Blockchain for transparency: Nestle to pilot new tech on dairy in New Zealand
Nestle is collaborating with blockchain provider OpenSC on a pilot for its New Zealand dairy operations that will create supply chain traceability from farm-to-fork, with a second phase set to focus on palm oil.
OpenSC is a blockchain-enabled food tracking platform, and is a collaborative development between WWF-Australia and BCG Digital Ventures.
The initial pilot will see Nestle tracing its milk sourced from farms in New Zealand across its journey to the company’s relevant warehouses and factories in the United Arab Emirates in the Middle East
“We will trace the milk through its different forms, from liquid fresh milk at the farm in New Zealand through to our powdered milk facilities in the Middle East,” a Nestle spokeswoman told FoodNavigator-Asia.
Fizzy logic: Coca-Cola Amatil introduces Australia’s first fully recyclable soft drink container
Australian beverage giant Coca-Cola Amatil has recently announced its pioneering development of a 100% recyclable, carbonated-pressure proof soft drink bottle.
This invention is a first for carbonated drinks, and has been hailed by the company as a ‘major step forward for sustainability’.
“[Pressure] inside a soft drink bottle is up to 100 psi, or three times the pressure in a car tyre. So the bottle for carbonated drinks needs to be much stronger than for still beverages, and that’s been an obstacle in using 100% recycled materials for these types of drinks,” said Group Managing Director Alison Watkins.
“[We’ve] overcome this challenge through innovation and design, and we’re now the first in Australia to make 100% recycled plastic bottles for carbonated beverages.”
Patchi, Al Rawabi, and Almarai – Three ‘most intimate’ brands among UAE consumers
Lebanon’s chocolatier Patchi, UAE’s Al Rawabi Dairy, and Saudi’s Almarai food conglomerate are the top three ‘most intimate’ consumer brands among UAE consumers, according to a survey by brand insights agency MBLM.
MBLM defines brand intimacy as the bonds that consumers form with the brands that they use, consumers see these brands as a required part of their lives and are also more willing to pay premium prices.
About 1,200 UAE consumers took part in the online quantitative survey last year. They were also required to grade the brands on six fronts, including the level of indulgence, fulfilment, identity, enhancement, ritual, and nostalgia that they provide.
A list of top 10 ‘most intimate’ food and beverage consumer brands in the UAE was subsequently identified.
‘Delivering via dairy’: Lewis Road Creamery has no qualms about plant-based competition as it eyes Asian expansion
New Zealand’s Lewis Road Creamery has cited its dairy quality and innovative capabilities as major reasons it is not concerned about competition from the plant-based products sector as it targets expansion into Asia.
“This is not an issue because we are focused on the high quality proteins and fats that dairy can provide,” Lewis Road Creamery General Manager Nicola O’Rourke told FoodNavigator-Asia.
“[Despite what the plant-based sector says], dairy is still one of the best sources of protein out there, giving consumers access to this [nutrition] via many touch points throughout the day too.
Pulp power: Nestlé Japan launches KITKAT made without refined sugar
Nestlé Japan is launching a new KITKAT product without adding any sugar, using cacao pulp as a natural sweetener instead of refined sugar.
The product, Cacao Fruit Chocolate, is a 70% dark chocolate bar made from cacao beans and white pulp.
It will be on sale at eight KITKAT stores in Japan (Tokyo, Osaka, Kawasaki, and Hiroshima) as well as Nestlé Japan’s online shop in autumn 2019. Each bar retails at ¥400 excluding tax.
