20 minute read
Sustainability Feature
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SHEPHERD FILTERS “PROTECTING YOUR HOOD”
sustainabilityfeature Not all Superheroes Wear Capes Back in 2009, Steve Rickerby was working at an insurance company. When the company moved into Auckland’s first 5-star green rated building, the staff were required to separate rubbish as part of the rating system.
Bins for recycling, rubbish and compost were provided; however, none of the large waste companies offered a service to collect the food waste and paper hand towels. As there was no space to compost onsite, the waste was going straight to landfill. Steve decided to solve the problem by launching We Compost, starting with just one bin on the back of his Ute. Since then Supertrash has diverted over 8 million kilograms of compostable waste from landfill and has expanded to collect and divert not only food and compostable waste but comingle recycling, cardboard, soft plastics, pallet wrap, polystyrene, e-waste, and pallets too.
Supertrash’s aim is simple, to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill. To help achieve this, Supertrash believes that education and transparency are essential, therefore one of its main focuses is giving business reliable data on waste diversion.
The eco-friendly knowledge of Kiwi businesses has increased in recent years. ‘Climate Emergency’ is now a mainstream term and people are becoming more aware of their responsibilities around waste management.
Supertrash has witnessed a huge shift in consciousness regarding many aspects of sustainability with people starting to understand that the way we manage waste in this country (and beyond) urgently requires new solutions. The New Zealand government has significantly increased the waste levy for landfill, making it more cost-effective for people to engage in separating and diverting waste from landfill. Shannon Gormley, Sales and Marketing Manager for Supertrash, is enthusiastic that more businesses are incorporating sustainability into their core values.
“The area we are seeing the most growth in is compostable waste collections, but there has also been huge interest in soft plastics collections, and paper towel collections. Policies like the singleuse plastic carry bag legislation and the upcoming ban on many other single-use packaging items have pushed alternatives to the forefront of people’s minds, especially in the food industry,” commented Gormley. Innovation and developments in technology are providing new solutions to products that would otherwise have reached their end of life. Gormley added, “Awesome companies like Future Post are tackling the soft plastics crisis by turning our soft plastics into farm fence posts. It is very exciting that alternatives to classic plastic packaging are so mainstream now and are constantly improving.”
Compost collections are an easy fix for a large volume of traditionally landfilled waste, but other solutions can also be found for most waste returns. Audits allow businesses to see different ways they can reduce the waste they create by first understanding what they are producing.
The future for trash does indeed look super with Supertrash excited about technological developments it has in the pipeline; all focused on creating a more interesting and engaging customer experience.
Gormley summed up what makes Supertrash special, “We are always striving to keep up with the latest innovations of dealing with waste, whether it’s partnering with cool, innovative companies or helping create solutions for anyone and everyone.
We aim to provide the missing link by providing a simple and convenient service to get products where they belong - to the composting facility.”
10 minutes with . . .
Melanie Ramsden, national sales manager at MPM Marketing and Castaway Food Packaging, has had a varied professional background before settling into her current role earlier this year. rom finance and law to marketing, FMCG, and now food packaging; Ramsden is ideally suited to her highly charged and high-energy role. “In my role, I get to deal with such a huge mix of inspiring and talented people,” said Ramsden. “It also deals with a medium that really appeals to me – food. I also like that I get to play my part in helping to shape our business and industry into forwardthinking about products focussed on reduce, reuse and recycle.”
When asked about a typical workday, Ramsden said that there was no such thing as a typical workday. She said her role varies greatly, from presenting to international brands one second, to meeting with environmental consultants the next. Ramsden’s position has her working closely with the operations manager, although it is a largely autonomous position. Ramsden explained that she loves being able to encourage her team to smash their goals, as well as being able to have an impact on products that lessen the impact on the environment.
Ramsden noted that at the time of her inception into the company, she entered the business at a time where substantial positive changes, both within the organisation and in the market, are being made. In such a multi-faceted role, Ramsden said that the rewards of the job are numerous.
“My team inspire me every day to get up and aim to be the best, and the knowledge that we can help the customers that we work with, especially charities, is great.” For example, when schools are doing fundraising events or running ‘mini-businesses’, Ramsden donates products from the company for the schools to use. F Plastics and waste are a significant issue in the foodservice industry. In Ramsden’s role, she clearly sees the need to encourage conversation and action when it comes to reducing waste and non-recyclable plastic usage.
“The biggest issue, of course, is our environment and the impact of any packaging and type of nonrecyclable plastic. This is a huge focus for our business, and we are working hard to play our part here.” As Ramsden settles into her role, she hopes to be able to continue learning and challenging herself to step outside of her comfort zone. She said that there are always exciting projects in the pipeline at MPM Marketing and Castaway Food Packaging, some of which were being kept under wraps for now; Ramsden said that we’d just have to wait and see.
