A select committee has proposed limiting the kinds of products the Consumers’ Right to Know (Country of Origin of Food) Bill will apply to, and plenty of folk ain’t happy about it. What’s the story? Back in 2016, then Green MP Steffan Browning introduced a member’s bill that proposed mandatory country-of-origin labelling (CoOL) on all … Read more
The world’s greatest spread underwent some frightening changes recently. Hayden Donnell delves into the animosity and legal wrangling behind the death and rebirth of Kraft Peanut Butter. The world of marketing is riven with betrayal. Taste the rainbow. The best a man can get. Don’t be evil. All broken promises. There’s only one tagline that’s … Read more
The debate about lunchbox shaming risks leaving us powerless to combat a far greater health emergency, writes public health consultant Victoria Mulligan. Dr Rebekah Graham last week called to end food policing and “lunchbox shaming”, claiming that it’s hurting our most vulnerable families. Her research uncovered the challenges that some families face in providing food … Read more
Every week on The Primer we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to Fresh As founder Tommy Roff whose company freeze-dries everything from mandarins and feijoas to liquorice and Red Bull. ONE: How did Fresh As start and what was the inspiration behind it? I had a … Read more
New research from the University of Auckland reveals startling disparities in the ways communities are targeted by junk food retailers. Don Rowe speaks to the study’s author, Professor Boyd Swinburn. A combination of political apathy and toothless local government is exacerbating New Zealand’s obesity crisis, a new study has found. We’re living in fundamentally unhealthy … Read more
The angst of a Wellington winter melts away amid the tongue-tingling tastes of the Middle Kingdom. You’re in the break room guarding the microwave as your soup-berg slowly circles. Your toast’s just gone down. Pete comes in. You eyeball him: lay down that Vogel’s bro, this needs at least another minute. The weather’s shit. Work … Read more
Chef Luke Adams shares three delicious Māori dishes. As he whipped up an on-trend beetroot and farro concoction in the kitchen of a cafe in Auckland’s Newmarket, Luke Adams talked us through how to make something very different — the kai he was raised with. Adams (Te-Uri-o-Tai hapū, Te Aupōuri iwi) is head chef at … Read more
Dietary Requirements is our new monthly podcast in which we eat, drink and talk about it too, with special thanks to Freedom Farms and Fine Wine Delivery Company. On the inaugural Dietary Requirements, our hosts Simon Day, Alice Neville and Sophie Gilmour discuss the crispy bacon spectrum, the perfect egg sandwich and memorable dining experiences, … Read more
A quest for pasta perfection takes one carb enthusiast from Mt Eden, Auckland, to Bologna, Italy. This story originally ran in Barker’s 1972 magazine. During my three-week honeymoon in Europe, I gained 7kg. Despite spending only two days there, I believe Bologna is where the majority of the weight was assumed. I am obsessed with pasta … Read more
We’re jolly excited to announce the launch of The Spinoff’s newest section, dedicated to all things food and drink. Its editor, Alice Neville, explains what it’s all about. Do you like eating? Do you like drinking? If you answered “yes” to one or more of these questions, chances are you’ll like The Spinoff’s new section. … Read more
Alice Neville went along to The Creation Dinner, a pop-up restaurant by MasterChef winners Karena and Kasey Bird, and it was bloody good. Ko tēnei te tīmatatanga. This is the beginning. In the darkness, sky father Ranginui and earth mother Papatūānuku are locked together in a never-ending embrace, their many children crushed between them. After … Read more
To celebrate Wellington on a Plate’s 10th birthday the capital’s party experts have shared their tips on how to nail your next blowout. Throwing a party, whether for four people around the dinner table at home or for 40,000 people at a festival, is a complicated chess game. All the different pieces have to move … Read more
Chicken without the bird, milk without the cow: meet the five Kiwi startups catapulting vegan alternatives into the mouths of mainstream consumers. Eggs Benedict, mac ‘n’ cheese, and spaghetti bolognese. I’m not just listing random foods – they’re a selection of meals over the past year that I’ve tried in a 100% vegan state. And … Read more
This month legendary Wellington food emporium Moore Wilson’s turned 100. Samuel Flynn Scott meets Julie Moore, the most important and influential person in Wellington food. Sean Clouston, executive chef and co-owner of Logan Brown, was bustling through Moore Wilsons in his cheffy regalia. “Sammy! You come here on Fridays too? Best time mate. All the … Read more
