Formula goes sour
OPINION: Media reports say global recalls tied to cereulide toxin contamination in milk-based nutrition brands could inflict combined financial losses exceeding $1 billion.
Danone has been cleared by the Overseas Investment Office (OIO) to take an indirect shareholding of up to 65% in Yashili New Zealand.
Danone currently has an indirect shareholding of about 30% in Yashili NZ.
The application was made by Danone Asia Pacific which is a wholly owned indirect subsidiary of global food and beverage company Danone SA. The French listed company has a 44% US public shareholding.
Yashili NZ operates a dairy production plant in Pokeno, Waikato. The OIO says the land is not considered sensitive under the Overseas Investment Act.
“The applicant has satisfied the OIO that the individuals who will control the investment have the relevant business experience and acumen and are of good character,” the OIO says in its decision.
“The applicant has also demonstrated financial commitment to the investment.”
Yashili NZ Dairy, a joint venture between Yashili and Mengnui established in 2012, has $220 million invested in its dairy plant in Pokeno. It has capacity to produce 52,000 tonnes a year of infant formula.
New Zealand's diverse cheesemaking talent shone brightly last night as the New Zealand Specialist Cheesemakers Association (NZSCA) crowned the champions of the 2026 New Zealand Cheese Awards.
Tracing has indicated that the source of the first velvetleaf find of the 2025-26 crop season, in Auckland, was likely maize purchased in the Waikato region.
Fish & Game New Zealand has announced its election priorities in its Manifesto 2026.
With the forage maize harvest started in Northland and the Waikato, the Foundation for Arable Research (FAR) is telling growers of later crops, or those further south, to start checking their maize crop maturity about three weeks prior to when they think they will start silage harvesting.
Irrigation NZ is warning that the government's Resource Management Act (RMA) reform risks falling short of its objectives unless water use for food production and water storage infrastructure are clearly recognised in the goals at the top of the new system.
More than five million trays, or 18,000 tonnes, of Zespri’s RubyRed Kiwifruit will soon be available for consumers across 16 markets this season.