Sent: Dec 9, 2025, 4:21 PM

 

NZIFST Newsletter - Nibbles # 454, December 9th, 2025

In this issue:

  • Conference 2026 - Expressions of Interest to Present Now Open
  • NZIFST Brand Project - Thank you for having your say, all 385 of you!
  • NZIFST Events Calendar 
  • A reminder to Student Members
  • Other Industry Events coming up
  • Links to the latest issue of FoodNZ
  • NZIFST Head Office Notes
    • The Food Industry Consultants Directory is live!
  • NZ Food Safety News 
    • Trans tasman agreement on access to new agricultural compounds and medicines announced
    • Get recall ready with MPI 
    • MPI launch their new Exporter Help webpage
  • Food Standards News
  • Latest Job Vacancies

NEXT NIBBLES DATE: January 20th, 2026

 

Conference 2026 - Do you have something you would like to present?


We would love to hear from you.

The NZIFST Conference is an opportunity to share via a speaking slot, a poster, and for NZIFST student members, in the 3 Minute Pitch competition with a wide variety of people within the food industry

Useful details:

Conference Dates: Tuesday June 30th - Thursday July 2nd 2026

Location: Tamaki Makaurau, Auckland

Conference Theme: Growth

Click here to register your 
Expression of Interest to Present
at the 2026 NZIFST Conference.

Potential Session themes include:

Application due dates:

Oral & 3 Minute Pitch (3MP) - Fri 13th March 2026
Poster - Thurs 30th April 2026

 

If you have any questions, please email programme@nzifst.org.nz

 

** Please note, we used AI to generate the session themes graphic - as you can see it is not perfect, a more accurate list is available within the application form. **

 

Canterbury Westland Branch as you to Save the Date for their first Networking Event for 2026 on 16 February 2026, at Lone Star Spitfire in Christchurch. More details coming in January 2026.

20th NZOZ Sensory Symposium is being hosted by AIFST in Melbourne, Australia - 10 - 12th February 2026. NZIFST Members can access the discount code for this event here. Click here to register and find out more.

EHEDG Advanced Hygienic Design Courses for 2026 are being finalised.  Next course will be in the Hamilton in March 2026. Click here for more information and to register

Reminder to Student Members

If you are receiving this email from us at a University email address that is not likely to be accessed over the next few months, or potentially not at all, we encourage you to head over to your profile, and update your primary email address to something else.

If you are moving on to employment, we encourage you to upgrade your membership to Graduate 1 level membership, which is very easy to do.

If you need any help with either of these activities, this document will help you.

Plus Prizes, Prizes, Prizes!:

Every current student NZIFST member who upgrades^ their membership to Graduate 1 Membership before January 30th 2026 will go into the draw for a $200 prize pack.

^this includes paying the invoice for the membership before January 30th 2026.

 

Other Food Industry Events

 

Boost Your Career with Food & Beverage Industry Scholarship

Women & Leadership New Zealand is offering scholarships to support women to access world-class leadership and workplace skill development programs.

Professional development designed for you:

  • Balance Life & Learning: Flexible part-time delivery fits your busy schedule.
  • Essential Work Skills: Combine cutting-edge theory with practical application.
  • Targeted Growth: Choose from four distinct programs, each tailored to a different career stage, from emerging to senior leadership.

Partial scholarships ranging from $700 to $3,000 are available to support women at all levels, from entry-level to senior executives.

Applications close Friday 12 December 2025, unless allocated earlier.

Learn more and apply here. 
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Fundamental Guidelines for Fresh Produce Food Safety V5 Launched 

A refreshed, science-based framework to help the fresh produce industry manage food safety risks from production through to post-harvest handling. 

 


Click here to find out more.
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NZIFST Members can attend AIFST Webinars at the AIFST Member Price. 
If you are an NZIFST member, you can find the discount codes here. 

10 - 12 Feb 26: 20th NZOZ Sensory and Consumer Science Symposium
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2026 Lincoln University Career Fair is being held on Wednesday 13th May from 1.30pm - 3.30pm on the Lincoln Campus.

Click here to book your space at the fair, and get students familar with your company.

  
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Do you have a food industry related event you would like to advertise with us?
Contact the NZIFST Executive Manager to find more about costs and discounts by offering discounts to NZIFST Members.

Food New Zealand Latest Issue

Dec 2025/Jan 2026

READ IT NOW ON ISSUU

Featuring in the December/January issue
  • In Focus: 
    • Consulting Services
  • Packaging Highlights from FoodTech PackTech
  • NZIFST Conference 2026 
    • Call for abstracts

 

Food Industry Consultants Directory - Now Live!

We have been working with the team at Gecco to get the Food Industry Consultants Directory onto the new website in a format that is searchable by keywords, business name, and area serviced.

