Every week The Feed interviews the movers, the shakers and the makers in the New Zealand food industry. Check out the interviews on The Feed Weekly podcast or in a Q&A format below. And if you’ve got a story to tell or an opinion to share, drop us a line at editor@thefeed.co.nz
Increasingly, vegans, vegetarians and others looking for meat alternatives are seeing a new option on the menu: patties that look, taste and even appear to bleed like beef hamburgers, but are actually made of soy, pea protein and other ingredients. Now, a leading...
When the medieval catholic philosopher Thomas Aquinas wrote in his Summa Theologica: "It is lawful for a man to succor his own need by means of another’s property, by taking it either openly or secretly: nor is this properly speaking theft or robbery" he probably...
The three staple crops dominating modern diets – corn, rice and wheat – are familiar to Americans. However, fourth place is held by a dark horse: cassava. While nearly unknown in temperate climates, cassava is a key source of nutrition throughout the tropics. It was...
Since we ran the first installment of this two-parter, we've found ourselves falling back in love with some of the grape varietals that first put New Zealand on the map as a wine producing nation and that we've been a touch guilty of taking for granted as of late. We...
In August of last year Progressive closed down their Countdown store in the Hamilton suburb of Nawton. Rising crime, a building not fit for purpose, end of their lease and an economically deprived area were some of the reasons given and or surmised. What resulted was...
A new study published today has found that David Seymour is a bit of a dummy who should never have been allowed anywhere near a decision making role, let alone associate education minister or, god help us all, deputy prime minister. Oh wait. That's not what it says...
Australia. It’s the reason it’s always raining on the west coast. It’s under-arm bowling. It’s Holly Valance. It’s the North Queensland crocodile fella. All Australia’s fault. Russel Crowe? Him as well, even if they don’t want to admit it. If you follow the national...
People have been using salt since the dawn of civilization to process, preserve and enhance foods. In ancient Rome, salt was so central to commerce that soldiers were paid their “salarium,” or salaries, in salt, for instance. Salt’s value was in part as a food...
News reaches us via Stuff that the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, is about to start flogging jars of jam as part of her as yet unrealised lifestyle empire. We know this because various friends of Meghan have been posting pics on their social media accounts. The...
Many people around the world make and eat fermented foods. Millions in Korea alone make kimchi. The cultural heritage of these picklers shape not only what they eat every time they crack open a jar but also something much, much smaller: their microbiomes. On the...
The final scene of Rachel Cusk's novel Transit depicts what is arguably the worst dinner party in all of literature. It takes place deep in the English countryside, far from the nearest town, on a foggy night that renders the surrounding country lanes effectively...
The people are excited. The people are very excited. Or at least that's what DB Breweries Senior Marketing Manager, Cormac van den Hoofdakker would have you believe. And what are you so excited about? You, my basic friend, are excited about the launch of White Claw in...
The history of farming is seeded with technological “big bang” moments that have changed the trajectory of whole industries and countries. Some – such as mechanisation, and the arrival of synthetic fertiliser and pesticides, have transformed agricultural economic and...
A press release from Foodstuffs wings its way into our inbox with some rather concerning news. The company that controls New World, PAK'n'SAVE, and Four Square are letting us know that olive oil is getting scarce and that means it's going to get pricey. Extreme...
Liquid gold – this description for olive oil is becoming more and more accurate every year. Prices of olive oil have skyrocketed in the last few years. Donald Montes from Taste of Greece has seen a 120% increase in prices in just one year. Increasing demand and...
The far-reaching consequences of climate change inevitably include the production of foods and beverages, including wine. In New Zealand, winemaking is an important business, with exports worth more than NZ$2 billion per year. Earlier studies have already suggested...
A new report from AUT (a summary of which can be read here) has found that chefs working in New Zealand and Australia suffer "significant financial hardship and mental health issues" with many considering leaving the profession in the near future. This doesn't include...
Chefs are in hot demand. “Chefs, chefs, chefs! Virtually impossible to find anyone,” lamented one Auckland restaurant owner recently. Australia is seeing a similar gap, with chefs ranked the eighth most in-demand occupation. Given this culinary skills shortage, we...
School meals are critical to child health. Research has shown that school meals can be more nutritious than meals from other sources, such as meals brought from home. A recent study that one of us conducted found the quality of school meals has steadily improved,...
The deep ocean, beyond 200 metres of depth, is the largest and one of the most complex environments on the planet. It covers 84% of the world’s ocean area and 98% of its volume – and it is home to a great diversity of species. Yet it remains among the least studied...
David Seymour, who increasingly appears to be the tail joyfully wagging the dog of our new coalition government, has called for the school meals program to be scrapped. Christopher Luxon, dutifully padding along behind his coalition partner, has said that it must...