Food innovation plant, the FoodBowl, opens

The FoodBowl, a government-backed food innovation pilot plant which aims to grow New Zealand manufactured food exports to $150 billion (270%) by 2025, is officially open. Aimed at all food and beverage companies, from start-ups to SMEs and corporates, resources include commercial and test kitchens, laboratory facilities, pilot plant testing (from existing to leading-edge technology) and short-run processing capability to allow in-market testing of new product concepts.

Located near Auckland International airport, The FoodBowl is part of a New Zealand-wide open-access network of innovation centres. The New Zealand Food Innovation Network, or NZFIN, comprises food science and technology resources designed to enable New Zealand food and beverage businesses of all sizes to grow, by supporting new product and process development with preproduction pilot facilities and expertise.

In the works for nearly a decade, the network secured agreement for $20 million in funding from the Minister of Economic Development in December 2009. Of the $16 million required to build and equip the Auckland facility, the government contribution of $9.4 million was dedicated to specialist fit-out and production equipment, with the Auckland City Council contributing $2.5 million and Auckland International Airport providing build and leaseback of the facility.

The Auckland centre includes seven process halls:

1. Equipment for extrusion and milling/blending, filling equipment to handle bulk bags or retail packs for both extruded product and powdered blends.
2. UHT/aseptic filling line and other equipment for beverage development and production.
3. General purpose, for consumer goods including cans, retort pouches, stand-up pouches, bottles and jars; general purpose food processing and bar extruder and capacity to bake biscuits, health bars and novelty items.
4. High-pressure pasteurisation (including a 55 L HPP, which is being used to remarkably extend the shelf life of exports).
5. Freeze drying.
6. Microwave thawing.
7. Production kitchen.

NZFIA chairman Tony Nowell said, “As a key ingredient of economic growth, the New Zealand food and beverage industry needs ambitious and substantial infrastructure to develop and perfect new added-value products and the new Auckland facility represents one of the most significant investments in New Zealand’s food innovation to date.

“Overseas data from similar economies indicates that significant growth can come from adding value to the primary sector by constantly innovating on what we are already good at. New Zealand has many SMEs that have excellent ideas but lack the financial, material or knowledge resources to bring them successfully to market.

“The resources of the FoodBowl overcome a critical deficiency in New Zealand’s new product development process - the ability to upscale sophisticated new products from laboratory to commercial production - and fill the gap between the idea stage and getting successful product on market shelves. It also helps manage the risks of innovation by minimising capital and expertise investment until products and markets are proven.”

In addition to the open-access commercialisation facilities, the network provides an ‘expertise bank’ of technologists, scientists and consultants to support companies’ use of the facilities and a knowledge base to identify and develop opportunities for intercompany cooperation to build synergies and operational scale for international success.

The FoodBowl, Palmerston North and Canterbury are operational and Waikato will follow in 2012. Each regional hub is focused on industries germane to the region (in Waikato there will be a primary concentration on dairy, while the Canterbury centre (at Lincoln University) supports South Island-based manufacturers and the Palmerston North hub draws on the expertise of some 600 scientists and technologists in NZFIN partner facilities, including Massey University and AgResearch).