Click on the banana phone to see who is currently listed, and pass on the details to anyone you know who needs advice on a wide variety of food related projects.

If you would like to advertise your consulting services with on the directory click here for more details.

Have you got something to crow about?

Launched a new product? Been nominated for an award?
Let us know, so we can share your news and celebrate with you!

 

Having issues with the website? 

We all know that new systems have the habit of not quite working as they should.

If you are having any issues with anything in the new system/on the website, click on the Having Issues? link in the Quick Links on the front page (see the image to the left), and this will take you to some How to Guides, and a form to let us know what your issue is.  We will do our best to get your issue fixed as quickly as possible.

Primary sector set to benefit from new trans-Tasman agreement

On Monday 24 November, New Zealand Food Safety, a part of the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), signed an updated Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) in Wellington.

This agreement gives our primary sector more efficient access to important new agricultural compounds and veterinary medicines.

To read the full joint press release, please click here.

Are you importing food into New Zealand or supporting others who do? Whether you're just starting out or looking to refresh your understanding, New Zealand Food Safety has you covered and their webinar Getting Recall-Ready: What Food Importers Need to Know is available to watch on demand.

This session will provide a high-level introduction to recall readiness for food importers. You’ll learn why being prepared matters, what a good recall plan looks like, and how to maintain the records needed to support effective recall management.

The webinar will cover:

  • Why food importers need to be recall-ready
  • What a good recall plan includes and how to test it
  • Accessing resources and support to help you succeed

They have also put together a Food Importer Information Pack that covers key points from the webinar and provides useful links for further reading.

If you have any questions, please email foodimporteradvice@mpi.govt.nz

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has launched a new web page to help exporters of innovative food and fibre products build strong support networks and take their ideas to market. Explore it here: Support for exporting innovative food and fibre products.

Whether you're starting out or scaling up, this page is designed to connect you with the right people and tools to move forward. It lists some key organisations that can help you with your ideas, as well as MPI support programmes and funding that may be available.

MPI Consultations, Legislation, Standards and Reviews.

If you are interested in what MPI is currently working on, check here for Consultations, and here for Legislation, Standards and Reviews.

To hear more about food importer responsibilities, upcoming changes to imported food requirements, current events such as recalls related to imported foods and future webinars, you can subscribe to the quarterly Food importer news by visiting this page: Food importer news | NZ Government (mpi.govt.nz) or the actual link: https://www.mpi.govt.nz/import/food/food-importer-news/

 

New applications and proposals

FSANZ has completed an administrative assessment and accepted the following application. Assessment has now commenced and an opportunity to comment will be notified at a later date. 

General Level 5 Procedure

 

Five Year Review - Application A1155

In March 2021, FSANZ gazetted an amendment to the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code to permit the voluntary use of 2′-fucosyllactose (2′-FL) alone or in combination with lacto-N-neotetraose (LNnT) in infant formula products. As requested by Food Ministers, FSANZ has completed a five-year review of the evidence of a substantiated beneficial role of 2′-FL and LNnT in the normal growth and development of infants. The findings presented to the Food Minister's Meeting on 14 November 2025 indicate that the addition of 2′-FL and LNnT to infant formula products does play a beneficial role in the normal growth and development of infants. For further information, please visit the A1155 webpage:-

 

 

Gazette - Amendment No. 246

Amendment No. 246 to the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code was published by FSANZ on 4 December 2025 (FSC 186). It included amendments resulting from the following application and proposal: 

Further information is available on the FSANZ Gazette web page.

 

 

Commencement of assessment

Assessment of the following application has now commenced. An opportunity to comment will be notified at a later date. 

 

 

Food Standards Code Compilation update

The Food Standards Code Compilation has been updated - Food Standards Code Compilation

 

For information about progress on all current applications and proposals, including anticipated consultation opportunities, see the Food Standards Work Plan.
Previous Notification Circulars and Gazettes are available on the FSANZ website. 

 CHANGING YOUR JOB? 

PLEASE TELL US ABOUT IT!

If you have changed jobs, or are back in New Zealand from overseas, please email your news to the team at Food New Zealand so it can be included in the journal.

 

Job Vacancies - Food Industry Professionals Wanted

Accounting and Business Support Manager

 

 


 

 

Add your job here
Auckland Permanent/Full time

 

 

 

This role is the financial and office backbone of a long established New Zealand owned food export business

Take full ownership of accounts across NZ and Australian entities.

Stable, long term role in a small, family owned food exporter.

Normal hours and a practical view of how work fits into the rest of your life.

 

 Do you have a job in the food industry that you would like to advertise on our website and in Nibbles.

Click here for more details.

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www.nzifst.org.nz

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