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today: Toby Manhire tries the freshly launched burger at vegan fast food outfit Lord of the Fries Meat. On the one hand it involves the institutionalised slaughter of animals, carries a range of grave health risks and presents a menace … Read more
Every week on The Primer we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to Little Angels founder Heather Baker whose used her expertise as a postnatal nurse to make healthy, easy-to-prepare food for babies. ONE: How did Little Angels start and what was the inspiration behind … Read more
Hawke’s Bay juice makers The Apple Press say they don’t care about looks, just “good taste and low-waste”. Jihee Junn talks to co-founder Ross Beaton about how his innovative juice company came about. ‘You eat with your eyes first’ is how the old adage goes, with science proving over the years that visual stimuli really … Read more
Developed by New Zealand plant scientists and funded in part by a $20 million MBIE grant, Calocurb is being marketed as a major step forward in appetite-control treatment. But is it all it’s cracked up to be? Weight loss industry expert Andrew Dickson gave it a try. Calocurb was launched here in New Zealand in … Read more
It’s not just a challenge on Fear Factor anymore. Charlie O’Mannin talks to locust farmer Malcolm Diack about farming locusts for human consumption, doing it within city limits and doing it ethically. Malcolm Diack loves animals. As we enter his suburban house in Caversham we’re greeted by a beautiful deaf Samoyed, two cats, and a tank of … Read more
“There is nothing more miserable, pointless, expensive and anxiety-provoking than going through life worrying that some food you ate will give you cancer,” writes George Henderson, in his review of a new study which considers the food we eat, and what it’s doing to our bodies. Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarrelling … Read more
Two restaurants with the exact same name operate beside each other in Mt Albert. But which is the real Mt Albert BBQ Noodle House? Madeleine Chapman eats and investigates. Occupying the heart of the Mt Albert food district are two rival restaurants right next door to each other. Both make cheap, generously portioned, delicious Chinese … Read more
Business is Boring is a weekly podcast series presented by The Spinoff in association with Callaghan Innovation. Host Simon Pound speaks with innovators and commentators focused on the future of New Zealand, with the interview available as both audio and a transcribed excerpt. This week Simon talks to Sophie Gilmour about Bird on a Wire, a … Read more
Smoked kahawai, hāngi-cooked pork and watercress dressing are just a selection of what fusion food truck Pūhā & Pākehā has to offer. Jihee Junn talks to one-half of the couple behind the rising business on filling a gap in the market, the challenges of cooking fusion food, and why a permanent restaurant might well be … Read more
The honesty box our cashless society has been waiting for has arrived in the form of an online app. Jihee Junn talks to the Taranaki-based developer behind My Honesty Box to find out how it works, why it doesn’t take commission, and how it already has interest from vendors in the United States. Honesty boxes … Read more
It’s food delivery app versus food delivery app as we pit the industry’s two main competitors in a head to head battle. Which one is fastest, cheapest and easiest to use? Jihee Junn weighs up the pros and cons of each one by doing what she does best – buying lunch. Ordering in is the new eating … Read more
For years, Milo has (literally) been milking its Health Star Rating thanks to a loophole which allows calculations on an ‘as prepared’ basis. Jihee Junn looks at how the Milo’s removal of its rating puts the spotlight back on the system’s shortcomings and why the HSR is due for a serious review. Milo has always … Read more
Welcome to the Cheat Sheet, a clickable, shareable, bite-sized FAQ on the news of the moment. Today, Jihee Junn finds out what all the fuss is about with global doughnut brand Krispy Kreme, which launched in New Zealand this week. Doughnuts! Delicious! What’s your favourite? Can’t go wrong with a good ol’ glazed. There are few … Read more
For thousands of New Zealanders in the past year, food delivery has become synonymous with UberEats as customers love it for its simplicity and convenience. But what about the restaurants? What’s it like to be on the other side of the table? Jihee Junn talks to Auckland restaurant owners to reflect on a year of … Read more
Every week we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to Megan May, founder of whole foods company Little Bird Organics which today launches its first-ever equity crowdfunding campaign with fellow Kiwi entrepreneurs Melanie and Malcolm Rands of Ecostore. ONE: How did Little Bird Organics start … Read more