Over 750 organisations are already a part of this no brainer environment saver, are you? FILL me please
Ikon Pack Logo Variations Plastic pollution is a major challenge the world is facing today. In New Zealand alone, an estimated 828 million single-use plastic bottles are discarded every year, most of which end up in our landfills. The latest Colmar Brunton research shows that nearly 70 percent of Kiwis agree that the build-up of plastic in the environment is a big concern. Almost 50 percent have deliberately switched to a brand or service provider which is more sustainable.
With this in mind, it is important for businesses to lead by example and support causes that support their customers values. RefillNZ has come up with a plastic reduction scheme that puts the responsibility on both customers and restaurants alike. The award-winning campaign provides foodservice businesses with stickers and posters that let people know they can come in and refill reusable water bottles for free.
“People need easy solutions to help them reduce their plastic consumption,” said Jill Ford founder of RefillNZ. “Having a sticker in the window is an easy way to show you care and attract foot traffic.”
In the 14 months since its debut, the campaign has signed up over 750 cafes, restaurants and other organisations throughout New Zealand. It also received the Keep NZ Beautiful – Community Environmental Initiative award and is run by a small team of committed volunteers.
Derek Hillen, head brewer at iconic Grey Lynn taproom New Leaf Kombucha, recently joined
the campaign, explaining that he already has a similar practice at New Leaf Kombucha where he offers Kombucha refills to customers when they return with New Leaf Kombucha containers.
“It was a no-brainer, really,” Hillen added. “It tails nicely with our own sustainability initiatives. We joined the campaign for two simple reasons; one, we believe in its mission and two, there’s been an overwhelming demand to do the same thing that we’ve done with our kombucha.” In Auckland, Christchurch,
Eco-Cane Keeping up with sustainability trends, Dunninghams, New Zealand’s most comprehensive butchery suppliers, have launched a new ECO-CANE range of home compostable sugar cane clams, bowls and plates.
Gisborne and Tauranga RefillNZ is working with councils, DHB and other organisations to get more local businesses on board. Amanda Brien, project manager of the Auckland collaboration, Wai Auckland, coordinates the sign-up for various cafes and businesses in Auckland. With the heat of an extended summer upon us, more tourists and locals will be roaming New Zealand looking for water. Refill NZ’s founder believes that with the help of local cafes and restaurants, there is hope to turn the tide on plastic pollution.
It’s very low cost and easy to join, to be a part of the plastic reduction campaign visit www.refillnz.org.nz.
Portrait Full Colour Portrait Colour
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sustainabilityfeature Eco-made-easy. Sustainability provides a way to attract new customers and maintain the loyalty and confidence of existing patrons. The eco-friendly story can be used to highlight the quality of ingredients on the menu such as a new locally sourced product you want to draw attention to.
Here are four simple ways your café or restaurant can embrace sustainability.
STICKING TO THE SEASONS
seasonal ingredients can create more work for kitchen staff, by creating a seasonal menu, restaurants and their guests may discover a new passion for those foods that can only be enjoyed at certain times of the year.
LOCAL SOURCING
Eating according to the seasons may seem like an old-fashioned idea. Thanks to refrigeration, heated greenhouses and global transportation you can buy most produce all year round. However, these methods create “food miles” (the distance the food has travelled from producer to consumer), every single mile adds to the carbon footprint of the food.
While a changing menus to reflect
To minimise the energy used in production transport and storage produce should be sourced locally whenever possible. Supporting farmers, sustainable agriculture and local communities can lead to increased customer loyalty and improved morale (and loyalty) among staff.
Sourcing local produce goes hand in hand with seasonal menus, creating the opportunity to use the freshest ingredients in a variety of ways. For example, making raspberries the guest star on a menu during raspberry season by adding it to a relish you use on savoury dishes, while also creating a raspberry based dessert.
Operating costs can be reduced by bulk buying from local suppliers, this doesn’t just include produce, but packaging as well.
REDUCE FOOD WASTE
New Zealanders throw away 157,398 tonnes of food a year. The food thrown away by the US and Europe could feed the entire world three times over. The catering and hospitality industry are responsible for a large part of this waste.
Look at how much food is being discarded in your establishment and adjust accordingly. It may be a case of better stock management or reducing portion sizes, another option is to provide doggy bags so people can take the uneaten food away with them.
IMPLEMENT COMPOSTING
One of the best ways to reduce food wastage is to implement composting systems. There are collection services dedicated to not only diverting compostable food from landfill, but also commingle recycling, cardboard, and soft plastics.
You can have your establishment waste audited in order to understand what waste is being created and the best solutions to reduce it.
