FSSC 22000. (n.d.). FSSC 22000. Retrieved from https://www.fssc22000.com/
[5] British Retail Consortium. (n.d.). BRC Global Standards. Retrieved from https://www.brcglobalstandards.com/
[6] Consumer New Zealand. (n.d.). Bad Taste Food Awards. Retrieved from https://www.consumer.org.nz/news/bad-taste-food-awards-2019/
[7] Ministry for Primary Industries. (n.d.). Food safety. Retrieved from https://www.mpi.govt.nz/food-safety/
[8] Health Star Rating. (n.d.). About Health Star Rating. Retrieved from https://www.healthstarrating.gov.au/about-health-star-rating/
[9] Ministry for Primary Industries. (n.d.). Food safety for industry. Retrieved from https://www.mpi.govt.nz/food-safety/industry/
[10] Eating for Health. (n.d.). Vegetables. Retrieved from https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/food-options/vegetables
- The collaborative work between food technologists, nutritionists, sensory scientists, and manufacturing engineers in New Zealand's food industry is not only focused on creating high-value, healthy food products, but also on optimizing nutritional content, ensuring taste and quality, and maintaining food safety within regulatory standards.
- As part of New Zealand's commitment to health-and-wellness and nutritional excellence, they are continually experimenting with sustainable ingredients like kānuka plant biomass to develop innovative, high-quality raw materials for their healthcare, fitness-and-exercise, and fitness-and-exercise-related food products.
