We’ll be presenting some pretty ground breaking new features which will truly make MyRecipes the easiest and faster ever way to cost a recipe! Drop me a line if you’re interested!

Look out for the gluten free section at the show also! Companies exhibiting include Ceres Organics, Golden Goose Foods Ltd, Aitken Products, Spiral Foods, and Matakana Superfoods.

Kiwifruit - greater volume available. Price dropping as a result.
Tamarillos – price easing as they come into season.
Feijoas – now plentiful in supply and price easing
NZ garlic – significant increase in price due to weather
Satsuma mandarins – North Island supply coming into season
Cherry tomatoes on vine – coming into season now
Rock and honeydew melons – end of the local season

The most significant increases came from porterhouse/sirloin steak (up 17%) and fresh chicken (up 5%). Porterhouse/sirloin steak prices rebounded from February when extensive discounting led to a 17% fall. However, porterhouse/sirloin steak prices are still down 3% from their January 2010 levels, a key contributor to the increase in the food price index for March 2010.

The most significant decreases came from lower prices for apples (down 20%), kumara (down 21%), and grapes (down 26%). Apple prices typically fall by about 20% in February (27% in February 2010) and by a further 20% in March, as the new season’s crop becomes more widely available.

The most significant increases came from higher prices for lettuce (up 21%) and broccoli (up 30%).

The council notes an interest from consumers wanting the availability of ingredients and nutrition information in regard to food allergies and special diets. If you currently use MyRecipes, you will have noticed our nutrition labels we launched a few months ago.

While these are handy if you’re packaging products for sale, how would you feel about offering them to diners on request? Have your say by speaking to the NZ Food Regulation Ministerial Council before 14 May.

I could not believe I was hearing this! Do we look upon gluten free diets in the same way in NZ? I believe that the market is not big enough to segregate such a large proportion like this and that everyone should be catered for.

What is gluten free?

Gluten is a protein that is found in wheat, barley, oats, rye and triticale. Wheat is the most commonly used gluten containing grain in New Zealand, but wheat has separate proteins of its own that may cause allergy.

Coeliac disease (gluten intolerance) is a condition where the absorptive surface of the gut is damaged by a component of gluten. Coeliac disease is an autoimmune disorder, and occurs where there is a genetic susceptibility. Treatment of coeliac disease involves the life long removal of all gluten from the diet.

MyRecipes displays gluten free icons alongside every item which fits this criteria making it easy to cater for this intolerance. The gluten free label indicates that no gluten is contained in any of the ingredients in the product/s indicated. Feel free to use these labels on your menus.

In February 2010 compared with January 2010:

* Fruit and vegetable prices fell 3.5%
* Meat, poultry, and fish prices fell 2.4%
* Dry good prices fell 0.8%
* Non-alcoholic beverage prices fell 1.9%
* Restaurant meals and ready-to-eat food prices remained unchanged

The most significant decreases came from apples (down 27%) and potatoes (down 11%). Apple prices typically fall by at least 20% in the month of February, as the new season’s crop becomes more widely available. The most significant increases came from tomatoes (up 12%) and strawberries (up 36%).

For the year to February 2010, fruit and vegetable prices decreased 2%. Annual falls for fruit and vegetable prices have been recorded for the past seven months. The most significant decreases came from lower prices for potatoes (down 20%) and kiwifruit (down 31%). These decreases were partly offset by higher prices for tomatoes (up 31%).