2020 HOSPITALITY TRAINING TRUST Grant Applications NOW OPEN
With a track record of large-scale commercial projects, demand for the Auckland city-based FF+E procurement company has been soaring.
Statement iD is passionate about inspired design, with proven expertise in hotels, resorts, restaurants and bars. Their dedicated team covers all FF&E procurement for the hotel, hospitality and commercial industries. Statement iD has suppliers all over the world to suit all budgets and time frames.
Statement iD represents a range of international furniture brands, all of which are suited for commercial use. TON, SP01, Jobs, Torre and Fogia – all coming from Europe have award-winning furniture designed by acclaimed designers. Lebello and Tonik and Janus et cie are outdoor furniture brands built to withstand the harsh New Zealand sun. 2020 is another big year for Statement iD, with a wide range of new products to showcase in New Zealand and working on a range of commercial projects throughout the country. Projects throughout the country and in the Pacific Islands.
column HYPER LOCAL SOURCING AND PLANT-BASED MENUS TOP LIST OF 2020 NZ DINING TRENDS Plant-based menus and hyper local sourcing to prevail on 2020 menus
By Marisa Bidois, CEO, NZ Restaurant Association marisa@restaurantnz.co.nz or 0800 737 827
Plant based proteins, veganism, hyper local sourcing and conscious consumerism. These are some of the things we expect to see appearing on more and more restaurant menus this year. Members were asked to weigh in on which food and beverage trends they expect to become more mainstream this year, with results highlighting that we should expect to see continued focus on ingredients from local growers and producers. Hyper local ingredient sourcing is ranked as the number one chefdriven priority.
Diners can also expect to see more plant-based dishes on menus with veggie centric and plant-based proteins ranked as the number two and three chef-driven trend for the
year ahead driven by an increased demand from diners. Members predicted that flexitarian diets would become more prevalent.
Menu choices driven by lifestyle diets was cited as the second most prevalent diner request followed by more plant-based dishes driven by reduced meat consumption. The survey highlighted the growing demand from diners for sustainable ingredients and reduced packaging with conscious consumerism ranked as the number one consumer-driven trend. A possible turn away from home delivery is a possibility with only eight percent of respondents predicting that menus would be driven by their suitability to home delivery.
The global trend towards wellness, coupled with a focus on environmental concerns and animal welfare is having an impact on consumer interest in more plantbased menu items, particularly from younger diners.
We expect to continue to see our members introduce more plant forward dishes as well as focusing on using local and sustainably sourced produce.
The demand from consumers on reduced packaging has also seen many businesses switch to compostable takeaway packaging as well as offering incentives for using reusable cups.
We also see a continued focus on indigenous ingredients and this is certainly an area we expect to see continued growth in over the coming years.
Key findings • Hyper local sourcing was ranked as the number one chef driven trend followed by veggie centric, veggie forward cuisine • Craft/artisan spirits was picked as the number one beverage trend • 47 percent of respondents ranked conscious consumerism as the number one diner-driven trend • 27 percent thought that menus would increasingly be driven by lifestyle diets and 23 per cent by reduced meat consumption • 85 percent had seen a rise in menu requests relating to food allergies with gluten the most common intolerance.
NEW DECADE, NEW CHOICES FOR POTATO PROCESSING INDUSTRY PepsiCo New Zealand is committed to reducing the saturated fat, sodium and added sugars for Kiwi consumers.
Exciting news from the New Zealand potato crisp industry recently, as PepsiCo New Zealand evolve healthier processing for New Zealand’s favourite snacks.
The maker of Bluebird potato chips and other snacks, has changed the cooking oil for its major snack brands to canola oil. The change has significantly reduced the amount of saturated fat in Bluebird Original Cut potato chips, Bluebird Thick Cut potato chips, alongside the rest of their range.
For some of the company’s iconic brands, the saturated fat content has been reduced by as much as 85 percent. General manager of PepsiCo New Zealand, Ali Hamza, said it was a significant reformulation milestone.
“We’re proud to be rolling out this change in New Zealand to many of our great snack brands including Bluebird.”
“Consumer needs and preferences are changing, and Kiwis are more concerned about their health and wellness than ever before. Switching to cooking in canola oil for our major snack brands means more than 90 percent of our local snack portfolio now meets our global 2025 goal to reduce saturated fat in our products to no more than 1.1 grams per 100 calories.
The team has been making several changes to our portfolio, products and packaging to ensure we can meet our consumers’ needs. We want to make it easier for consumers to make informed choices for themselves and their families.”
“We’ve been working to reduce the amount of added sugars, saturated fat and sodium in our food and beverages, provide consumers with more nutritious options, ensure our products have clear ingredient labelling information and of course, meet the highest standards for food quality and safety.”
