Food safety: Enhancing food integrity innovation

For decades, AgResearch’s Food Integrity team has been a vital partner to New Zealand’s meat processing and export industry, delivering impactful solutions that drive quality, safety, and market success. Our work includes implementing process improvements to reduce product risk and extend shelf life, such as alternative packaging solutions to prevent premature spoilage. We also address emerging food safety and regulatory challenges to safeguard New Zealand’s reputation and exports. 

The economic impact of our research is significant. Two key beneficiaries are chilled lamb exports to the EU and bobby calf beef exports to the USA. Across five case studies, our work has delivered an estimated annual economic benefit of $41.7 million. With a total investment of $8.1 million over 20 years, this represents a remarkable annual return on investment of 515%. AgResearch continues to provide the science and innovation that underpin the success of New Zealand’s meat exports on the global stage. 

In addition to process improvements, we focus on developing innovative technologies to future-proof the industry. These include cutting-edge antimicrobial interventions, advanced packaging systems, and tools to enhance product traceability and compliance. By combining innovation with practical applications, we help New Zealand’s exports stay competitive in an evolving global market. 

Our team has been at the forefront of developing clean, green technologies to enhance food safety and support wider agricultural applications. These innovations include advanced light technologies, such as Far UVC and dual-light systems, which provide non-chemical antimicrobial solutions for surface and product treatments.  

Cold plasma technology is another area of focus, offering an eco-friendly approach to microbial inactivation on food surfaces, packaging, and equipment. We are also leveraging this technology, to enhance seed disinfection efficacy and promoting increased germination rates and plant growth. Additionally, we are using cold plasma to disinfect valuable cell culture lines while maintaining cell line health and vigour.  

Our research on bacteria-derived antimicrobials has led to the discovery of natural compounds that combat pathogens in food, animal health, and crop protection. These sustainable solutions aim to reduce chemical reliance, address antimicrobial resistance, and support the transition to greener, more resilient agricultural practices.