New Logo Highlights NZ-Grown Grains

Most consumers are unaware that when they buy bread from the supermarket it is more likely to be made from imported, rather than domestically-grown milling wheat. This is despite New Zealand arable growers producing some of the world’s best quality grain.

To make it easier for consumers to identify and seek out food and drink products made from domestically-grown grain, a new “New Zealand Grown Grains” logo will soon start appearing in bakeries and on shop shelves.

The certification trademark for products made with New Zealand-grown grains is the initiative of growers via their levy organisation, the Foundation for Arable Research (FAR), in collaboration with Eat New Zealand which promotes locally-sourced food.

FAR general manager of business operations Ivan Lawrie says that while it may be a few months before the certification trademark starts appearing on packaging and advertising, interest has already been shown by bakers as well as makers of breakfast cereal and plant-based milk. The trademark not only applies to milling wheat, but also other grains such as oats and barley. FAR owns the trademark which became available under license from July 1 for companies that meet its specifications. More publicity around the trademark is planned in spring as food and beverage makers are signed up.

Eat NZ chief executive Angela Clifford says the campaign

“is a unique opportunity for farmers to join with bakers, chefs and consumers using their grains and seeds, to tell a compelling story about what makes New Zealand-grown arable foods so wonderful. From the quality to the connection to our land, from food security to social license, we all win when our farmers and those eating the food they grow, work together."

The initiative is part of a wider industry campaign underway for about five years, to make New Zealand become more self-sufficient in the growing of milling wheat, used to make bread. Despite the arable industry’s reputation for quality product, at least three-quarters of the bread sold in New Zealand is made from imported grain, primarily from Australia, Ivan Lawrie says.

Growers are keen to expand production and maintain a strong industry, but infrastructure remains a major hurdle. While most cereal production is in the South Island, it is expensive to transport this grain to where most consumers live, in the North Island.

“It costs less to transport grain from Australia to the North Island than across Cook Strait from the main growing region of Canterbury.”

In terms of consumer preference, market research showed that 50 per cent of bread purchasers are prepared to pay up to 20 cents extra a loaf and some consumers up to 50 cents for a loaf guaranteed to be made from New Zealand-grown grain.

“Although the grain component may represent only a small share of a final product’s total cost, even a modest rise in demand can have significant long-term effects, encouraging investment by plant breeders, traders and processors and helping to maintain a diverse and resilient portfolio of cropping options for New Zealand growers,” Ivan Lawrie says.

Other research commissioned by FAR and Eat NZ has debunked some industry myths which questioned the suitability of New Zealand grown wheat for baking. An independent analysis compared the performance of Australian wheat grades most often imported into New Zealand with domestically-grown wheat in terms of the baking properties of the flour.

“This highlighted the superior performance of New Zealand milling wheat compared with imported Australian grain. It is not only better than the Australian product, but as good as Canadian, which is rated as the international standard.”

New Zealand grain growers are already certified through a United Wheatgrowers’ QAgrainz quality assurance and traceability programme.

In terms of greenhouse gas emissions, an analysis showed that one kilogram of flour, milled in New Zealand from local wheat has a lower carbon footprint than one kilogram of flour milled using Australian wheat at the same mill. New Zealand-grown grain not only has lower transport emissions, but its much higher yields result in lower emissions per tonne of grain, Ivan Lawrie says.