Virtual farm tour wins prize for Fonterra

On the stand were NZMP (dairy ingredients) and Anchor Food Professionals (foodservice brands).

The Gulfood Innovation Awards in Dubai are made for new and improved products and technologies among those shown by 5000 food, beverage and hospitality companies that exhibit.

Fonterra general manager Middle East for NZMP, Santiago Aon, says the co-op brought “the Fonterra experience alive” for visitors to the stand, for example, by the Fonterra “virtual reality experience”.

Wearing a headset, site visitors get to see a 360° “virtual Fonterra world, following the journey of NZ dairy from its origin onfarm to the shipping of NZMP ingredients to overseas markets”.

Aon says NZMP’s use of virtual reality technology, only now entering the mainstream as a communications tool, brings the Fonterra dairy story to life.

“This expands the way we connect with our customers and lets them see how NZMP turns milk into dairy products, deepening their insights into the origins of the products they buy from us.”

Also, at NZMP’s Virtual Store customers can create a virtual product to meet their specifications by selecting certain ingredients, packaging styles and label images.

Fonterra won the Gulfood award for its new stand, its first standalone site at the event, after 40 years partnering with Middle East and African food and beverage manufacturers.

“Gulfood… showcases Fonterra’s ‘New Zealand advantage’ – our market-leading, grass-fed dairy expertise and food safety and quality.”

Anchor Food Professionals, on the site for the first time, exhibited its foodservice brand’s product innovations.

The 5000 exhibitors from 120 countries attracted 90,000 food professionals from 150 countries over five days.