PepsiCo New Zealand is also in the
process of rolling out the voluntary Health Star Rating on front of pack packaging for its Bluebird snack brands. Health Star Ratings will be on 44 percent of PepsiCo New Zealand snack products by early 2020 and we have plans to continue this roll out.
Kiwi consumers can expect to see the new potato chip and flavoured snack products on shelves early next year.
meetthechef LANCE CANNING Season Chef Scott Base, Antartica New Zealand
THE CHEF AT THE END OF THE WORLD Few chefs have the resume´ of Lance Canning. Born and raised in Whanganui, he’s spent much of his career specialising in remote area work, preparing and cooking food in some of the most inhospitable places in the world. Currently, he’s the season chef for Antarctica New Zealand, the government agency carrying out research on the world’s least explored continent.
Working out of Scott Base, Canning is responsible for ensuring none of the 85 people living on the base during the summer months go hungry, an effort that is at times more of a logistical exercise than a culinary one.
“At the start of the season you need to do a really good stock take, and keep an eye on it throughout the season,” Canning told Restaurant & Café Magazine. “You might have twenty boxes of something, which seems like a lot, but you might have to make that last twenty weeks, which is a bit limiting.”
Canning is used to working under tight restrictions. Born and raised in Whanganui, he first got into cooking after a chef and friend of the family introduced him to his kitchen. He’s since worked on heritage expeditions in the Southern Ocean and Russian waters, and as the in-flight chef for Etihad Airways. An adept all-rounder, Canning is as comfortable crafting desserts and baked goods as he is serving dishes in bulk – but he’s always found himself drawn to the wilder corners of the world. “Remote area work is pretty much my entire CV at this point,” said Canning. “We can do most things here that you can in a normal kitchen. We’ve got everything we need, it just gets a bit more creative over winter with dwindling food supplies.
Recently, we had some wild venison which the Southern Lakes helicopter pilot brought down with him. We just cooked it medium rare and served it, but then we made sausage rolls out of the leftovers and they were pretty popular. That was a real bonus.”
Efficiency is the name of the game when it comes to making stocks last in such a remote landscape, and Canning has found himself tapping into a previously unknown vein of distinctly Antarctic cuisine. Fermenting scraps of leafy greens into kimchi and sauerkraut provides storable calories for next to nothing, and pemmican, a mix of dried meat and fat, makes for an efficient, albeit indelicate, meal.
“Pemmican is just about the most Antarctic food there is,” Canning laughed. “It’s what Shackleton and Scott ate when they were here. You wouldn’t
have it in the real world because it’s a bit hardcore, but it’s great if you’re cold and hungry.”
But whilst he has to focus more attention than most chefs on administrative aspects of his kitchen, Canning still has plenty of room to experiment and play around – after all, he has a captive audience who very much appreciate variety, however modest. Canning regularly makes birthday cakes for his team and has even served up KFC-style chicken. Occasionally, he trades with the US-owned McMurdo station – a cool 3km away – to keep his menu fresh. Recently, he swapped some ice cream for Alaskan king crab, crafting vol-au-vents for the crew.
“It’s really just cooking for your friends, because you know everyone,” he explained. “We usually do a roast on Sunday, and fish and chips on a Friday. We do a lot of pasta for lunches, and different types of sliders; banoffee pie is a super popular dessert. Add to that a really amazing view – you can just look out to the sea ice pressure ridges and check out what the seals are doing, it’s amazing.”
LIFE AT SCOTT BASE Sarah Williamson Antarctica New Zealand CEO
Perhaps it’s living with the cold, or that every outside activity is a little more strenuous with multiple levels of clothing on, but you do work up an appetite when you are at Scott Base.
Apart from penguins and seals, there are very few natural smells in Antarctica, so any other smell stands out. Taking off your extreme cold weather gear in the locker room and walking down the corridor towards the dining room, you’re immediately bombarded with the smell of sensational food.
Everyone eats together at Scott Base in the dining room, and the meals are central to catching up with others. It’s a chance for field specialists to chat to scientists, for the domestic team to talk to the carpenters, the communications team to catch up with mechanics. Food brings us together down here, and everyone talks to everyone.
Homemade bread is a personal favourite, and I have to say that the fruit bread at Scott Base makes a mean fruit toast. I slather it in butter with a good cup of Earl Grey for a lovely start after an early morning chilly walk.
First equal are the old-fashioned puddings, from sticky date to molten chocolate. The New Zealand Defence Force team like to whisper that you should never trust a pudding that comes out of a square pan, but we all line up for the puddings at Scott Base, big square pan or not!
The recruitment process for chefs is the same for all of our Scott Base roles. People apply via our website, there is a shortlisting interview, personality, and ability testing, followed by a reference checking process. We’re always keen to hear from anyone who wants to work with us, and you can register interest year-round via our website.
