MAGIC: August Newsletter

To all of you who thought Nicki Sutton had disappeared, the exciting news is that I have reappeared as The Mobile Food Scientist. Just like magic, I am here to make your life easier once again.

A massive thank you to everyone who has supported me in my first 3 months of business, thanks to you I have been pretty busy. Billie’s bags are packed and he’s now off to preschool, so I have more time to dedicate to your projects.

For those of you who I have not met yet, my website is up and running. Check out www.themobilefoodscientist.co.nz for more information on the areas I am specialising in. The key objective of my company “The Mobile Food Scientist” is to offer a high quality, professional, yet friendly service with a short turnaround time.

Keep up to date with what’s happening in the food industry through my newsletters. I will be running promotions throughout the year, keep your eyes peeled for these.
  

1. HEALTH STAR RATINGS- After years of discussion the classification system has been finalised and companies are now starting to include these on front of pack labelling. Points are allocated depending on the four aspects of a food associated with increasing the risk factors for chronic diseases; energy, saturated fat, sodium and total sugars content of a food along with ‘positive’ aspects of a food such as fruit and vegetable content, and in some instances, dietary fibre and protein content.
   It is not compulsory to have these on your label however I have access to this calculator and have run some trial products through the database. Fibre plays a large part in increasing the points value therefore as fibre is not normally included on nutritional labels it is necessary to calculate this before using the HSR calculator.
   If you are wanting to calculate your HSR score, The Mobile Food Scientist is now offering this service so email or call for a quote today.
    
2. NATURAL PRESERVATIVES- I have been looking into natural preservatives lately and have discovered some exciting products for bakery, beverages and sausages. Some of these ingredients can be labelled as fermented sugar and others are labelled as flavour. If clean labelling is key to your supply into retail outlets particularly the Australian chains these may be a great option for your products.
    
3. TESTING- If you require analytical or microbiological testing why not email nicki@themobilefoodscientist.co.nz for a quotation. All testing is completed at accredited laboratories and reports are translated into comprehensible detailed reports by The Mobile Food Scientist. Due to my relationship with the external laboratories the cost of this service is often cheaper than a direct standard test at one of the laboratories.
    
4. NEW BUSINESSES- If you know of anyone starting a food business don’t forget to tell them about The Mobile Food Scientist. I love giving guidance on Food Standard requirements, mentoring opportunities and various courses available.
    
5. GROWTH- If you are looking to upscale your production to enable you to supply large retailers, send an email to nicki@themobilefoodscientist.co.nz I may be able to link you with a suitable company to co-pack your product, saving you costs in compliance and machinery outlay.
    
6. NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION (MY SPECIALITY)- It is important that these comply with the Food Standards Code therefore use an expert like myself to complete these. The cost via database is $100+GST which includes the ingredients listing and % RDI’s. If analytical testing is required rather than via database the cost is $400+GST for nutrition information and $50+GST for the ingredient listing per product. Ask for discount if more than 3 products are tested at one time. Please ensure that the information provided by your consultant is transcribed directly onto the label as the exact format of the information is critical to meet the Food Standards Code. I am happy to check labels I have completed before the final print.

I look forward to hearing your voices again and looking at ways I can work with you to make your company even more successful than it already is.